EDUCATION OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES IN KERALA- AN OVERVIEW

EDUCATION OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES IN KERALA- AN OVERVIEW

INTRODUCTION

Families are the strongest and most enduring force in the development of children. Families are systems that are made up of individuals and responsive to each other’s behaviour. School is the second home for a child. A child with special needs requires special care and services for their physical, mental and behavioural development.                                                                                             

God has gifted everyone with something. The Bible tells us, "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. All these (gifts) are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one just as he determines."(1 Corinthians12:4, 11). As a parent, please be encouraged that the Lord knew exactly what he was doing as he created your precious child because the Bible also tells us, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."Psalm 139:13-16

          There is a saying that, ‘‘A candle loses nothing of its light by lighting another candle.”. Our government provides the right of compulsory education; it is not possible to provide education for specially challenged children along with the normal children. They require more structured help from the very beginning from an early age. For dealing with these children, the important thing is look carefully at what they can do and what they cannot do. Here arises the need and concept of special schools for specially challenged.

          The traditional society image that disabled persons like blind, the lame and those with mental retardation cannot work, earn or contribute to the society, and they should be protected in the homes as “burdens”  on the society has to change.

          As part of our assignment, we studied about the educational services provided to specially challenged child in our state Kerala. In this assignment we deal on the number and types of special education schools in Kerala and a statistical analysis about it.    

                                

                                       

SPECIAL CHILDREN

       Special Child or Exceptional Child is the one who needs special care or attention as he is different from that of a normal child. An exceptional child is unique and their needs are different from that of a normal child. The committee for the National Society for the Study of Education has described special children as “those who deviates from what is supposed to be average in physical, mental, emotional or social characteristics to such an extent that they require educational services in order to develop their maximum capacity”. Children who have been determined to require special attention and specific necessities that other children do not are called special children.  Exceptional children are of two types:

1.   Handicapped,                 2. Gifted/Talented Children.

TYPES OF EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN

          There are twelve types of disabilities; and according to these disabilities there are twelve types of disabled children. They are as follows:

    01.    VISUALLY IMPAIRED: The children who has a visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye even when with correction and whose field of vision is 20°.

    02.    HEARING IMPAIRED: The children who has defects in hearing ability or having a damaged hearing mechanism or facing difficulty in speech and language.

    03.    SPEECH IMPAIRED: The children with mild language and speech disorders.

    04.    MENTALLY CHALLENGED: The children who are having the low level of intellectual functioning and face difficulty in social adaptability.

    05.    ORTHOPAEDICALLY IMPAIRED: The children who have problems related to the functioning of bones, muscles and joints, affecting the movement.

    06.    LEARNING DISABILITY: The children who are very poor in acquiring the basic skills like reading, writing, speaking, listening, etc. It is a neurological disorder.

    07.    MALADJUSTED: The children with psychiatric disturbances or emotional disturbances without clearly defined physical cause or without structural damage to the brain. 

    08.    CEREBRAL PALSY: The children having problems with articulation and movements due to some damage to the brain before or at the time of the birth.

    09.    SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED: The children who come from socio-economically backward sections of the community, who cannot profit from school because of deprivation of one sort or another.

    10.    AUTISM: It is a behavioral problem, resulting from the disorder in the neural development and it affects many parts of the brain.

    11.    SLOW LEARNERS: The children whose learning is slowed down in one or more academic areas. They are the so called dull or under achievers.

    12.    GIFTED CHILDREN: The children who possess outstanding talents. They are superior in their intellectual ability when compared with other children of the same age.

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMES FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

The community at large is often unaware of the potential of children with special needs. In the popular mind, special needs are usually identified with very low expectations. Parents should believe in value of educating children with special needs. The higher the expectations, the higher will be their acceptance in the family.

All the children with special needs must be enrolled in primary schools. After the assessment of their disabilities by a team of doctor, a psychologist and a special educator in schools, the child will be placed in appropriate educational settings. Children with mild and moderate disabilities of any kind may be integrated in normal schools, sever in special schools/remedial schools, drop outs, who have problems in availing benefits of normal schools can join open school. All the children with learning disabilities are managed in normal schools. Open and special schools offer vocational courses also for children with disabilities.

