Samarthya
We believe in the idea of
“education for all!”
A Capacity-Building initiative of Ishanya India Foundation
Samarthya aims to empower various stakeholders (Organizations, Special Educators, Teachers Caregivers, grassroot workers like Village Rehabilitation Workers (VRWs), Multipurpose Rehabilitation Workers (MRWs), ASHA workers, anganwadi teachers, medical and paramedical staff by creating awareness, assisting them with early identification, assessment, early intervention, special education strategies, academic interventions, planning curriculum and strategies for prevocational skills, skill development, vocational training and livelihood opportunities for Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
Why Samarthya? – Bridging The Gap
- Early signs of neurodevelopmental delays would continue to be missed, delaying interventions.
- Grassroot workers would lack the knowledge to support inclusive early childhood development.
- Teachers would continue to label children as “slow” or “naughty” rather than understanding their needs.
- Special schools would work in isolation with minimal coordination from grassroots workers.
- Caregivers felt confused, blamed, or helpless, unsure how to respond to their child’s challenges.
- Children with invisible disabilities would be left out of mainstream schooling and the eco-system.
what we aim to achieve
community building
Along with building capacity, our aim is to build a community of educators, caregivers & professionals who can be connected & assist each other as & when required.
long term support
Post the training, participants will be added to specific cohort groups. Here, they will be able to discuss specific cases, seek help & request further assistance.
best practices & strategies
Emphasis will be given to discussions on best practices & specific strategies for most common scenarios with example case studies and evaluation methodologies
Impact
The project successfully expanded its reach to 21 districts of Karnataka, fostering enhanced networking and collaboration with both partner organizations and various government departments. This extensive engagement led to district officials recognizing the project’s significance and committing to continued support.
A significant outcome is the clear demand for phase-wise and refresher training for beneficiaries from government departments and partner organizations.
Furthermore, the current Commissioner of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act has acknowledged Ishanya as a premier agency for information on neurodevelopmental disabilities, requesting our expertise for a state-wide training program for Multi-Purpose Rehabilitation Workers(MRWs) across 191 taluks of Karnataka.
A notable transformation occurred with Village Rehabilitation Workers (VRWs) and MRWs, many of whom are people with disabilities themselves. They evolved from being beneficiaries to active contributors, gaining crucial insights into supporting families of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities.
Our training empowered them not only to educate families about government welfare schemes but also to provide psycho-education and serve as the primary source for early identification and rehabilitation guidance.
Crucially, stakeholders now recognize early red flags and are proactively referring children for assessment and support. They are also actively monitoring children and sharing their observations with health and education systems. Teachers, in particular, are adapting classroom practices and connecting with special schools or educators for additional support.
This has led to a shared understanding across different roles, facilitating improved collaboration and case referrals. Parents are reporting feeling more understood and are increasingly engaging with support systems, resulting in more children being identified early and included in mainstream systems with appropriate support.
The project has garnered requests from organizations for preliminary studies on Autism, Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD), and Intellectual Disabilities (ID) to understand the prevalence across entire districts. A strong indicator of the project’s success is the increase in case studies and positive feedback received after each session across all districts.
Special educators, parents, care givers & professionals who are working in the space of Neurodevelopmental Disabilities
2-3 days
- Identifying red flag signs
- Understanding the characteristic features of ASD
- Learning about diagnostic tools, and intervention methods
- Training methodologies
- Prevocational & vocational skills
- Employability skills.
- 2 full days of training on the basics of ASD, training methods & strategies
- Access to workbooks with curated content & case studies
- Meet like-minded parents & professionals & learn from each other's experiences
- You will be added to a WhatsApp group, where you can discuss specific case studies & get help
- Stay connected with your batch mates
- Training completion certificate
Since this is a group training, the request for training should come from an organization working in the field of disability. If you are an educator or a professional working in the field of disability please request your organization to get in touch with us.
If you are a parent or a caregiver, please email us at info@ishanyaindia.org - we will provide you with the relevant details
Impact Videos
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