Dear All
Please see the details of eh paper published in DESH VIKAS, Multi Disciplinary Journal during January - March 2020:
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INCLUSION
OF PERSONs WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES - OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Lakshmi Narayana
N
Mentor
Geo
Rehabilitation Centre, Hyderabad.
ABSTRACT
Barriers and poor Access
for services and supports limit the growth of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities
and further affect their development and wellbeing along with their Families, Communities
and Nation with challenges and vulnerabilities. Poverty, Disability and Development
works as a cause and consequences of each other and further deepens the poverty
with challenges and vulnerabilities. Inclusion covers four domains as Social,
Political, Economical and Environmental. This group’s needs are like any normal
child with special environment. There exist several stakeholders having specific
role and responsibility. Several Disability Acts and Policies are working to support
and protect the group with better working frames. The empowerment model of Persons
with Intellectual Disabilities works from the stage of early identification to inclusion
both socially and economically with better sustainability and improved quality of
life. This model of empowerment does
suffer with several challenges but at the same time opens gates with several opportunities.
In this process, Government does have several limitations to work on its own
and working with Private (Corporate) and NGOs on partnership basis will have added
advantages with community based initiatives. Parents can contribute
significantly in all the areas with concern and commitment. The initiatives
taken up are need based and have resulted for better outputs and impact with effective
participation, accountability, responsibility and transparency by improving the
availability, accessibility and affordability of services and supports. The strategies,
models and interventions developed and implemented are simple, flexible,
scalable, replicable and sustainable matching to the dynamics of the group as
well as the environment.
Key Words: Intellectual
Disabilities, Community, Development, Challenges, Opportunities, Empowerment,
Inclusion, Equality, Equity, Dignity, Respect, Wellbeing.
Statement of the Problem
Barriers and poor Access
for services and supports limit the growth of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities
and further affect their development and wellbeing along with their Families, Communities
and Nation with challenges and vulnerabilities.
Initiatives
Author has got wide experience in the Social Sector with
multisectoral and multidisciplinary approaches which works for the development of
the people in general and particularly poor & marginalized groups in an
accessible & inclusive environment. Some of the key initiatives conceptualized,
developed and implemented at selected NGOs include:
ü Understanding the position of having a
child with disability in any family which demands for special environment and
support even for day to day work covering Activities of Daily Living (ADLs).
ü Awareness cum Advocacy covering a basic
frame of: whom to do?, why to do?, what to do?, where to do?, when to do?, how
to do?, and what is expected output & impact? so that the service providers
can understand the challenges, vulnerabilities and needs of the targeted
groups.
ü Training of Parents to know the realities
of their children and role to be played for developing such children.
ü Training of Teachers (Special Educators)
to work with wide service spectrum starting from the stage of early identification
to empowerment with innovation and creativity.
ü Mentoring of NGOs and PAs with need based systems
which are dominant with bottom up approaches (BUAs).
ü Documentation, Connectivity and Networking
with the Stakeholders for better participation with further sharing and dissemination.
ü Supported Forums, Associations and
Federations to reach the unreached with need based systems and solutions.
ü Supported Seminars, and Workshops for presentations
and to empower the groups for better sharing covering technical, administrative,
financial and legal aspects including monitoring & evaluation for better sustainability
of the systems and service providers.
ü Published the developed and implemented
models, strategies, solutions, outputs, and impact in various journals (both National
and International) and got acceptance. Some concepts have been taken up for
further study and research at Universities and other Institutions.
ü Some of the mentored NGOs have got
recognition both at National and International levels by way of Projects, Resources,
and Awards.
Recommendations
Based on the challenges, opportunities,
outputs, impact and need of continuation of the study, recommendations made includes:
ü To conduct more and more Awareness cum
Advocacy Programmes to reach the unreached with data base registration at PRI
level itself.
ü To encourage Students to associate with
NGOs and do Project Works & Research Studies with innovation and
creativity.
ü To connect, network and coordinate with the
grass root institutions to address the needs of Disability Population with Community
Based Initiatives.
ü To work for the effective implementation
and utilization of the rights & other provisions of UNCRPD and RPWD Act
2016.
ü To work for the Human Resources Development
with priority for Parents, Siblings and other Family Members.
ü To support NGOs to work with Government, and
Private (Corporate) on Partnership basis from early identification to empowerment.
ü To develop accessible environments from
home to work place with effective participation and utilization.
To
develop more and more Life Care Centers to answer the concern of every parent
that “what will happen tot eh child after us?”
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Looking forward
All the best.
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