          Here, in this assignment we are dealing with special schools only. Special School is a programme of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Children with severe multiple disabilities who have difficulty in coping in regular schools avail special schools. Most of these are residential schools and boarding-lodging and other services are provided free of cost. At present more than 3,000 special schools for the disabled are functioning in the country. Among them approximately 900 institutions are for hearing impaired children, 400 for children with visual impairment, 1,000 for mentally retarded and remaining 700 for children with physical disabilities. Forty percent disability is the benchmark for identification and certification for admission in special schools.

SPECIAL EDUCATION

Special education or special needs education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials, accessible settings, and other interventions designed to help learners with special needs achieve a higher level of personal self-sufficiency and success in school and community than would be available if the student were only given access to a typical classroom education.

Common special needs include challenges with learning, communication challenges, emotional and behavioral disorders, physical disabilities, and developmental disorders. Students with these kinds of special needs are likely to benefit from additional educational services such as different approaches to teaching, use of technology, a specifically adapted teaching area, or resource room.

Intellectual giftedness is a difference in learning and can also benefit from specialized teaching techniques or different educational programs, but the term "special education" is generally used to specifically indicate instruction of students whose special needs reduce their ability to learn independently or in an ordinary classroom, and gifted education is handled separately.

In most developed countries, educators are modifying teaching methods and environments so that the maximum number of students are served in general education environments. Special education in developed countries is often regarded less as a "place" and more as "a range of services, available in every school." Integration can reduce social stigmas and improve academic achievement for many students.

SPECIAL SCHOOLS

A special school is a school catering for students who have special educational needs due to severe learning difficulties, physical disabilities or behavioural problems. Special schools may be specifically designed, staffed and resourced to provide the appropriate special education for children with additional needs. Students attending special schools generally do not attend any classes in mainstream schools.

Special schools provide individualized education, addressing specific needs. Student: teacher ratios are kept low, often 6:1 or lower depending upon the needs of the children. Special schools will also have other facilities for the development of children with special needs, such as soft play areas, sensory rooms, or swimming pools, which are vital for the therapy of certain conditions.

In recent times, places available in special schools are declining as more children with special needs are educated in mainstream schools. There will always be some children, however, whose learning needs are not appropriately met in a regular classroom setting and will require specialized education and resources to provide the level of support they require. An example of a special need that may require the intensive services a special school provides is mental retardation. However this practice is often frowned upon by school districts in the USA in the light of Least Restrictive Environment as mandated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

An alternative is a special unit or special classroom, also called a self-contained classroom, which is a separate room or rooms dedicated solely to the education of students with special needs within a larger school that also provides general education. These classrooms are typically staffed by specially trained teachers, who provide specific, individualized instruction to individuals and small groups of students with special needs. Self-contained classrooms, because they are located in a general education school, may have students who remain in the self-contained classroom full-time, or students who are included in certain general education classes. In the United States a part-time alternative that is appropriate for some students is sometimes called are source room.

NEED FOR SPECIAL SCHOOLS

Throughout the mid half of the 20th century, special schools, termed institutions, were not only acceptable they were encouraged. Students with disabilities were housed with people with mental illness, and little if any education took place.

          The education of children with disabilities and special needs in India was initiated in the late 1800s, with the establishment of special schools for the Deaf in Bombay in 1883, and for the blind in Amritsar in 1887. By 1900 numerous special schools for the visually and hearing impaired children were set up across the country. This initiated the tradition of special schools in the country and till the 1970s, this was the dominant mode of service delivery for children with special needs (CSN).

          The Sargent Report produced in 1944 and the Kothari Commission in 1966 highlights the government’s approach towards the education of children with disabilities. Both these reports recommended the adoption of a “dual approach” to meet the educational needs of the exceptional children. These report suggested that the children with disabilities should not be segregated from normal children; rather, integrated education should be adopted. The Kothari Commission observed that “many handicapped children find it psychologically disturbing to be placed in an ordinary school” (Education Commission, 1966, p. 109) and in such cases they should be sent to special schools. The Sargent Report also endorsed similar recommendations. Thus both these reports stressed the need to expand special and integrated facilities.

