Resource Centre cum Plancement Cell (RCPC)

Dear All

In the process of rehabilitation of the persons with disabilities (PWDs), the stakeholders are putting their best efforts in working up to the stage of providing vocational training. The limitations of Early Identification, Early Intervention, Special Education can be managed with better coordination, cooperation and networking. After this, getting the employment or self employment and thus income generation is the real challenge.

At this stage, the concept of Resource Center cum Placement Cell (RCPC) is appropriate to improve employable skills and thus to get better employment opportunities suiting to their skills. This concept was tested and yielded better results and thus worked for the better living of the PWDs with sustainability and quality of life (QOL).

I will be posting more and more on this blog so that the same can be replicated and thus able to provide an answer to the unanswered question of the parents that "what will happen to our child after us?".

Looking forward.....

with thanks

Disability - UNCRPD - Amendments - SDM - Legal Guardianship

Dear All

In continuation, in the disability sector, now the top priority is to amend our Disability Acts as India has signed and ratified the UNCRPD. The process is going on with several approaches like: have different acts or single act or generalize the acts for all categories of disability. We need to wait and see how the UNCRPD is going to be effective in supporting the PWDs as a right based approache / strategy.

In case of The National Trust, the process of amendment is becoming complex as people wants it as a generalized one with the inclusion of certain other categories. To cater the special needs of the selected PWDs, The National Trust was framed. It means, it came from generalization to the specialized one. Then, going back to the generalization is against the process of development with specialization.

The other point to be careful is about the supported decision making (SDM) both its technicality and legality. Before UNCRPD, all these four categories (Autism, MR, CP & MD) covered under The National Trust were under Legal Guardinship on need based. There may be some problems in obtaining and implementing this but suitable mechanism may help for its effectiveness. Still it may be the wise decision to leave the option to the PWD and their parents / family members to choose the right and appropriate one suiting to their skills, needs, demands and living environment.

We all need to contribute towards this for getting an effective act so that persons with disabilities can live with us on the basis of dignity and equality as a RIGHT in an inclusive and barrier free environment / community / society.

Looking forward to get more and more info on this key area.

with thanks

Need for better access for WATER

Dear All

In continuation, i had a nice time with the presenters and other delegates of the WASH National Seminar held in Delhi during 28-30th June 2010. Suiting to the key target, i made a presentation on "Access for Water and sanitation in Disability Rehabilitation - A Study from Rural Environment of Andhra Pradesh". It has got appreciation from all in general and particularly the use of Geophysical technology both Surface and Sub-surface. Several NGOs came forward to know more details for its implementation in their areas.

After three days of effective deliberations, it was framed that any effort in the direction of Sanitation or any activity including development need to address the WATER in terms of availability and access well in advance as nothing can be done with out this most precious natural resource.

As indicated in other postings of my blog, the issues of water both in terms availability and access are simple both at planning and implementation including evaluation and monitoring. It only needs commitment and responsibility with dedication.

I look forward to share more and more from the readers and thus finally to provide simple and sustainable solutions to the stakeholders.

with thanks

N.Lakshmi Narayana

WATER and SANITATION IN DISABILITY REHABILITATION

Dear All

After a gap, happy to meet you all.

In continuation to our efforts of working for the empowerment of the persons with disabilities and other needy people on the life cycle basis needs convergence & multi-sectoral approach with community based and right based approaches / strategies.

In this direction water and sanitation is the key area which affects the health condition of the people as well as the environment in general and significantly in the rural villages.

In this direction, several NGOs have made a beginning in spreading the info cum awareness so that we all can have better health with eco-friendly environment.

On this subject, i am going to present the paper on "Access for Water and Sanitation in Disability Rehabilitation - A Study from the rural Villages of Andhra Pradesh" at the National Seminar to be held in the end of this month. This paper is going to give the suggestions and action plan with case studies on: Awareness, Implementation and Management of water and thus improving the access for water which further improves the access for better sanitation facilities. This process finally play significant role in the process of rehabilitation of the persons with disabilities in two stages: one in the stage of prevention of disability and the second to enhance the support services of the rehabilitation.

In both the cases, it works for the betterment of the peole as well as the community. After the presentation and discussion with other professionals, i will be posting the outcome with suitable measures in improving the access for sanitation and other support services in general and particularly for the persons with disabilities.

Looking forward..

with thanks

Inclusion of Persons with Disabilties

Dear All

In view of the existing Acts, Policies, Schemes & Benefits and its amendment in view of the UNCRPD, all the stakeholders needs to work for the inclusion of the Persons with Disabilities at all levels through right based approaches. Yes, it is the most needy and methodologies needs to be framed so that the target of inclusion of PWDs can be achieved as a right.

