BSS-AADI-GEF PROJECT ON INCLUSIVE EDUCATION. Project report: April 2012 to March 2013

Transcription

1 BSS-AADI-GEF PROJECT ON INCLUSIVE EDUCATION Project report: April 2012 to March 2013

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Context Project catchment areas PROJECT ACTIVITIES 2.1 Sequence of activities with timelines OBJECTIVE: To increase access to educational opportunities for children with disabilities Understanding children through general and specific assessments Intervention for addressing medical needs Understanding children in school and home environment OBJECTIVE: To equip teachers with information and skills to address diversity Teacher Trainings Supervisors and Coordinators training School visits School Visits: Physical Access Audits OBJECTIVE: To equip teachers, parents and community volunteers to access community resources, to address the needs of people with disabilities OBJECTIVE: Document best practices for inclusive education Challenges Learnings KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS FUTURE STEPS LIST OF ANNEXURES

3 BSS-AADI-GEF PROJECT ON INCLUSIVE EDUCATION (BAG:IE) April 2012 to March 2013 (Projections included till May 2013) 1. INTRODUCTION The BAG project on inclusive education is a collaborative initiative of three organizations, Bodh Shiksha Samiti (BSS), Action for Ability Development and Inclusion (AADI) and Goodearth Education Foundation (GEF). It aims to ensure that all children have access to quality education, including children with disabilities, within the catchment area of the thirty nine BSS schools The objectives of the project are: To increase access to educational opportunities for all children, including children with disabilities in the catchment area To equip teachers with information and skills that address diversity in their schools, with a focus on children with disabilities To equip teachers, parents and community volunteers to access community resources, to address the needs of people with disabilities To document best practices for inclusive education, at the end of the project period This is the second year of the project. Last year the team had successfully: Conducted a pre project exploratory survey and identified a total of sixty eight children with disabilities Developed customized holistic intervention plans for each child identified Facilitated access to basic medical services which significantly changed the lives of twenty six children Delivered three comprehensive trainings, for fifty two teachers of the ten selected schools. The ten selected schools are listed in the following table. Umrain cluster Kushalgarh cluster cluster Meena Cooperative Radi Hari Singh ki Jhohad Khairati Ki Indhok Ramali Kalameda Ambedkar Tavarala Bhal ki The future activities envisaged were aimed at: Identifying other children with disabilities, excluded in their communities and schools To increase effort towards developing local health resources To begin work in the remaining 26 schools To conduct further teacher trainings for all teachers 2 BODH- AADI- GEF

4 To integrate issues regarding disability into other areas of BSS work including preschool and community work The following report gives an overview of the activities undertaken under the project for the current year. 1.1 Context Historically, persons with disabilities have been marginalized and excluded from their communities, all over the world. They continue to be excluded today as well. This exclusion occurs across all spheres of life. India is a country where numerous groups are marginalized based on caste, poverty, gender, disability etc. Persons with disabilities in India remain one of the most marginalized and vulnerable groups. They continue to be largely invisible and face discrimination on a daily basis in their lives. The majority live in rural areas and a vast majority belong to a lower income group. According to the 2001 census, persons with disabilities constitute 2% of the total Indian population. Non governmental organizations working directly with persons with disabilities estimate that, persons with disabilities constitute 4 to 6% of the total population. The low figures in the census 2001 are attributed to people being left out, people hiding their disabilities because of the associated stigma and the impairment focus of the definitions adopted. Only a few have access to educational services, which have largely been segregated in nature. Irrespective of various policy initiatives, the present coverage of students with disabilities in general education is estimated to be merely 0.74% 1. Special schools are very few in numbers and exist mainly in urban centers. Special school services are available due to the sporadic efforts of non governmental organizations (NGOs), which dominate the disability sector. 1.2 Project catchment areas The project is located in Alwar which is a district in the state of Rajasthan, in India. The district has 12 sub-divisions or blocks. According to Census 2011, the total population of Alwar district is 3,671,999. The literacy rate is 71.68%. While 85.08% of the males in the district are literate, only 56.78% of women are literate. This reflects the low status of women in the community. There are 5,281 schools in the district, according to the DISE district report. The total number of children enrolled in schools is 138,179 of which 4,735 are children with disabilities. 1 The total number of children enrolled in schools in India is 187,867,596. The total number of children with disabilities enrolled in schools for the entire country is 1,402, BODH- AADI- GEF