          As human beings special children also have equal rights to live in this world. An exceptional child has the same right to accept and understand as normal children.  So they should get the same educational privilege. Since these children are special they need a special environment, which is suitable for their needs and satisfaction. So special education and special schools are a must for them. Psychologically, special schools will help them to remove their frustration and tension and will infuse a new spirit of self-confidence in them. They will get special care and training in special schools. Hence, special school is unavoidable in their life.

LIST OF SPECIAL SCHOOLS IN KERALA

          The following table gives an idea about the special education facilities in Kerala. The details are only limited. There may be more number of schools providing special education facilities in Kerala. The details are collected from internet, there can be errors also.

Sl. No.	Name of the School	Focus Area	Address	District
1.    z	Abhaya	Rehabilitation Center for Mentally Ill	Varada, Nandavanam	Thiruvananthapuram
2.	Achipliackal Good Hope School for the Hearing Impaired	Special School for the Hearing Impaired	Karuvamprum, Ernad	Malappuram
3.	Alphons Social Center	School for MR	Kidangoor, Angamaly	Ernakulam
4.	Asha Bhavan	VTC for PH	Annamanada	Thrissur
5.	Ashakiran Association for Mentally Retarded Persons	School for MR	Amlapuri	Kozhikode
6.	Ashanilayam	School cum VTC for MR	Ponkunnam	Kottayam
7.	Ashanilayam Social Service Center	School for MR	San Damiano, Puliyannoor, Pala	Kottayam
8.	Association for Welfare of the Handicapped	Institute for MR Children	M’Square Complex,Pavamani Road	Kozhikode
9.	Athani JMJ EM Integrated for the Blind	Special School for the Visually Impaired	Athani, Chavakada	Thrissur
10.	Bethania Rehabilitation Centre for Disabled Women	VTC for MR	Kumarapuram, Medical College P.O.	Thiruvananthapuram
11.	Calicut School for Handicapped	School for PH	Kolathara	Kozhikode
12.	Charitable Society for Welfare of Disabled	Centre for MR	Sneha Bhavan, Pirovam	Ernakulam
13.	Chavara Special School for the Mentally Retarded	Special School for MR	Koonammavu	Ernakulam
14.	Chavaranivas Special school for the Deaf and Dumb	Special School for the Speech & Hearing Impaired	Iritty, Thalassery	Kannur
15.	Chenkal Marthoma School for the Deaf	Special School for the Hearing Impaired	Chenkal	Kasargod
16.	Deepthi Centre	Special School for MR	F.C. Provincial House, Aruvithura	Kottayam
17.	Don Bosco Speech and Hearing	Special School for the Speech & Hearing Impaired	Karakundu,Thaliparamba	Kannur
18.	Emmaus Villa	Special School for Mentally Handicapped	Thonichal, Nallurand P.O., Mananthavady	Wayanad
19.	Enathu Deaf School	Special School for the Hearing Impaired	Enathu, Adoor	Pathanamthitta
20.	Eranhipalam Karuna Speech and Hearing School for Deaf	Special School for the Hearing Impaired	Eranhipalam	Kozhikode
21.	Jagathy Govt. School for Blind	Special School for Visually Impaired	Jagathy	Thiruvananthapuram
22.	Jagathy Govt. VHSS for Deaf	Special School for Hearing Impaired	Jagathy	Thiruvananthapuram
23.	Janey Centre	School cum VTC for MR	Pishari Temple Road, Eror	Ernakulam
24.	Jaycee Society for Rehabilitation of the Handicapped	Institute for MR Children	Dharmadam, Tellicherry	Kannur