In this direction, Prgathi, an NGO based at Nelloore of Andhra Pradesh working for the empowerment of the PWDs is going to organized 5 days (April) National Seminar with the focus on Inclusion of PWDs in all areas at all levels which is expected to cover from theory to practice. All the stakeholders are going to discuss and share their experiences concerned with the inclusion of PWDs.

Hoping for the grand success of the event and the out come is going to be posted on this Blog.

Hoping to see some of you...

with thanks

NEED OF SOCIAL MARKETING IN DISABILITY REHABILITATION

Dear All,

The need of the hour in the area of Disability Rehabilitation (DR) is the sustainability with better quality of life. In view of recent UNCRPD, the DR took paradigm shift from charity to right based. This situation puts pressure on all the stakeholders of the disability sector to raise to the occasion for making the right based models at all levels. This needs mobilize of required resources from all the sources.

This invites focus on Social Marketing which helps us to change the behaviour or attitude of the people for maintaining better health or to prevent. On need based, all the commercial techniques / strategies can be applied to do social marketing. In the disability rehabilitation, the social marketing covers: the Services, Products and Aids & Appliances. The Social Marketing helps to improve the sustainability of the organization and thus the persons with disabilities with better quality of life.

Looking forward for better networking in reaching the needy persons with disabilities with right based strategies suiting to their challenges, skills, needs and living circumstances....

with thanks

WATER DAY

Dear All

Good days to have better water days in the life ..........

What is the special about water? Why we all need to discuss, organize workshops, seminars, publish volumes and so on? Is it necessaryto make it as a burning topic or issue or challenge? 

Our ancients never thought so seriously about the water what we are doing now a days?  They always fought for "Roti, Kapda and Makhan". What happened to water or the people to make it so much of burning issues?  What is the diference between our ancients and ourselves? We know the reasons?

A big YES.  The water is precisous and literally controls the livelyhood of the man kind and their development including the Nation at all levels. Reasons for the change in the water senario or environment or cycle are many. 

Some of the significant differences includes:

• They have respected the water resources. We did opposite.
• They have manged the water resources. We did opposite. 
• They developed water bodies. We did opposite.
• They have utilized properly. We did opposite.
• Their requirement was for livelyhood. Our requrement is for luxuary.
• They loved to be with the nature. We are in concreate jungle.
• Their's was steady approach. Our's is race with greedy.
• They maintined relationships. We did opposite.
• They preferred joint family. We want nuclear family.
• Their's was eco-friendly environment. Our's is polluted un-friendly.
• They shared the resources. We are grabbing them madly.
• They used the natural technologies.  We are machanized.
• They loved the mother earth for peace. We love to destroy it for wealth.
• For them, health is welath. For us wealth is health. 

................................... like this the list is endless ... the result is purchasing water ... tuned with bottled water ...  helping for others business. 

I have seen the people in the remote villages of Rajasthan (in the year 1885) who used to conserve the water with top priority. Anything else for them is after water. Slowly, the attitude of the people towards water has changed drastically and the end result is before us.   We all like to live with the present situation which is alarming and its consequences are dangerous even threatning the life itslef.  We are living with GLOBAL WARMING. The future is known to all of us. 

All the stkaheolders learned lessons and realized the mistakes they did. Nothing will come by just cursing the past.  We all need to open our eyes and do the poosible for saving the WATER and further to live in eco-friendly & healthy environment.  

What we all need to do? It is very simple.  They are:

• Respect water.
• Use water with concern and caucious.
• Avoid wasting water.
• Save water at all levels. 

As a thumb rule, if the rainwater is saved to the maximum extent possible, probably majority of present water crises can be solved automatically. How we can do this? Simple, the ways include:

• Harvest rainwater: Start from the house itself. Donot allow rainwater to go out of the house. Try to sink in to the earth thus enahnce the  level of gorundwater. Save it on surface for direct use. 
• Develop watersheds: First renovate the existing water bodies & develop new one like - construct pond, tanks, injecting wells, etc.  

These techniques are very simple and it only needs concern, commitment with dedication. If we all realise the need & consequences then with simple measures, the present water crises and blownup Global Warming situation can be minimized.

On WATER DAY of 2010, we take oth and re-dedicate ourselves to: 

• respect the water, 
• use the water with concern
• use the water optimally,  
  
• save the rainwater,
• minimise or optimize the water needs
• love greenary,
• plant tree samples,

Hope to .... resolve the water cirses, maintain greenary, minimize the pollution, plant trees ... to live happily with better sustainability and quality.  

Looking forward for water networking and thus to save the EARTh and thus mankind. 

with thanks