Community Based Rehabilitation

With the aim to enhance the scope of its services and reaching out to larger number of children and adults with disability, in the year 2004, Cheshire Home started to deliver services through Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) Programme.

CBR is “A strategy within community development for the rehabilitation, equalization of opportunities social integration of all people with disabilities”. (United Nations) The underlying belief is that persons with disabilities need to be as much part of the community that they belong to being able participate in family, community and society has to offer without being excluded, whilst be able to avail services that they need; mainstream education, training, employment, medical services, social security and the like.

The primary focus of the CBR Programme is Inclusive education for the children with disabilities and economic empowerment for all disabled persons in the community through addressing primary barriers; socio-economic circumstances, community attitudes, lack or absence of health services and awareness which impede a child’s social inclusion and subsequent educational inclusion.

Hence, the CBR Programme has extended its scope to cover the areas namely Access to Health Services as well wherein the clients are provided with need based therapy, facilitation and referrals for assistance in surgery, medical aid, aids and appliances. The clients are also assisted in availing entitlements; disability certificates, a variety of concessions and access to govt. health insurance scheme

Under the CBR mode of services delivery, Cheshire Home has set up Community Outreach centres:

1. Access to Health Services:

  1. Therapeutic Interventions: Physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy services are provided at Cheshire Home’s premises, as well as through “Community Outreach Centres’ across several locations within the slum communities. This model of delivery was conceptualised in response to physical and economic inability of parents/family members to get their children to Cheshire Home. It may be noted that almost all beneficiaries

  2. Assistive Devices and Corrective Surgeries: Cheshire Home facilitates as well as provides assistive devices like wheelchairs, callipers, knee/Ankle Foot Orthoses (K/AFOs), hearing aids etc. to children and adults with disabilities (CWDs/PWDs) on need cum merit basis. Cheshire Home also facilitates corrective surgeries to Children with disabilities that will potentially enable them to receive education and lead a better quality of life.

    Cheshire Home makes efforts to leverage its network with other organisations, donor agencies and individual donors in this endeavour.

  3. Capacity Building Programmes: As part of its capacity building programmes Cheshire Home works closely with the municipal and NGO health workers, healthcare professionals like midwives and nurses by conducting disability orientation and sensitisation workshops. Parents of children with disabilities are provided ‘Caregivers’ Trainings’ that aims to impart to them better care-giving skills that reduce physical stress/fatigue on their part as well as comfort to the child.

2. Inclusive Education

Preparatory Education, School Enrollment and Retention Support: Children with disabilities (CWDs) are provided preparatory education support at Cheshire Home as well as at the Community Outreach Centres with the aim to prepare them for enrolment in mainstream schools. They are subsequently assisted to be enrolled into various private and municipal mainstream schools. Follow up with the schools and parents is being conducted on an ongoing basis. To ensure CWDs enrolment, the project works closely with the parents, undertaking advocacy through regular meetings with concerned authorities at various levels.

CWDs are also supported with additional tuitions, in-kind and financial support to fulfill their education needs.

Cheshire Home also assists persons with disabilities in taking examination through NIOS. Assistance is provided by way of support in the related documentation, tuitions, scribes (writers) as applicable etc

Teacher Training and Peer Sensitisation Programme: Cheshire Home regularly conducts teacher trainings, orientation, awareness and sensitization programmes for pre-primary, primary, preschool, anganwadi and secondary school teachers.

Cheshire Home conducts sensitization and awareness for non-disabled children in mainstream schools that have enrolled children with disabilities. This is done to enable them to develop healthy and positive attitudes towards their schoolmates/classmates who have disabilities, which will ensure a conducive environment for a disabled child’s social and educational inclusion.

3. Other Support Services that are Integral Part of Our Work:

Entitlements: Cheshire Home assists parents of children with disability and adults with disability to avail of entitlements such as disability certificates, Govt. Health Insurance, travel concession certificates (Bus and Railway Concession) etc. The children with disabilities are supported in availing of all governmental benefits.

Referrals: Cheshire Home does referrals of identified children with disabilities to other specialist healthcare service providers, other intervention programmes that are more suitable for the child and the parents.

INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

Educational Interventions to Prepare Children with Disabilities for Enrolment in Mainstream School Education

HEALTH & REHABILITATION

Physical, Occupational & Speech Therapy, Support towards Assistive Devices and Corrective Surgery to Children with Disabilities

CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAMMES

For Mainstream School Teachers, Healthcare Professionals, Community Health Workers and Anganwadi Workers

ENTITLEMENTS

Documentation Support for Persons with Disabilities in Availing Disability Certificate, Health Insurance, Travel Concession