5 and Umrain blocks are the two most socio-economically deprived blocks in the Alwar district. When BSS initiated its work in these blocks, in 1999, the educational status was in an abysmal state. Female literacy as per the census 2001 was as low as 26% in. Bodh Schools Umrain block block Umrain 9 schools Kushalgarh 9 schools Pratapgarh 9 schools 9 schools The schools under the project are located in the two blocks of Umrain and. These are further divided into two clusters each by BSS. is divided into and Pratapgarh and Umrain is divided into Umrain and Kushalgarh. There are nine schools in each cluster. In the first year of the project only ten schools from different clusters had been covered. This year all the remaining twenty six schools were also included which brings the total schools covered under the project to thirty six. Umrain Kushalgarh PratapGarh Gurunanak Talvriksh Nala Dev Ka Devra Hari Singh ki Jhohad Dhevron Ki Ban ki Mankon Ki Ramali Silised Mukron ki Rajali Ambedkar Binak Indhok Kaleka Tavarala Meena Cooperative Kalameda Haud ki Bhal ki Khairati Ki Kundalka Agar Shayampura Jesada Radi Badwala Seelibawari Sahori ka Bass Kraska Bhawta Kiro ki Lalpura Malera Dev Ka Devra Halkaro ki dhani Cluster wise school names 4 BODH- AADI- GEF

6 Till date a total number of 380 children with various health issues have been identified. Clusters No. of children identified Kushalgarh 91 PratapGarh Umrain 89 Grand Total 380 Approximately 58 percent are males and 41 percent are females. Gender No. of children Female 157 Male 223 Grand Total 380 Approximately 56 percent belong in the age group of 6 to 10 years, followed by 25 percent belonging to the age group of 11 to 15 years. Age groups No. of children 1 to 5 years 49 6 to 10 years to 15 years to 20 years 6 Grand Total 380 The health issues range from children having multiple impairments to ear infections. Impairments/Other health issues No. of children Multiple Impairments 6 Visual Impairment 14 Hearing Impairment 17 Physical Impairment 23 Intellectual Impairment 29 Various medical care issues/no clear Diagnosis 215 After medical interventions are not facing any health issues(till March 2013) 62 Confirmed as having no impairments or medical issues after hospital visits(till March 2013) 14 Grand Total BODH- AADI- GEF

7 2. PROJECT ACTIVITIES 2.1 Sequence of activities with timelines Activity Dates Supervisors meeting and training 30 April 2012 Training of Teachers from 36 schools 13 and 14 June 2012 Supervisors meeting and training 14 and 15 September, 2012 Assessment camp for new children with disability 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 August and 1 September 2012 from 32 schools Supervisors meeting and training 5, 6 and 7 November 2012 School based individual children assessments 11,12,13,14 December 2012 School observation visits 26, 27,28 February (3 teams) and 4,5,6 April 2013 (one team) School Visits: Physical Access Audits 7 and 8 April 2013 Supervisors training(scheduled) 22 and 23 April 2013 Teachers Training (Scheduled) 7 to 11 May 2013 The following sections provide brief descriptions of the above mentioned activities which have been organized under their respective project objectives. 2.2 OBJECTIVE: To increase access to educational opportunities for children with disabilities In fulfillment of this objective specific individual level activities involving children were undertaken, which included assessments and medical interventions Understanding capacities, needs, resources and limitations through general and specific assessments Assessments of children from BSS Schools were conducted at Bodhgaon from August 27 to September 1, Five multidisciplinary teams (a total of 13 people) collected information about the children and their families. This time round 237 children were identified by the teachers themselves. Bodh sent a list of these children out of which the AADI team decided that around 126 would need further observation. Out of the total of 126 called 119 children came over a period of six days from all 4 clusters. They came to Bodhgaon, accompanied by their teachers and family members. The remaining children were not called in as many had simple ear infections. Cluster No. of children called No. of children present Umrain Pratapgarh Kushalgarh Total BODH- AADI- GEF

