According to a recent UNESCO report, in India, 72 per cent of 5-year old with disabilities have never attended any educational institution. Parents of children with disabilities face higher physical and financial demands and stress levels, than other parents, because of difficulties in getting qualified therapists, time required for taking the child to the therapy centres, physical burden, social stigma, discrimination in the community and/or within families, and the cost of such services.
Two recent studies conducted in rural India gives hope to millions of preschool children and their caregivers by showing that providing access to early intervention services improves school enrollment and integration for children with disabilities and reduces caregiver burden and increases family empowerment.
Amar Seva Sangam, a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization in South India, developed and implemented a family-centred, community-based early intervention rehabilitation…