In
an effort to care for the mentally challenged children of the
communities. Sadhana opened a Special School in 1996, with 2
students.
The teachers have all been trained but the extraordinary thing
about Sadhana is the atmosphere of love which surrounds it and
the extraordinary support it gets from its vibrant Parent/Teachers
Association.
The special school for the welfare of mentally challenged children
provides boarding and lodging facility in the hostel attached
to the school, maintaining the children with care.
The present strength of the school is 172 out of which, 108
students are at Hyderabad and 64 students are at Rural Project and
previously the students of our school used to reach the school
by three wheelers and by hired vehicles. Now we have arranged
a mini-bus for their transport which made them easier to reach
the school in time and to return to their homes happily and
in good sprits.
The staff of our institution usually proceed to the tribal
and backward areas for the purpose of identification of mentally
handicapped children and to assist them to cope with the daily
routine in a purposeful way. The parents of these children cannot
come to the institution for any counseling, which is essential,
or for admission as they are far away from our institution and
this is due to ignorance, lack of knowledge and sufficient information
and due to their financial difficulties.
We are providing behaviour modification of the mentally handicapped
through the services of physiotherapy, speech therapy, music
therapy, yoga therapy and special education techniques by a
team of interdisciplinary teachers, whom we approached by paying
visits, who are employed in other noted institutions.
The mini-bus which our organization has purchased for the use
of our institution has increased the strength of the day scholars
in a progressive way.
Our
institution “Sadhana” is on of the institutions,
which is running a hostel for the mentally handicapped children
all through the year in this part of the country. The advertisements
in newspapers and T.V. channels have mentioned again and again
that our institution has a hostel which is providing free boarding
and lodging.
The parents actually feel that their children could not be
managed, controlled or counseled by them in their respective
hours. Hence, they wish to keep their children in our hostel
itself, for it is being maintained in an efficient and proper
manner and services as a safe place for them to live and to
more about in a congenial way.
“Sadhana” has been providing special education
to the mentally handicapped children through the efforts of
our well trained staff, who are wall qualified in special education.
Training is provided to the children in vocational training
like candle making, chalk-making, doll-making, paper-cup making,
preparation of Vaseline and gardening etc.
A notable feature of our institution is “ours is the
only organization in these parts of the country where we admit
children in the school and/or hostel who are fully dependent
on others because of their under-developed capacities and have
always to be attended even for basic needs”. We provide
for such needy children a life-long shelter and rehabilitation
with parental care and attention. We have children of such category.
We feel happy and content with the lot.
If generous sponsors are forthcoming, we wish to support more mentally challenged children and extend the
same facility to them. We have been making constant
efforts in this direction also and we welcome such a gesture
from humanitarian individuals, locally and from abroad.
Our institution is also interested in adolescent problems which
need more attention. The period of adolescence is roughly between
the ages of 13 and 20 years. Some times the adolescent problems
lead persons to a kind of risk. The paramount risk is a tendency
towards committing suicides. It runs maximum during the period
of adolescence among mentally handicapped persons, when sharply
rejected by the society, because it is the stage when failure
is taken very seriously in the case of mentally retarded persons.
Some of them are even prone to mental illness with no relief
whatsoever.
We have some plans to go in for sheltered workshops, where
note books preparation and dairy-farming can be taken up to
produce easily marketable items.
We have train our students in daily living skills, who are
unable to do their daily chores, like eating, dressing, grooming,
and also toileting etc. The main purpose of this training programme
is to infuse confidence in them, to make them feel that, they
are quite efficient and can attend to their daily needs with
more confidence then ever as the ordinary children of their
age group and move in the society with some satisfaction facing
challenges.
If such mentally handicapped children are given such attention
by our experienced staff in such activities as mentioned above,
the self confidence of the students will grow more and pave
the way for the development of human resources aspect.
NUMBER OF DISABLED BENEFICIARIES (as on Jan 2005)
| |
At
Hyderabad |
At
Rural Centre |
Total |
| Hostlers
|
52 |
64 |
116 |
| Day
Scholars |
52 |
0 |
52 |
Total strength of the Institution |
168 |
OTHER PROGRAMMES
- Evaluation of mentally handicapped
- Special Education
- Vocational training
- Self Help group
- Training programme for the parents of mentally Handicapped
and professional
- Individual treatment (which includes speech therapy, Physiotherapy,
Yoga Therapy and behaviour modifications)
- Home Training
PROGRAMME IN RURAL AREAS:
- Rural Camps
- Evaluation of referrals and counseling from Nilofer Hospital,
Govt. Hospital for mental care, Nizams Institute of Medical
Sciences and other institutions)
School
- Class Room Teaching
- Physio Therapy
- Speech Therapy
- Dance
- Drawing
- Games / Sports
- Vocational Training
- Life Skills
- Medical Checkup by doctors
Year-wise Number of Mentally Challenged Children with Sadhana undergoing Rehabilitation (1996-2008 )
| Years |
Urban |
Rural |
| 2008-09 |
110 |
64 |
| 2007-08 |
104 |
61 |
| 2006-07 |
98 |
58 |
| 2005-06 |
92 |
55 |
| 2004-05 |
88 |
51 |
| 2003-04 |
80 |
49 |
| 2002-03 |
77 |
44 |
| 2001-02 |
68 |
41 |
| 2000-01 |
61 |
39 |
| 1999-2000 |
55 |
34 |
| 1998-99 |
49 |
20 |
| 1997-98 |
35 |
0 |
| 1996-97 |
26 |
0 |
Hostel
- Dinning Hall & Kitchen
- Domitory
- T.V Room
- Hostel care takers ( 1 for domitory )
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