8 The objective of the assessments was to gather baseline information, about the children their families and environment that they live in and provide suggestions for issues which needed immediate intervention. These issues were related to different life domains like learning, mobility, communication, behavior and self-care. Questions related to medical needs and disability certificates were also asked. Furthermore the team attempted to challenge any instances of extreme isolation or stigma, being faced by a child. Assessments at Bodhgaon Each day began at 9 a.m. with a group activity for rapport building and informal observations of children s abilities, skills, interactions, confidence etc. by the teams. After the group activity the team interacted with children individually. Each team had to understand 4-5 children a day and had to ensure that no information or crucial recommendation was left out. Copies of suggestions and recommendations were given to the teachers and the cluster coordinators. In the evening the entire team had a debrief meeting, to identify learnings and challenges. The AADI team documented their observations into individual children s profile forms. All the available information, about a child, was collated and documented in these profiles. It included the team s recommendations. Profiles and suggestions were sent via electronic mail to the Bodh team. 7 BODH- AADI- GEF

9 2.2.2 Intervention for addressing medical needs Out of total 380 children identified till date, 167 were supported in accessing medical care services this year. The team s efforts to develop local medical care resources in Alwar block resulted in a marked increase of children accessing local medical services The various resources developed were: 1. Rajiv Gandhi Hospital, Alwar 2., Alwar 3. Shroff Center, 4. Shroff Eye Center, 5. Shroff ENT Center, 6. Government Hospital, Alwar 7. Government Hospital, While 151 new children were referred to medical resources in Alwar, 16 new children were referred to medical resources in Delhi 2. Out of these 15 children came more than once. Many others need to continue their medical visits as well. Fourteen children underwent ear operations Month No. of children visiting Delhi Health issues No. of children visiting Alwar Health issues No. of children revisiting (Delhi /Alwar) April Hearing test, ENT check-up, epilepsy follow-up. July Measurement for 4 discharge artificial limbs 1 September Visual check-ups 0 October Hearing assessments, 36 ENT consultation for ear Hearing aids discharge, visual check-up 1 November 2012 Hearing aids 48 ENT check-up, visual check-up 1 December surgery 30 discharge 7 January discharge, eye problem 0 February 2013 surgeries 11 discharge, vision check up 2 March 2013 discharge, Eye 9 ENT, epilepsy follow-up check-up 3 Total See Annexure 2 for month wise details of visits 8 BODH- AADI- GEF

10 Roshan is a 7 year old, student in the Ambedkar School. He did not have a left hand since birth. He faced a lot of riducle from his peers about his missing limb. After medical interventions at St Stephens and Kiwani Reseach center he was provided with an articifical hand. He seems happy at present. Deepak is a 7 year old, student of Ambedkar School. He had dificulties in seeing and and his eyes used to water a lot. After interventions at Venu Eye Hospital he was diagnosised with visual acutiy issues and prescribed glasses. Now he can see very well and comes to school happily. Meenakshi is a 13 year old, class 7 student, in the Ambedkar a School. She had a problem of ear discharge since she was a very young child. Slowly she began to find it difficult to hear and her peers started calling her names like bhari(deaf). Her studies began to be affected negatively and she stopped progressing in her studies. After medical intervention at Malekhera and Jasola she is able to hear and has no health problems at all. Sunita is a 13 year old girl studying in the Meena Coperative school. She was finding it difficult to hear what the teacher was saying in the class and was not able to copy anything from the blackboard. Her acadmeinc progress was getting affected. Children in the class would also tease her and she would feel very low at these times. She was shown at the Jasloa Hospital in Delhi where her ear was operated upon; and was later shown at Shroff hospital at Alwar, where the doctor recommended spectales. After these interventions she is happy and feels good about herself now. 9 BODH- AADI- GEF

11 2.2.3 Understanding children further by observing them in their school and home environments Children were met again in their schools and some in their homes during December Four teams with two members each covered the four clusters from December 11 to 14, These visits were made with the objective of understanding children further especially the education aspects, which had been identified after the first assessments in August Some schools where there were children with no urgent needs to be addressed were not visited. In these visits: A total of 98 children were met and 28 schools were visited Cluster No. of children followed up No. of Schools visited No. of Home visits Umrain Kushalgarh Pratapgarh Total Out of the total 36 the following schools were visited Cluster Umrain Kushalgarh Pratapgarh Schools Gurunanak Talvriksh Nala Dev Ka Devra Hari Singh ki Jhohad visited Dhevron Ki Ban ki Mankon Ki Ramali Silised Mukron ki Rajali Ambedkar Binak Indhok Kaleka Tavarala Meena Cooperative Kalameda Haud ki Bhal ki Khairati Ki Kundalka Agar Shayampura Radi Badwala Seelibawari Bhawta Schools Visited Besides educational assessments, discussions were held with individual teachers, further suggestions were provided and the status of medical interventions was reviewed. After school hours, the teachers were met in groups to hold discussions about the children, suggestions were shared with them and the teachers were given the space to share their concerns and queries. There was a need to make home visits because either: o Children needed to be met at home to understand their abilities in familiar surroundings o Children were not coming to schools and there was a need to talk to their family members. 10 BODH- AADI- GEF

