Project Drishti
In a state that has the second highest number of the disabled population in India, through Project Drishti, Sightsavers and Urmul stand tall in having been able to change the popular perceptions regarding persons with disabilities among the able in society. We collectively helped pull several persons with disabilities out of the clutches of poverty onto the safe ways of livelihood and self-determination. This aligned with immediate relevance to the Million Development Goals, which specifically call for cross-sectional change in attitudes and environmental barriers, across areas such as education, access to health care, food, clean water, basic sanitation, and economic empowerment to improve the lives of the world’s poor. Inclusive education BLV and other disabled children will be the major constituency for Project DRISHTI. The objectives around this component are to ensure that children with BLV and other disabled enjoy equal rights and opportunities. The emphasis is laid on sustainable approaches, which can be adaptable to Sarva Sikhsha Abhiyan (Education for All). Attempts will be made to converge with mainstream programs for the sustainability of initiatives. The project shall support the capacities and perspectives of local stakeholders to offer equitable educational opportunities for children with disabilities. The role of the local Civil Society Network is emphasized to necessitate authorities for their responsibilities towards the education of disabled children. An adequate communication strategy will be adopted to sensitize Govt. communities and concerned stakeholders on different approaches and models to quality Inclusive Education. Contextual issues like gender, settlement habitation, socio-economic situation, and the quality of the overall education system in the district are taken into consideration while framing the program design. Social Inclusion of disabled persons is a significant focus of Project “DRISHTI”. Social inclusion, we believe, can be achieved only by empowering the disabled as well as by enriching their community. Rehabilitation within the community thus acquires a deeper meaning. It amounts to the development of the community as a whole, empowering disabled persons to achieve their complete potential, enabling them to integrate into the fabric of the community and make decisions for themselves. This could also involve dealing with both physical and architectural barriers within the community. Empowering disabled persons involves medical, social, vocational, and educational inputs. Enriching the community involves education, creating awareness, providing basic resources, changing attitudes, and building constructive approaches toward disability and related problems. Based on this concept the initiatives are grounded through the project to implement the component.