25.	Kalaketty Assissi Blind School	Special School for the Visually Impaired	Kalaketty, Kanjirapally	Kottayam
26.	Kasargode Blind GS	Special School for Visually Impaired	Vidyanagar	Kasargode
27.	Keezhmad School for the Blind	Special School for Visually Impaired	Thottumugham	Ernakulam
28.	Kerala Rehabilitation Institute for the Physically Affected (KRIPA)	VTC for Disabled	Chunangavey, Erumathala P.O., Aluva.	Ernakulam
29.	Kottappuram HKCHM Blind School	Special School for Visually Impaired	Kottappuram, Ottappalam	Palakkad
30.	Kudayathur Louis Brail Memorial Model School for the Blind	Special School for Visually Impaired	Kudayathur	Idukky
31.	Kunnamkulam GS for Blind	Special School for Visually Impaired	Kunnamkulam	Thrissur
32.	Kunnamkulam GS for Deaf	Special School for Hearing Impaired	Kunnamkulam	Thrissur
33.	Kunnamkulam Snehalayam HS for Deaf	Special School for the Hearing Impaired	Kunnamkulam	Thrissur
34.	Madonna	Day Care Centre for MR	Potta, Chalakudy.	Thrissur
35.	Malapparamba Assissi School for the Deaf	Special School for the Hearing Impaired	Palachode, Thirurangadi	Malappuram
36.	Manakkala CSI HSS for Partially Hearing	Special School for the Children with Partial Hearing Impairment	Manakkala, Adoor	Pathanamthitta
37.	Manikkamangalam St.Clare Oral School for Deaf	Special School for the Hearing Impaired	Kalady	Ernakulam
38.	Mankada Kerala School for the Blind	Special School for the Visually Impaired	Mankada, Pallippuram	Malappuram
39.	Manovikas	Special School for Mentally Handicapped	Pallisserikkal, Sasthamcotta	Kollam
40.	Mannackanad OLC Deaf School	Special School for the Hearing Impaired	Mannackanad	Kottayam
41.	Marian Service Society	Special School for MR	Mary Land, Muttikulangara	Palakkad
42.	Mattancherry Fr. Augustinu Vicini’s Special School	Special School for MR	Mattanchery	Ernakulam
43.	Mercy Home Charitable Society	School for MR	Anapara, Chulliyodup	Wayanad
44.	Msgr. Joseph Kandathil Memorial Charitable Trust	Reh. Centre for LCP- Home for Severely Disabled	Greengardens, Cherthala	Alappuzha
45.	Muvattupuzha Assisi School for Deaf	Special School for Hearing Impaired	Muvattupuzha	Ernakulam
46.	Nadakkuthazha Rottary School for the Hearing Impaired Children	Special School for the Hearing Impaired	Nadakkuthazha, Vadakara	Kozhikode
47.	Neerpara Deaf & Blind School	Special School for Visually and Hearing Impaired	Neerpara	Kottayam
48.	Olassa Blind School	Special School for Visually Impaired	Olassa	Kottayam
49.	Ollur Asha Bhavan School for Deaf	Special School for the Hearing Impaired	Ollur	Thrissur
50.	Ottappalam GHS for Deaf	Special School for Hearing Impaired	Ottappalam	Palakkad
51.	Padma Educational and Charitable Establishment	Rehabilitation and Training for MR Children	Edavilangu, Kodugallur	Thrissur
52.	Parappanangadi Deaf School	Special School for the Hearing Impaired	Parappanangadi, Tirur	Malappuram
53.	Pope John Paul Peace Home	Training Centre for Profound MR Children	Peringandoor, Ambalapuram	Thrissur
54.	Poomala St. Roselose School for Speech and Hearing	Special School for the Speech & Hearing Impaired	Poomala, Sulthan Bathery	Wayanadu
55.	Prateeksha Bhawan School for Mentally Retarded Children	School for MR	Thodupuzha	Idukki