12 o Some visits were made to share information about the risks and benefits of surgeries as recommended by the doctors but families were refusing to do so because of their belief that God would cure them naturally. 2.3 OBJECTIVE: To equip teachers with information and skills to address diversity One group teacher training and four supervisor s trainings were held during this project period. This year the capacity building of supervisors, who are also senior teachers, became a focus as it was felt that enhancing their skills would build their confidence to support teachers in schools. The teacher training, for all the 175 teachers of the 36 schools, was held at Bodh campus in Kukus on June 13 and 14, The methodology adopted in the trainings was mainly activity based, group and individual work. The first supervisor training was held at Alwar on April 30, The second was held on September 14 and 15, 2012 The third one on November 5, 6 and 7, 2012 The last one is scheduled for April 22 and 23, Teacher training The teachers were divided into two groups during this training. One group was of 30 3 teachers belonging to the ten schools which had been covered under the project last year and who had been trained previously in December 2012; the rest of the 145 were from the new schools including the 7 supervisors. Group 1: The objective of the training for the new group was that the teachers would understand diversity, the social model of disability and impairments. Thus, the first module, on the first day was titled Diversity and Social Model of Disability. It was a crucial module for perspective development and thus, an entire day was devoted to it. It aimed to build the teachers understanding about the similarities within children, their needs and rights. It highlighted the fact that every child was unique in their own way. They therefore, fulfilled their needs, in their own unique ways. Children with impairments added to the already existing diversity in the classroom, school and society. The module emphasized, that all children have the capacity to learn, in their own style and at their own pace. It is external barriers which create difficulties in children s learning. A truly child centered approach to education would allow every child to learn, including children with disabilities. Thereafter, through discussions the team attempted to emphasize how inclusion helps to fulfill the rights of children to learn together. After this the teachers from group two joined the larger group and shared their one year experiences of working with children with disabilities. The training ended with a sharing of all the work done till date, the focus of the project, information about the various organizations involved. 3 Out of the 52 teachers, 7 were supervisors and 15 others had left the organization 11 BODH- AADI- GEF

13 The focus for the second day of training was to understand different impairments and their impact on learning. Efforts were made through presentations and simulation activities to understand different impairments and their impact on learning. Handouts on visual, hearing, speech, intellectual impairment, cerebral palsy, mental health and epilepsy, were given for reading. This was followed by discussions and further question and answer exercises about different impairments. Group 2: Teachers from 10 schools began by reviewing the past year in school based groups. Discussions were about children progress, their experiences, changes in their own behavior and attitudes. Some of the learnings were: There was a positive attitudinal change amongst teachers towards children with disabilities after the trainings, the information and support provided Teachers need to be sensitive and patient towards all children Children take time to learn new concepts and need opportunities to practice them through various experiences and activities Opportunities must be provided to children with disability to learn Observation is another way to get information about a child Teaching learning material can be developed considering all types of accommodations. The focus of the second day was on developing teaching learning material for school focusing on inclusive teaching. Teachers were divided into 10 groups according to schools and chose concepts from books to develop teaching learning material for the entire class including children with disabilities. They mainly developed multisensory flash cards for numbers and alphabets, multisensory games and activities for teaching basic concepts, using locally available material Supervisors and Coordinators training Supervisors and coordinators look into the educational aspects of the work in their respective areas. There are two supervisors for the two blocks of Thangazi and Alwar. These blocks are further divided into two clusters each. Each cluster has a cluster coordinator, so there are four coordinators. Two other coordinators facilitate the medical interventions required for children in all four clusters. This year the capacity building of supervisors, who are also senior teachers, became a focus as it was felt that enhancing their skills would build their confidence to support teachers in schools. The first training was on April 30, 2012 in Alwar Public School (APS). A film on UNCRPD was screened to highlight the rights of people with disabilities being the same as any other citizen of India. In the film persons with disabilities who are the leaders in the disability movement in India, express their views about the current status and their future vision. This was followed by a discussion on the future steps. The second training was held on September 14 and 15, 2012 in Delhi. The attempt here was to strengthen the process of supervision and to integrate the monitoring of inclusion 12 BODH- AADI- GEF

