Project Id :In 149

Executive Summary
Gandhigram Santhi High school for the Deaf at Sivasailam is a Unit of Gandhigram Trust Gandhigram in Dindigul District of Tamilnadu. Gandhigram Trust was established in the year of India’s Indipendence-1947 by two direct disciples of Mahatma Gandhi-the father of the nation. It has been registered under India Trust Act

Gandhiram Santhi High school for the hearing impaired was started in 1956 with 11 children by Mr. Jesudasan – a social worker. After the demise of Mr. Jesudasan the responsibility of running the school was taken by Dr. T.S. Soundram- founder of Gandhigram Trust during 1976.Thus the Santhi School has been working to create an abode which would help hearing impaired children access educational and health servicesand overcome their disability. Currently 106 regular children and 14 vocational children are benefiting from school.

In order to involve community in the rehabilitation process we have prepared a project proposal titled “Prevention and Rehabilitation from Disability-Community based Rehabilitation for the Disabled” and submitted to Terre des Hommes- Netherlands.

Our activities for the prevention of disability among the newborn cover 9 Panchayat consist of 31  target villages of Kadayam block and rehabilitating children  identified with disability in the villages.
The coverage of sectors include

1. Health- prevention and rehabilitation
2. Education & vocational training
3. Socio economic development
4. Community based Rehabilitation

The Major Programs:
a. Inauguration of the CBR programme

The inaugural function of the CBR programme was conducted on 19.2.2009.The function was presided over by Thiru. S. Sankararaman, Correspondent of Santhi School and Secretary of the Amar Seva Sangam. He emphasized mainly the right of the disabled and the need for CBR programme.  Ms.L.krishnaveni @ Raju headmistress of the Santhi School welcomed the entire participant and emphasized the need for door step service to the disabled. Ms Selvi Sanku Krishnan Chairman of the Kadayam Union lighted the kuthuvilakku and delivered a speech on the

government schemes available for the disabled Person. Elected Panchayat Presidents 7 out of 9 from our service area were participated in the function and welcomed the scheme. They have elicited their willingness for supporting the programme. Nearly 150 participants both disabled and their parents were participated in the programme

b. Diagnostic/ Screening camps

After the resurvey of the disabled in the villages, we have arranged for the professional assessment of the disabled in all the Panchayat. We have clubbed one or two panchayats for the camp based on the availability of the number of the disabled person. We have conducted screening camps in 9 Panchayat with the cooperation and support of the community leader, Panchayat president, youths, ward members, ICDC staff and the parents of the disabled. We also informed all the disabled to attend the camp and t the same time the Panchayat presidents are also disseminated the

information to their ward members and in some places presidents helped for arranging  thandora in villages.  Transport facilities were arranged by the project to pickup all the disabled to the camp venue.Para medical tam for Amar Seva Sangam Consist of Mr. Selvaraj, Mr. Thirumal Mr. Ramasubramanian and  Mr. Syam Sundar  were attended all the camps and conducted professional assessment of the all disabled.

The team also educated the TdH-NL staff about the treatment ways, treatment plans, availability of government schemes, the method of getting ID card for the disabled, type of educational support and vocational support needed for the disabled. Our staff also learned more about causes of disability. The community has appreciated the awareness given by the Amar Seva Sangam in all screening camps.  Through six camps 255 disabled were attended and benefitted.

c.Formation of SHG for disabled
For improving the socio economic condition of the disabled we have formed self help groups  for empowerment  based on  three types

1. Purely by disabled
2. The parents of the disabled
3. Both disabled and parents

18 self help groups covering 300 women were formed in the service area for one year. The screening camps conducted in the target areas have really helped the disabled to understand the benefits of SHG.

d. Net working with Government schemes

Through this project, we have submitted 13 applications to government to get tri-cycle to the disabled persons. Due to election cycles are not distributed. But luckily RC Trust from Salem in collaboration with Kalaimagal Saba-Ambai and Rotary Club of Ambai and District Disabled Rehabilitation office of Tirunelveli has jointly arranged the programme for distribution of tricycle on 25.3.2009.They have distributed tricycles to  20 Nos and wheel chairs for  11 N0s.  Three tricycles were distributed to our TdH-NL beneficiaries .The cost of the three tricycle is about Rs 9000.

The distribution of the tricycle to our target people has made changes in the attitude among the disabled and helped to involve them in the project implementation. They have motivated other disabled person to form an occupation group in the village. We have created confident among them towards our project. We found good reaction in those villages after the distribution of the cycle.

  Dr. Muthu Lakshmi Reddy scheme of Tamil Nadu Government
This scheme was introduced by Government of Tamilnadu to support the pregnancy mother for taking nutritional food support for one year. All the ANCs are registered in primary health centre and recommended to get Rs 6500 from government.