56.	Puzhakkal Amritha Speech and Hearing Improvement School for Deaf	Special School for Hearing Impaired	Puzhakkal	Thrissur
57.	Raksha	Day Care Centre for MR and CP	Kochangadi, Cochin	Ernakulam
58.	REACH- Society for Remedial Education Assessment Counseling Handicapped	Special School for MR Children	Green Park, Peringavu	Thrissur
59.	Rehabilitation Foundation	Special School for MR	Manjeri	Malappuram
60.	Rotary Institute for Children in Need of Special Care	School for MR	Vazhuthacaud	Thiruvananthapuram
61.	Sanathana Adwaitha Ashrama	Residential cum VTC for MR	Karamana	Thiruvananthapuram
62.	Sanjose Welfare Centre	School for MR	Kanakkary P.O., Ettumanoor	Kottayam
63.	Santhinilayam for Handicapped Children	School cum VTC for MR	Anthinad	Kottayam
64.	Santimargam Social Welfare Society	Special School for MR	HMT Colony, Kalamassery	Ernakulam
65.	Seva Niketan	Special School for MR	Changanacherry	Kottayam
66.	Shilpa Society for the Mentally Handicapped	Special School for MR	Palluruthy, Cochin	Ernakulam
67.	Shri. P.R.S.Pillay Memorial Bala Vikas Trust	Institute for MR	Peroorkada	Thiruvananthapuram
68.	Sneha Sadan Complex	Special School for MR	Pothiyakkara, Kalady	Ernakulam
69.	Snehabhavan Society	VTC for Disabled	Irinjalakuda	Thrissur
70.	Snehanilayam Special School	School for MR Children	Kakkanad, Cochin	Ernakulam
71.	Sneharam Charitable Society	School cum Training Centre for MR	Manalur	Thrissur
72.	Social Welfare Centre	Residential School for MR Grown-up Girls	Arch Bishop’s House, Thrissur	Thrissur
73.	Social Welfare Centre	Residential School for MR Grown-up Boys	Arch Bishop’s House, Thrissur	Thrissur
74.	Society for Rehabilitation of Mentally Deficient Children	Special School for MR	Thottada	Kannur
75.	Society of Daughters of St. Camilius	Special School cum Training Centre for MR Children	Chungakunnu, Kottiyoor	Kannur
76.	St. Joseph’s Social Center	Educational Institute for MR	S.Thuravoor, Cherthala	Alappuzha
77.	St. Joseph Mental Health Care Home	Rehabilitation of the Mentally ill Persons	Pullazhi	Thrissur
78.	Thiruvalla CSI VHSS for Deaf	Special School and VTC for Hearing Impaired	Thukkalassery	Pathanamthitta
79.	Valakom CSI School for Deaf	Special School for the Hearing Impaired	Valakom	Kollam
80.	Vallappuzha Buds School for the Hearing Impaired	Special School for the Hearing Impaired	Vallappuzha, Nilambur	Malappuram
81.	Varkala Light to the Blind	Special School for the Visually Impaired	Varkala	Thiruvananthapuram
82.	Vazhakkad Karunya Bhavan School for the Deaf	Special School for the Hearing Impaired	Vazhakkad, Ernad	Malappuram
83.	Velliparamba Rahmaniya Vocational HSS for Handicapped	Special School for PH	Velliparamba	Kozhikode
84.	Vikas Social Service Society	Special School for MR Children	Payam	Kannur
85.	Vilayancode Karunyaniketan School for Deaf	Special School for the Hearing Impaired	Vilayancode	Kannur
86.	Villoonni SH Njanodaya School for the Deaf	Special School for the Hearing Impaired	Villoonni	Kottayam
87.	Vimala Mahila Samajam	Special School for MR Children	Muvattupuzha	Ernakulam
88.	West Yakkara Sravana Samsara School	Special School for Hearing Impaired	West Yakkara	Palakkad
89.	Women’s Welfare Centre	Residential School for MR	Poozhikol, Kaduthuruthy	Kottayam
90.	Young Women’s Christian Association	Centre for MR	YWCA, Kollam	Kollam

