SAMARTHYA

Coverage: 6,825 People with Disabilities

SAMARTHYA is SAMUHA’s Disability Resource Group.

Samarthya means ‘potential’ in Sanskrit. Samarthya works to reduce the incidence of disabilities, and in ensuring that people with disabilities achieve their maximum potential and lead their lives independently and meaningfully.

Presently Samarthya’s activities are spread across Raichur and Koppal Districts.

Samarthya has now initiated the process to become an independent organisation.

Samarthya’s services include

1. 1.    Therapeutic & Educational Services

• Assessment and follow-up clinics. These clinics provide assessment, counseling and help each client with a customized action plan that can include physio inputs, referral for medicines and surgeries, support for treatments.
• Early intervention services for children with disabilities. New–borns and infants are provided structured space, inputs and counseling to identify and cope with disabilities at the earliest.
• Short-stay camps.  These are conducted for children with severe and multiple disabilities where they and carers work together to learn customized skills for day-to-day management.
• Provision of aids and appliances. Three aids & appliances workshops in Raichur, Deodurg and Koppal enhance functional abilities and self confidence of children/people with disabilities who are trained to use prosthetic limbs, wheel chairs, tricycles, physiotherapy aids, hearing aids, amongst others, that are individually fitted.
• Centre for spinal injuries. A centre for Spinal Injuries has been set up at Hosur Cross between Budhgumpa and Kushtagi on NH 13 to promote social inclusion of persons with spinal cord injuries. People with spinal chord injuries stay at this residential centre till they are equipped to function indepnedntly within the limits of their disabilities.
• Carers training and support. Samarthya recognizes that carers are often unsung heroes, who have at times devoted their lives to ensuring that the disabled in their care become independent. Samarthya enables carers to recognize the contribution they are making to the person they are caring for and to the wider society, to meet together for emotional support, and to enhance their quality of life through appropriate livelihood activities.
• Home based therapeutic  services and supports. This intervention focuses on the mentally challenged and children with cerebral palsy.
• Functional adaptation of homes of PWDs. For many people with disabilities, the road to independence is strewn with physical hurdles, starting right from their own homes. The building of a ramp, a raised bed a rope to pull themselves, a toilet, a wall support … each can help make life literally bearable.
• Inclusive education for children with disabilities. While more and children with disabilities are being integrated into government schools, there is a need to strengthen both the teacher and the child with training, learning aids, and other supports that make the school into a learning environment. Specific inputs focus on the visually impaired and provide communication and language skill training for the hearing impaired. Vocational Training and Placement

1. Training in Horticulture and Tailoring & Craft.  Residential and other trainings for adolescent boys and women with disabilities, as well as for care givers are provided to enable them to become economically self reliant and contributing members of society.
2. Distance Education Programme Study Centre. Qualified people are critical for the provision of quality services to people with disabilities. Samarthya runs study centres for Bangalore University’s CBR courses, as well as for Mysore University’s special education courses.
3. Organization of PWDs/Care givers. OPWDs (Organizations of People With Disabilities) are promoted and strengthened by Samarthya in Raichur district to enable PWDs/ care givers to take up rights based advocacy work, and to access government benefits and entitlements through a Taluk Disability Resource Centre.

Samarthya also promotes group-based actions for accessing disability rights through the promotion and strengthening of self help groups of people with disabilities, Parents/Care givers groups, Income generation groups etc.

SAMARTHYA has also integrated women with disabilities and the women family members of PWDs into SAMUHA’s micro credit intervention.