PHASE #1
Establishment and Functionalization of ICRCs
1. Baseline Assessment:
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Identified low enrolment and completion rates of basic education among children with disabilities in slum communities.
2. ICRC Setup:
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Established eight ICRCs, each covering 7-8 feeder schools and 15-20 slum areas.
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Equipped ICRCs with necessary resources to support CwDs.
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Appointed dedicated field facilitators to oversee center and community activities.
3. Team Leaders:
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Academic and Curriculum: Provides academic guidance and monitoring.
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Health: Ensures health-related support.
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Access: Focuses on enhancing accessibility.
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Livelihood: Facilitates vocational training and livelihood support for YwDs.
4. Operational Details:
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ICRCs operate daily, including Sundays, with a structured activity plan.
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Each center serves approximately 40-45 CwDs and YwDs.
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Activities include tuition and therapeutic classes, hobby enhancement sessions, exposure visits, vocational training, provision of assistive devices, and linkage with entitlements.
PHASE #2
Transforming Teachers
1.Project saksham focused on:
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Capacity-building for teachers in inclusive education under RTE guidelines.
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Conducting access audits in targeted schools to ensure infrastructure accessibility.
2. Training:
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700 teachers received training.
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Resulted in reduced attitudinal barriers for:
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Over 800 CwDs.
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More than 7000 non-disabled students in Bhubaneswar Block.
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3. Impact on teachers:
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Enhanced knowledge base.
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Contributed to decreased dropout rates among CwDs.
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Increased opportunities for a better life.
4. Project Saksham continuous support:
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Provided year-round holistic support to CwDs in Bhubaneswar slums.
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Ensured completion of high school education for the targeted children.
PHASE #3
Strengthening School and Parents
1. Strengthening existing institutions:
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Focus on enhancing the capacity of School Management Committees (SMCs), Child Cabinets, and project implementation teams to better support children with disabilities (CwDs) and youth with disabilities (YwDs).
2. Increased representation:
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Efforts to increase the representation of CwDs and their parents in these committees, while sensitizing them about disability rights and entitlements.
3. Enhanced demand:
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Resulted in increased demand for specific needs and services of CwDs and YwDs, both within and outside schools.
4. Scale-up initiative:
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Intention to replicate the inclusive education model at the state level, aiming for adoption throughout the entire state.
5. Empowered parent groups:
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Strengthened parent groups to manage Inclusive Resource and Community Centers (ICRCs) and ensure the sustainability of the program.