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BACKGROUND:
SAKSHAM special school was formed in response to a question from a 6-year old child with Cerebral Palsy, "Mummy, why am I not going to school"; "I don't wish to go to school, I am teased by everyone"....... Dr. Hemant Dev and Dr. Deepali Dev, Physiotherapists, have come across many such questions in last 10 years while treating special children and thus decided to initiate a mission through Special Children Care Educational and Rehabilitation Society Dewas in 2014 to start a school for special children, the first and only of its kind in Dewas. SAKSHAM's mission is to develop children with disability to become independent and productive citizens of India. Specifically,
• Provide learning center for children not eligible for regular school
• Prepare child with disability eligible for regular school
• Provide medical, mental and physical rehabilitation at a minimal cost
SCOPE:
SAKSHAM Special School was started in mid 2014 with 5 students in the premises of Physiocare Dewas. Within 3 academic years the student population has increased to 13, which includes children with Cerebral Palsy, Autism, Down Syndrome, Mental Retardation and Deafness/Hearing Loss. The current survey of the city of Dewas showed that around 300 such students need special facilities, such as SAKSHAM, for their proper growth.
Current facilities include:
• Staff of two teachers, an art teacher and a dance teacher
• Floor space of 1,000 sq. ft.
• Basic equipment, including educational toys, LCD TV, computer, teaching board
• Various activities are carried out throughout the year to give students a social platform.
Proposed effort involves:
• Enhance current audio/video capability:
o To strengthen teachers skills in making teaching-learning process more effective
o To attract and retain learners' attention
o To generate interest across different levels of students
o To make class more interactive and interesting
• Development of Rehabilitative Gym facility essential for empowering the lives of young people with special needs, resulting in:
o Physical improvements: for better well-being and physical health
o Mental Improvements: for enhancing self-esteem, social awareness, and self-confidence
o Behavioral Improvements in Attention, Relationships, and Academics
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