Shristi Special Academy (SSA) Shristi Special Academy is a registered society with a governing committee (Regd. Under Karnataka Societies Act). It is a non-profit organisation, headed by a team of trained, qualified and experienced special educators who feel the need today is to provide quality services and well designed and structured intervention programmes to children with mental retardation , autism or any other intellectual impairment. Shristi means CREATION. Children are the creation of God, waiting to be accepted whole heartedly and guided forward to a new life. Every child has hidden abilities to counter his deficits, what he needs is an enormous amount of care and understanding. We at Shristi provide unstinting support and empathy, with care, concern and compassion. We at Shristi care about our special needs children and as in the past 6 years we are humbly stepping ahead, providing services with warmth and sincerity. The objective of this academy is to render technically designed intervention programmes to train special needs children to become Self-reliant. Irrespective of belonging to any economic strata, any special needs child is able to avail all the facilitating services at the Academy, i.e., Medical, Therapeutic and Educational Intervention. Our aim is to provide individualised, personalised intervention to every child at a very nominal fee or free of charge in deserving cases without any difference in the quality of services rendered. As part of our holistic curriculum we organise periodic medical screening (ENT, Dental, General Check up), psychological assessments and do the necessary follow up, networking with doctors and resource persons in the field of education. In addition we provide periodical Parent guidance through direct Parent interaction with leading professionals in different fields of work (nutritionists, family counsellors, insurance) at our premises. We have roped in a team of dedicated persevering and sacrificing trained therapists who are serving our children with love, warmth and positivity inspite of travelling over long distances, they provide quality services with commitment to the children and the academy. The three founder members of Shristi Ms. Meena.K.Jain, Mrs. Suchitra Somashekaraiah and Ms. Sharon Watts have received National Award on 08-02-2001, at Hyderabad given by Manava Seva Dharma Samvardhani, a trust for promoting Social Consciousness from Chennai for their work in the field of developmental disability. Ms. Meena.K.Jain, has received Super Seva Stree award from Guild of Women Achievers from Bangalore on 25-01-2001 for her work in the field of special education. And also State level H. Honnaiah social promotion award at Mandya in August 2001. The Genesis Shristi Special Academy was born from a passion for children with special needs felt by three special educators, Meena Jain, Sharon Watts and Suchitra Somashekariah. Individuals with special needs are variously known as the mentally challenged, mentally handicapped and intellectually impaired. Shristi’s founders saw them as the “differently abled” and were determined to give a fuller life to the extent possible to those who had been written off. The year was 1995 and though Bangalore had several special schools for the challenged, Shristi set out to change the rules by striving to go beyond being a special school. Beginning with four children and three special educators at the time of establishment, Shristi sought to be an organization, which was a friend to the mentally challenged AND their families. Shristi has grown, in eight years, to seventy-five children and thirty staff including therapists, instructors and support staff. Shristi defined the values underlying its programmes as those of unconditional acceptance and giving, positivity and an unwavering belief that there can be improvement in every mentally challenged individual, no matter how severe the extent of retardation or how long the time required. Background The mentally challenged are between one and three percent of the population. However, as intellectual impairment is an invisible handicap, it is generally not recognized and little is known about it. Awareness about their abilities and services to improve their quality of life are inadequate. The divide is even more pronounced in the rural areas. Further, a majority of existing institutions have stipulations for admission such as refusing services for children who are not toilet trained or individuals with severe retardation and seizure disorders. Very few institutions have programmes such as vocational training for those over 16 years, this implies that many individuals who are mentally challenged do not get opportunities to realize their potential and generally live lives of neglect. OUR AIM & VISION To provide personalized intervention to every child under our care and mould to understand his or her own abilities and boundaries. "Believing that all children are entitled for maximum development of their potential, to help