Since we are closely working with ANC/PNC we facilitated the mother to avail the benefit with the support of ANM and government medical officers.

Sports activities

It is the right of the disable children to involve in all sports activities as equal to others In order to encourage sports activities in school TdH-NL has supported for physical education teacher, purchase of sports materials, physical exercise materials and also supports for supplementary nutrition to all children.

The main objective is to train 40 children at District level competition. In order to achieve this objective, School administration has prepared a separate time table to encourage sports activities. Ground level trial was completed for one month and we have identified children suitable for Athletics and games.

The children found themselves happy in sports and games and we identified suitable teams for the volley ball, badminton, throw ball, table tennis, and shot-put for boys and girls and Coco for Girls. So far we have formed boy’s team with the following children and formation of team among girls takes time.

We have purchased some of the permanent pipes and poles   from the project for the development of sports activities in the school. The preparation of the ground will be completed in April 2009. Twenty five children from the school will attend residential summer camps for 15 days at VK puram. (15 km from school). Different school children will participate in the camp and sports will be main activity in the camp.  We have identified the Sponsorship for the event

The children performing gymnastic in school. The children supported with caliber is standing top

Participation of hearing impaired children in Running competition  at  Tirunelveli

b. Ear Mould Technique
Ms. P. Panjavarnam has been appointed as an Ear mould Technician in the school. She is not only preparing the ear mould for the school children but also prepares mould for the outside villagers. Now the availability of the services is spread to 31 villages.  Disabled are coming either for repairing the old one or order for making new one .she is also imparting training to the other vocational training children in the school.

The school is having audio sound proof testing room and the services are utilized by the surrounding villages. She has undergone two days ear mould making training at National Institute of Hearing Impaired at Mysore during Feb 2009.national human Right Organisation has distributed 30 hearing aid to our school at free of cost  for school children. She is involved in preparing new mould for the children and she has completed nearly 20 mould and the remaining will be completed in the vocation holidays.

c. Vocational Training centre
Vocational training to youth is an important one mainly to cater the need of the employment market in the country. At present country need million of trained youth for the multi-national company’s because of globalization. Now it is very urgent need to train youths to face the situation. We are imparting training to the 6th to 10th class children in computer and we are training them in DTP skills.

d. Tailoring
The school is imparting basic tailoring training to the school children, vocational children and villagers   Currently 9 children and 7 villagers are using the benefit of the tailoring centre. The MR children are trained in wire bag making and office cover making.

e. Educational intervention in school
Education is one among the right of the children. Every child is having the equal right in the education irrespective of the gender. As far as disabled are concerned we have to give easy access to education as equal to others.

Our Project is focus on improved accessibility and availability of quality education for the children with special needs. For which project support for sufficient special teachers in the school. We have documented the quarterly and half yearly exam marks of all the student for assessing the learning level. We made this assessment as a base for further development. The marks are categorized poor, good and very good. The marks less than 35% are considered as poor. 35% to 60% are considered as good and above 60% are considered as very good. The findings are as follows

• No of students secure very good is found increased in first, second and seventh standard
• Fourth, fifth and seventh has improved their average marks and found good
• Nineth and 6th student need to be given more attention in future. The poor percentage has increased 100% in 9th standard.

f. Obtaining of hearing impaired aid for 30 HI Children
All India Human Rights Organization has arranged function for National Disabled Day on 14.12.2008 at Tirunelveli. Our school has received 30 numbers of hearing aids in the function. The function was arranged at Tirunelveli for distribution of the hearing aid on 2.2.09. The function was presided over by District Collector. All the 30 children attended the function and assessed by the ENT expert.

g. Nutritional Supplement to school children
For feeding the school children government of Tamilnadu provides rice from civil Supply Corporation for 35 children. The remaining 85 children are supported with management and other small donors. With the help of the Tdh NL support we changed the food items which will be liked by the children. We changed the menu and accordingly we follow from February onwards.  The children feel happy about the change of the food items and still they need further change in the items. The suggestions of the children with regard to the supply of food items will be considered and followed during the coming academic year.

h. ELC Centers
In order to strengthening the ELC centers we have formed parents committee in one center with 18 members nutritional supplement is provided through the project for two ELC centers.

Nutritional supplement has been supplied to the center from the project. Our staff are monitoring the growth of the children. Sharing among the parents about growth of children and educational standard of the children was discussed in the meeting. The parents felt happy about to steps taken by project for development of children.
The school is having plan to conduct 15 days vocational drawing classes to the hearing impaired as well as for others. This course will be supported by art and Culture department of Tamilnadu.