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

          As per the data collected, we are giving a statistical analysis on the number of special schools in each district. The following table shows the number of special schools in each district of Kerala and it is represented by a pie-diagram.

DISTRICTS	NO. OF SPECIAL SCHOOLS
Alappuzha	2
Ernakulam	15
Idukki	2
Kannur	7
Kasargod	2
Kollam	3
Kottayam	12
Kozhicode	6
Malappuram	7
Palakkad	4
Pathanamthitta	3
Thiruvananthapuram	8
Thrissur	16
Wayanad	3

            Another analysis can be done with respect to the focus area and number of schools providing the particular facilities. The table and the diagram are as below:

Special Schools for	No. of Schools
Mentally Retarded	38
Visually Impaired	11
Hearing Impaired	23
Vocational Training Centres (VTC)	5
School cum VTCs	5
Speech & Hearing Impaired	4
Visual &Hearing Impaired	1
Physically Handicapped	2
Severely Disabled	1

                                   

DETAILS OF SOME SPECIAL SCHOOLS IN KERALA

JYOTHIS SCHOOL:

                             Jyothis is a Developmental Training School for children having Cerebral Palsy and other developmental disabilities. Started in 2002, it provides developmental therapies and parent education on disability. The Trust runs two schools at Kottayam and Palai and together has strength of 46 children.

BUDS SCHOOLS:

                             The problems flagged by the community were really an eye opener for the leaders of the panchayat and Kudumbashree functionaries. It paved the way to plant the seed of an idea to set up a special school for rehabilitation of the differently abled children in the panchayat. Now there are 31 Buds schools in the state registered under the people with Disabilities act. These young children battle with disabilities including Autism, Cerebral Palsy, blindness, deafness, and speech impairments due to cleft palates. They are provided with medical attention, physical and mental therapy, mobility equipment, hearing aids, individual vocational and educational training and skills.

CHAVARA SPECIAL SCHOOL:

                             Chavara Special School for Mentally Retarded, Koonammavu established in 1991 is the realization of a long cherished dream of Vimala Province of the Congregation of the Mother of Carmel (CMC), founded by Blessed Kuriakose Elias Chavara. It is owned and managed by the sisters of Madonna convent as per the regulations of the Travancore – Cochin Societies Registration Act (Reg. No. ER.311/94). The tiny seed of this noble Endeavour sown in 1991 with 8 children has grown into a rather big plant with 180 children. There is facility to accommodate 40 students, irrespective of caste or creed for training in daily living skills.  The staff consists of the Principal, 5 trained teachers, 3 specialists for craft, Music & Dance and Physical Education, one Vocational Instructor, one clerk and 7 Ayahs. Besides, the selfless service of a Physician is ever available for our disabled children.

JYOTHIS SPECIAL SCHOOL, MAVELIKARA

                             It provides a warm, caring home for children and young adults with special educational needs from the surrounding area. Since 2002, many international volunteers have brought their individual skills and talents to the school, enriching the lives of the Jyothis children and staff. The school caters for over 100 students ranging in age from 4 to 25 years, around half of whom are full time boarders. The students have a wide range and variety of learning disabilities and many also have speech, physical or emotional difficulties. There are 10 permanent teaching staff, 5 ayahs, 2 cooks, 2 drivers and a gardener at the school. Several of the teaching staff, all the ayahs and the cooks live on site with the boarders and are effectively on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

DEEPTHY SCHOOL 

                             The primary purpose of the school is to propagate the light of service to illuminate and enhance the lives of the Special Children, their parents and the community at large. Deepthi is a premier Special School in Kerala State of India, dedicated to the education, training and development of the mentally retarded children. It is located at Muhamma in Alappuzha district. There are about 75 students, most of them staying in the boarding. The training at Deepthi is imparted free of cost to the students, as they belong to very poor families struggling hard for their daily bread.

ROTARY SPECIAL SCHOOL FOR MENTALLY RETARDED, KANHANGAD:

                             The Rotary Special School started as a challenge to provide some education to the otherwise neglected mentally retarded children of the Kanhangad area. The school is currently having strength of 65 children with eleven teaching staff and four non-teaching staff. Children attending the school are mostly from economically backward families. Many were not getting adequate attention to their problems from the family because of the ignorance of the parents. They are usually mild to severe affected children. However, the children show remarkable improvement in all aspects after started attending the school.

