Human Development Institute, Rajasthan (HDI)

About Aadharshila

As a first step to address the most pressing and neglected issue of integration of children with disability, an Educational Support Service Centre for children with disability named ‘ADHARSHILA’ at Dabla Mev, Alwar was founded on 3.12.2001.Every year 3rd December is observed as International Disabled Day to draw attention to the needs and aspirations of people with disabilities and responsibility of the Society towards them. Accordingly, the foundation of the ADHARSHILA was also laid on 3rd December.

Since nearly 75% of the children with disability are residing in rural area with majority belonging to the families which are poor, illiterate and barely able to eke out a living, the concerned families are not able to meet the special needs of differently abled children and also not in a position to send then to urban areas for education and mainstreaming into the Society. Keeping this in view, the Support Service Centre for the disabled ‘Adharshila’ was located in the rural area. The Adharshila provides services of different kind of disabled children (CP,MR,VI and HI) ranging from prevention to rehabilitation

The Adharshila aims to fulfill the following objectives

To provide a range of services in terms of identification and intervention to the persons with disabilities;
To generate awareness about the rehabilitation aspects of persons with disability;
To mobilize community for developing a positive perception towards the person with disabilities;
To implement need based appropriate educational programme for education of children with disabilities;
To provide day care/boarding educational facilities to children with disabilities;
To implement vocational rehabilitation programme for persons with disabilities;
To develop a Resource material and facilities for the education of children with disabilities; and
To develop human resources to cater to the needs relating to rehabilitation services.

The children with disability though lacking in one or more physical and mental faculties obtaining in normal persons have no less may be more zest for life than any other person However, since the physical and mental endowment of these children are little different, they need different mode of training , methods of education for realizing the potential inherent in them.

In order to meet the special needs of children with disability, the Support Service Centre is fully equipped to meet the special needs of disabled children (CP, MR, HI, VI) through a multidisability approach. In addition to educational aids and equipments, the Centre also has a fully equipped physiotherapy Centre to meet the physical and developmental needs of children with disability. The multidisability approach was adopted to facilitate better integration of children and to boost up their confidence. Normally a child suffering with any one kind of disability feels that destiny has singled out him for suffering engendering a sense of self pity. But when he comes together with other children who may be having more severe disability then him then he feels that he not the only one and interaction with other disabled children lessens his sense of self pity and generates hopes for leading a meaningful life.

To cover all aspects relating to development, education and mainstreaming of children with disability and to be able to extend necessary support to them at all hours of the day, adequate facilities for boarding, lodging of children with disability is available at Adharshila. At present 53 children are residing and studying in the Complex. All the services are rendered free of cost.

The education and other support services are provided to the children with the help of resource persons trained in the recognized institutions of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. So far, the Institute has been successful in integrating more than 50 children with disability in Kendriya Vidyalaya, Alwar, NVS (Alwar) as well as Government of Rajasthan Schools with the help of NIOS certification under OBE Elementary Programme.