14 of children with disabilities in this process. Attempts were also made to increase the information base and confidence of the supervisory team for this process. There was a detailed discussion on the current system and supervisory processes followed at Bodh. Suggestions were given to include disability related issues in the weekly meeting at the school level and the monthly meeting of supervisors, coordinators and other senior leaders in Bodh. It was also suggested that every annual school plan should include issues related to inclusion of children with disabilities. Supervisors were encouraged to gain more experience of working with children with disabilities by studying and implementing, along with the teachers, the various suggestion provided by the AADI team. The team identified the changes that were required in the curriculum (content and strategy), evaluation methods and the TLMs keeping in mind the needs of all children. Some of the changes required were to develop detailed indicators of learning with subject teachers, review strategies of teaching and introducing new materials like- tablets, auditory software, talking books, specific language learning methods for hearing impaired children. The Bodh team was encouraged to develop a list of materials required for various impairments and work towards procuring them. It was also stressed that for effective solutions to be arrived at there was a need for bringing up disability issues in local governance forums and School Management Committees. To address basic issues of prevention and early treatment of health issues amongst children with disabilities, the Bodh team was encouraged to work with and strengthen the local health system including the hospital, the primary health centre and Anganwadi centers. For supporting persons with mental health issues they were advised to seek early psychiatric treatment through Government hospital. The team agreed to identify a general physician, an orthopedic doctor and an ENT specialist in Alwar or to take children for initial examinations and to motivate parents for seeking required medical interventions. The third training was held on November 5, 6 and 7, 2012 at Delhi. The focus of this training was to increase their information base regarding different impairments and the roles of supervisors in this process. The training started with a brief overview followed by visits to National Association for the Blind, Ali Yavar Jung National Institute for the Hearing Impaired, Lady Irwin Inclusive Nursery School and Muskaan, a centre for adults with intellectual impairment. The trainers from AADI accompanied the group on these visits. The visits were followed by presentations and detailed discussions about three impairments-visual, hearing and intellectual and their impact on a person s life. Strategies and accommodations needed to address this impact; the implementation strategies of these suggestions in their context were also shared. The training ended with a presentation and discussion on the role of the supervisors in achieving the project goals. 13 BODH- AADI- GEF

15 2.2.3 School visits: Understanding schools and meeting teachers School visits were planned with the objective of understanding the school environment, teaching practices in the classroom and child related planning. Model schools of each cluster were chosen for observation. Visits were made by the AADI team in two batches. The first visit was from February 26 to 28, 2013 and another team visited from April 4 to 6, Cluster coordinators accompanied the teams. As for last year s visits for more uniformity in observation a format 4 was prepared to document observations. The team also visited the homes of some children and collected initial information about the new children identified by teachers. Cluster Schools observed Names of the schools observed Umrain 4 Guru Nanak School, Dhveero Ki, Saavri Ka Baas, Meena Cooperative Kushalgarh 4 Radi, Talvriksh, Kalameda, Kundalka Pratapgarh 4 Dev Ka Devra, Haud ki, Agar, Kaleka 4 Ambedkar, Shyampura, Seelibawari, Bhal ki No. of teacher meetings held School teachers from the following schools attended these meetings 3 Guru Nanak School, Dhevron ki, Riguspuri, Binak, Silised, Kahirati ki, Saavri Ka Baas, Meena Cooperative 2 Radi, Talvriksh, Kalameda, Kundalka, Indhok, Ban ki, Mukro ki 3 3 Ambedkar, Ramali, Haudh Ki, Shayampura, Seelibawari, Halkaron ki dhani, Bhal ki dhani, Kiro ki, Tavrala The observation process included: meeting the teachers looking into the planning register observing the child in class reviewing suggestions for all the children with the teachers discussions about difficulties they were facing while teaching children with disabilities 4 See Annexure 3 for the format 14 BODH- AADI- GEF