Project Type: Disabilities

Primary Focus: children with disabilities 

Secondary Focus: vocational training

Area: Rural

Number of Children: 65

Boy/Girl Ratio: 1: 1

SNEHA BHAVAN SPECIAL SCHOOL

The school is for the differently abled started functioning on 25^th September 1989 at Piravom in the state of Kerala in India. Snehabhavan gives emphasis for training the mentally challenged children with the ultimate aim of making them self motivated to live like any other ordinary citizen in the society. The school works as a day care and training centre for the ‘differently abled’ mentally challenged children in Piravom and the nearby grama panchayats. It runs mainly on donations from the public and partially by the grant from Department of Social Justice and Empowerment of Central Government of India. The school is has got all necessary facilities for a special school including a well equipped Vocational Training Unit.

SRADHA

Sradha was set up to support severely mentally handicapped individuals - both children and "adults" in Cochin, Kerala. While there are few such schools for mentally retarded children in Cochin, there is a clear bias towards less mentally retarded children: Most schools prefer not to deal with severe cases of mental retardation due to the high level of specialist care required. In addition, the schools are also rated on the level of improvement shown while working with the children - which is necessarily higher in less mentally retarded individuals. Most institutions and schools do not like to take on the responsibility of adolescent or sexually mature individuals. Most schools typically do not admit individuals above the chronological age of 18. The institutions typically offer the male individuals menial jobs. The families of most mentally retarded females try to get them married once they grow up.

Sradha is fairly unique in that it focuses on these "excluded" individuals and has a stated aim of not turning away anyone who seeks help.

Project Type: Disabilities
Primary Focus: children with disabilities
Secondary Focus: health and cleanliness
Other Focus: girls
Area: Urban
Number of Children: 36
Boy/Girl Ratio: 1: 2

CONCLUSION

          More than most areas of policy with regard to people with disabilities, the education sector has been relatively progressive in policy terms. It has also in principle committed to a progressive menu of options for delivering education to children with special needs. However, it is clearly struggling to turn policy into effective practice for a variety reasons. It seems that there is a major need to get the basic right; identify children with disabilities more effectively make the content and format of what they learn relevant and accessible; have resources available with adequate outreach to teachers and children; and work through various channels to convince families and communities that educating children with disabilities is worthwhile.

          Still there are people who believe that challenged children are burden to their family and to the society. The challenges faced by them are not because of their or their family’s fault. After studying about the characteristics, their difficulties and their family’s difficulties we feel empathetic for them.

          Even though there are many institutions providing facilities for the specially challenged many of the challenged children and their families are unaware about it and some who know about the facilities are not using them properly.

          Besides these school-based programmes, parent education and functional literacy programmes in non-formal centres, and early intervention programmes mainly for infants and mothers are far effective in enriching the experiences of disadvantaged parents and adults which may become instrumental for changing their attitude towards the education of their children.

By this assignment, we came to know about the educational facilities provided to the specially challenged children in our state. Thus this assignment was helpful for us to understand about the disabled, their characteristics and facilities provided for them.

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REFERENCES

1.   www.jyothisschool.org Brochure of Jyothis School, Thirunakkara and Pala, retrieved on 28^th December, 2012.

2.   www.wikipedia.org/wiki/special_needs  Special needs - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, retrieved on 28^th December, 2012.

3.   www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/558532/specialeducation - Special Education- Britannica online Encyclopedia.

4.   www.wikipedia.org/wiki/special_education  Special Education - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, retrieved on 28^th December, 2012.

5.   www.punarbhava.in Special Schools in Kerala, retrieved on 28^th December, 2012

6.   www.cmcernakulam.org/chavarasplschool - Chavara Special School, retrieved on 28^th December, 2012

7.   www.ashanet.org –Shradha, retrieved on 28^th December, 2012

8.   www.snehabhvan.org – Snehabhavan. retrieved on 28^th December, 2012

9.   www.ashanet.org/projects - Rotary School/ retrieved on 28^th December, 2012

10.                www.educationkerala.gov.in/schoollist/specialschools/pdf - List of Special School in Kerala. retrieved on 28^th December, 2012

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