themselves find a place in the society, to be accepted and to be integrated into the community for their future life" - Meena Jain SERVICES Shristi is an institution with a difference which brings in, a change in the attitude towards? the mentally challenged and the way they? are viewed.? Programmes are designed in such a way that they support the mentally challenged of different ages, types of disabilities and extent of retardation. At present, Shristi has the following services Infant Stimulation &? Early Intervention? Unit This programme is for children below the age of 5 years, with delayed development and psycho motor retardation. It gives specific emphasis on sensory motor training and is aimed at reducing deficits and atypical traits by training children in activities to promote development and learning of new skills which might not occur by itself or naturally due to developmental delay. Pre-Vocational Training Unit This programme is targeted at individuals in the age between 12-16 years focussing on functional academics, pre requisites necessary for vocational transition, communication and life survival skills. Respite Care Group This programme is specially designed to provide exclusive rehabilitation therapy to children with Severe Mental Retardation. The focus of this programme is on improving self-care skills, language and communication, and appropriate social behaviour to the best of each child?s ability. Emphasis is also given on recreation and leisure time activities to ease the burden of the care takers/family members. Vocational Training/ Production Unit The ultimate aim of special education is employability and independent living. This involves age appropriate skill training and a systematic procedure leading students gradually from school to vocational training and employment. This programme is targeted at intellectually impaired individuals with associative disorders of age above 16 years. At present, training is provided in tailoring, screen printing, candle making, manufacture of phenyl and soap oil, accessories, paper products and horticulture. Shristi is enabling economic independence by giving 15 mentally challenged individuals who have achieved trade mastery a stipend. An important feature of Shristi?s Vocational training programme is workplace behaviour. This was incorporated after a survey revealed that there is a high dropout rate after job placement. In all cases, the fullest attempt is made to identify and develop the inborn potential of the individuals, to help them assimilate into normal society. The following services are also offered at Shristi: * Comprehensive screening and assessment of children with specific learning disability and other developmental disabilities * Psychological evaluation, IQ assessment and psychotherapy. * Counselling in specific areas for children and adolescents with anxiety or stress problems * Career counselling and aptitude testing for teenagers * Parental guidance for better child management at home and counselling to parents in anxiety management * Occupational therapy * Supportive services to families with terminally ill children * Assisting other NGO in working for the welfare of children * Organizing and conducting seminars and workshops on issues related to children and adolescents * Visiting other schools/ institutions as faculty for training programmes * Propagating awareness on child/ adolescent/ parent related issues * Publishing a quarterly newsletter to promote awareness about special education Saathi???? The Early Intervention programme for infants and preschoolers in the age group of 0 ? 6 years with delayed development is aimed at minimizing deficits, acquiring new skills, increasing independent functioning and preventing secondary handicaps through training.? Also supports families to cope with these challenges. Prakruti Autistic individuals are offered an intensive, functional and meaningful programme which includes sensory integration and behavior modification.? It facilitates autistic individuals to adapt and integrate and to behave in socially acceptable ways. The programme for individuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) is carefully structured for learning and behaviour modification to transform their environment and patterns of reinforcement. Prayathna The Respite Care Unit provides exclusive rehabilitation therapy to children who have severe mental retardation and multiple disabilities and offers respite to their parents. Dhruti Vocational Training aimed at enabling employability and economic independence among the challenged is provided for those above 12 years of age.? Using a comprehensive curriculum, the training includes pre-vocational and vocational training followed by internship and then employment either at the sheltered workshop for production, self-employment or open market employment. At present training is provided in the following trades: Weaving: Woolen mats Bead mats Wire Baskets. Telephone mats Shawls Foot mats Stationery Unit: Files Greeting-cards Books marks Letter-pads Message-pads Envelopes Screen Printing Unit : Letter Heads Visiting cards Handbills Stationary items Textile items Any other Candle Unit: Candles Regular Candles Spiral Candles aromatic decorative Diyas/regular/decorative- with/ without wax Tailoring Denim/ Jute purses (Different sizes) Hand bag Pencil bags Spectacle case Folders Shoppers Bags Cushion covers Baby quilts etc., Newspaper Brown paper bag Horticulture Vegetables and decorative plants Phenyl and soap oil making Redefined Curriculum Shristi has enabled improvement in every individual with special needs that has been in its care. This has been achieved by using a specially designed, scientific, family centred curriculum which focuses on holistic development and growth of the child. Thus, while most schools follow a curriculum used in regular education and emphasized cognitive development, Shristi has redefined the intervention programme so that the mentally challenged first learn vital life survival skills such as self care, socialization, appropriate behaviour and language skills and then cognitive development. This approach resulted in the overall functional development of the child. Self Reliance, thus, became an actuality rather than only a goal. Shristi has a team strives to facilitate learning in the child by using the experiential method of learning. They follow an eclectic approach to intervention where the needs and level of the child determines the programme rather than any set methodology. It also uses a variety of teaching material including natural resources instead of the routinely used beads, charts etc. Thus flexibility, innovation and a personalized programme along with unconditional love and acceptance are the hallmarks of Shristi's rehabilitation programme. Our facility is near Chennenahalli, which is around 20kms away from Bangalore on the Magadi road. This building was completed and occupied in December 2002. While we have occupied this building, we also maintain our facility in Basaveswaranagar. That facility is currently has very young children with special needs. Maintaining both the facilities is currently a financial challenge for us as our financial resources are limited. We appeal to the public to help us in any way they can. Shristi's Channenahalli facility is built on 2 acres of land gifted by Smt Jayashree Prasad , a well-wisher. At present it houses our Vocational Rehabilitation Centre which includes the prevocational training section, vocational training section and sheltered workshop; the unit for Autism and ADHD and the Respite Care Centre.The present facility includes a hall for the Vocational rehab centre; a room for the Autism unit and ADHD unit; area for the respite care centre and dining hall, kitchen and store; occupational therapy room. It also has kennels for two dogs who are part of our pet therapy programme. The dogs are from CUPA and were taken by Shristi after abandonment by their former owners. Vegetables and decorative plants grown at Challi are part of the vocational training programme. The Basaveshwarnagar facility houses the early Intervention Unit which includes the infant stimulation programme for 0-3; preschool for 3-6 years and primary group for 6-10 years. Children who are not mainstreamed into normal setups go to the vocational training unit after early intervention programme for learning voc skills. Age limits do not apply in the specialized units of autism and respite care for the severely retarded. Shristi provides transport facility to its children - it has a 32 seater bus and a van. The areas covered are: Basaveswarngr, Rajajinagr, Malleswaram, Sheshadripuram, dollars colony, vijaynagr, magadi roadnagarbhavi , chandra layout, town hall, chamarajpet, mysore circle. The vehicles depart Basaveswarnaagr at 8.30 a.m. and reach C campus at 9.00 a.m. All children are given breakfast and lunch for two objectives - nutrition and as part of selfcare. General health has improved remarkably; better-eating habits, hygiene and less fuss about types of food. All units have a structured programme aimed at independence, social inclusion and integration encompassing learning/ practice of skills - activities of daily living - self care and personal grooming, domestic sklills; occup therapy for gross and fine motor skills; cognitive skills - functional literacy; social skills; emotional health - in voc rehab unit; music/ games/ art/drama; movement therapy; Shristi Special Academy MIG-71, V Main, I Cross KHB Colony II Stage Basaveshwaranagar Bangalore - 560079 Karnataka, India Telephone No: (91)(80) 23204875 / 23113419 Rural Campus: Sy. 20, Jettipalya, Channenahalli, 20th Km, Off Magadi Road, Bangalore South Taluk 562130 Telephone No: 28430524 Email: info@shristi-special-academy.org, shristi_ssa@vsnl.net Visit us at www.shristi-special-academy.org All donations are qualified for IT exemption under section 80G of the IT Act. We are also registered under FCRA to receive foreign donation vide no. 094520834.