Consultancy And Advocacy

CONSULTANCY

- Consultant With SSMI, A New Delhi Based civil society organisation that also runs a Delhi Government School

- Consultant at the Army Special School April 2018- March 2019. Worked with the teachers and principal to bring in changes in curriculum, assessment methods, planning, classroom teaching. Introduced the need for widening the horizon for the children with disabilities and exposing them to information that their peers without disability have access to. Also supported in exploring placement opportunities for young adults with disabilities, leading to the placement of a few young adults within the cantonment as well as in the mainstream.

- Consultant for a Vijayawada based organization working with children with disabilities to help them set up a Helpline for persons with disabilities and their families. Vijayawada, December 2017- January 2018

- Consultant at ‘The Blue Bells School’, Gurgaon: 2010. The project involved setting up a Resource Centre at the school to support children with Learning Disabilities. This involved working across the spectrum- ranging from teacher training to putting systems in place to ensure the children got the necessary support. Besides this teachers were trained on learning disability. The teachers were trained to identify children with learning disabilty. Then they were facilitated to support children with learning disabilities and other difficulties in the class. The full-time Special educator was trained to work with children with learning disabilities. to conduct remedial sessions and work in a team along with the teachers and parents. While the Special Educator was there to work with children requiring specific inputs, the teachers were equipped to handle learning and other difficulties within the classroom.

- Vivek High School, Chandigarh [2006-2007] Consultant for Special Education & Counselling for the Junior School: working with teachers, parents and children. Supporting children with disabilities within the class- promoting full inclusion. Training workshop for teachers.

- Prayas Rehabilitation Centre for the Handicapped, Chandigarh [2006-2007] worked as a Disability Consultant. Worked with children with intellectual disability, multiple disabilities and learning disabilities. Parent Counselling and information sharing on rights of persons.

- Mother Teresa’s Jeevan Jyoti Home for girls with disabilities, New Delhi [ 2013- 2014] Worked as a part-time counsellor and conducted individual sessions with a group of young girls with disabilities facing a wide range of issues.

ADVOCACY

• Member of ADVOC [Advocacy for the Disabled: Voicing of Capacity] a group of Disability professionals working towards legal advocacy for Persons with Disabilities. [ 1997 onwards ]

• Worked on the issue of the ‘Disability Certificate’ with the team at Astha. Identified the difficulties encountered by people in getting a disability certificate and listed out a series of measures that need to be put in place. These were then taken- up with the concerned State and Central Government officials. Some of the teams’ suggestions were accepted and included in the new guidelines. [ 2000 onwards ]

• Part of the core group that highlighted the plight of people with intellectual and multiple disabilities in Delhi’s Ashakiran- home for persons with disability. There have been over 130 people who have lost their lives in this government-run home. It resulted in the government taking note and taking some steps to improve the conditions there. [2010 ] Was a special invitee to a group constituted by the Delhi Government and the High Court to look into the restructuring process towards improving the lives of children and adults with disabilities living at Ashakiran, New Delhi.

The year 2010 started on an extremely disturbing note. A newspaper report apprised us of the deplorable condition of children in a government-run institutional care facility in New Delhi. There were more than twelve children who passed away in one facility in the month of December 2009 alone, besides over a 110 who had passed away in the last couple of years . The conditions in which the children live are enough to send a shudder down the spine of even the most cold-hearted person.

Unfortunately this is not the first time this has happened. Children passsing away has been a regular feature of these government-run instititional care facilities in Delhi. A series of deaths have been reported since 2004 and there would be many that have gone unreported and perhaps, unnoticed.

Anandini feels very strongly about this gross violation of the very basic human rights and has taken up the issue. We need to fight for the rights of this very vulnerable group of people who may not be given a chance to voice their concerns…

OTHER ACTIVITIES…

• The founder director, Anandini was invited by The Rehabilitation Council Of India [ RCI – Under The Ministry Of Social Justice And Empowerment ] to be on their panel for inspection of various organisations to initiate B.Ed courses. Inspection visits were made to organisations in Jaipur, Bhopal, Barshi [Maharashtra] and Benares.