The objective of Rural Community Based Rehabilitation was to make inroads in the provision of relevant support and services to children and young people with disability in the rural areas. This stemmed from the prevailing incidence of disability, lack of specific Government interventions, attitudes of stigma and discrimination due to lack of social perspectives, and the need to expand APD’s outreach. Thus as a beginning, APD initiated work in Kolar with outreach activities gradually expanding to other rural areas as well.
Its strategic Disability Development Program focuses on mainstreaming children and people with disability by up-scaling participation in home or formal educational programmes, and training in vocational skills for income generations. These activities are subsequent to identification of medical treatment, and provision of mobility and other functional aids.
Educational interventions
The RCBR team interacts with children with disability and their families and networks with schools for enabling the child to learn either in home based programmes or in classrooms. In the process, RCBR team identify drop outs or students who have not passed their exams. Special attention can be given to them during the ten month course in the specially constituted residential school in the rural campus at Kamtampalli, Srinivaspura taluk, Kolar district.
APD’s customized Deaf Education Programme focuses on children with hearing impairment, who are almost completely alienated from the educational system. It manages centre based activities for children between 6 to 18 years of age where they learn the sign language and other communication skills.
Two week programmes and monthly workshops for severe and multiple disabled children and their families help to focus on critical medical needs including therapy, mobility and functional appliances, and management of living skills.
Vocational skills and livelihood opportunities
APD organizes a six-month residential programme for upto 20 young women with disability in embroidery and tailoring skills. The experience of staying together gives them the opportunity to learn cooking, manage their personal chores, and live with individuals outside their family cocoon. This helps them to learn about division of responsibilities for maintenance the residential space, financial and time management.
Thus, through its various residential and community centric programmes, APD not just guides and motivates but also provides opportunities for capacity building and in placement support.
People’s organization and advocacy
An important pillar of APD’s work in rural areas is the Disability Federation, developing and strengthened at the village, block and district level. These federations catalyze the process to change mind sets through formation of groups. These work to sensitize and access rights, highlight the responsibility of the various civil rights groups, access to social entitlements, and development of leadership and team to expand outreach. The Federations network with various Government departments, Panchayats and Civil Society groups regarding the implementation of the Disability Act provisions.
Impact of APD’s interventions on mind set, perceptions and identity
There is now more interaction of people with disabilities with people around them, resulting also due to a newly developed enthusiasm within them. The networks help the people with disabilities, especially the girls, to open up and express their thoughts, ideas, anxieties, and desires.
Prior to APD’s interventions in the community, many an individual would be identified by his or her disability. At times, families were referred to by the presence of an individual with disability. Since then, there has been a gradual but more importantly an irreversible change in social perceptions regarding identify.
