Constituency Served

rural persons with mental retardation, physical, hearing, visual and learning disability, and leprosy, 0-18 years

Details of Work

SIA works with persons with disabilities in 186 villages of Bangalore rural and Kolar districts. It provides early identification and stimulation programmes for children with disabilities. It runs self-help centres which prepare children to enter regular schools, and provides pre-vocational and vocational training to those unable to attend school. It acts as a resource centre for school going children, and provides support and counselling to parents. It has an integrated education programme for children to attend regular schools, and provides support through trained resource teachers. It offers a one-year certificate teacher training course for multi-category resource teachers, and a six-month distance education course in Braille. It provides low-cost disability aids and appliances, and training in the manufacture and maintenance of simple appliances. It initiates research and development of appropriate aids, and provides technical support to NGOs. It has initiated a model 'inclusive education' programme under the DPEP* in one taluka of Magadi district.