16 Shyampura school and its playground A pre class at Bhal ki A singing and art class at Bhal ki Children making a mud storage structure A teacher meeting at Bhal ki Thereafter school level group meetings were organized during each school visit. In these group meetings: The team gave general suggestions related to school practices, to include children with disabilities. Discussions were held with the BSS staff about their perceived needs for support and training requirements. 15 BODH- AADI- GEF

17 Data about the number of teachers and the training they had undertaken with Bodh and AADI was also collected. There were 185 teachers and approximately 4623 children registered in these schools. The team is in the process of collating this data and its observations School Visits: Physical Access Audits On April 7 and 8, 2013, the AADI team visited Bodh Schools to look into their accessibility requirements. In compliance with the Right to Education Act, the buildings of these schools are getting extended to have the requisite number of classrooms so that children can be accommodated comfortably. As many children attending these schools have intellectual, physical, visual and hearing disabilities it was imperative to assess the accessibility of the buildings and make relevant suggestions so that all children can access the entire school, including the play area and amenities such as drinking water and toilets. A special emphasis is required on safety as this is a non-negotiable for all children. Since the school buildings are under construction, it seems possible for changes based on the recommendations to take place. The AADI team visited the schools with the Bodh team and also gave them a copy of the manual Planning A Barrier free Environment 5, which gives details on specifications for different components of the building such as ramps, stairs, corridors, toilets etc. The construction for the Bodhshalas has been planned over 2 phases. Over the course of the 2 day visit, visits were conducted for all nine schools where construction is planned in phase I and for 1 school where construction is planned for phase II. Schools visited: Phase I Schools: Construction has begun in all Phase I schools and they were at different phases of completion with some schools almost ready with the main structure of the building. The interiors work has not started in any school. 1. Bhaal ki Dhaani 2. Seeli Bawdi 3. Ambedkar 4. Budwala Guwada 5. Kaleka 6. Indok 7. Dheevru ki Dhaani 8. Khairati ki Dhaani 9. Saawri Ka Baas Phase II Schools: Plan for construction has been made but construction has not yet started. 1. Shyampura 5 Published by the Office of the Disability Commissioner 16 BODH- AADI- GEF

18 Rooms are situated over platforms which are at a height ranging from 1-4 ft. Hence ramp access is essential A detailed report on the possible suggestions to make the school more accessible is being compiled. The highlights of the suggestions discussed are as follows: It is suggested that as far as possible the area of land being used by the school is filled up with soil and leveled. Entry and exit to the school building must be accessible and should include ramps and staircases made according to specifications. Where schools are extending to the first floor, ramp access must be provided to this floor as well. In case a ramp cannot be constructed, an alternate solution would have to be developed. All corridors, ramps, staircases, rooms, obstructions etc be marked with visual guide strips in bright colour contrast (such as yellow colour) to aid people with low vision in identifying rooms and avoiding obstructions. Corridors and passages need to be clear of any hung and protruding obstructions. The floor of the corridors need to de at one level with the base of the doorways. Thresholds must be avoided. In case there are thresholds they need to be given slopes. The width of the doors must also be uniform and made as per guidelines. The hand pump area should be at either one level with the ground or have ramp access to the raised surface. Where there are taps, they can be provided with levers so that people with limited hand function can use them. It is also suggested that borders of the hand pump area be demarcated in yellow colour for ease of persons with low vision. Every school must have at least one accessible toilet which can also be used for persons with disabilities which must follow the guidelines given. Directional and pictorial signages need to be present for all facilities and demarcated areas within the school building. This will aid persons with disabilities, in particular persons with visual and intellectual impairment. In some schools, the stage or performance area does not have a railing or wall which is a safety hazard. It is suggested that a railing be made to prevent children from falling while they are performing. All shelves within the classroom should be built in such a way as to be accessible to a wheelchair user. 17 BODH- AADI- GEF

19 2.4 OBJECTIVE: To equip teachers, parents and community volunteers to access community resources, to address the needs of people with disabilities The team had visited many community resources last year. They had begun accessing some resources as well. This year the process of acquiring disability certificates and other provisions was well known by the Bodh team and ten children got their disability certificates made from Alwar 6. There has been an increased utilization of the local medical health facilities and majority of the children accessed medical services available at Alwar OBJECTIVE: Document best practices for inclusive education Review and reflection is part of all work undertaken. The reflections helped in identifying issues, lessons learnt and challenges while planning the future steps in the project Challenges Children Many children with disabilities remain irregular in attending school. Many children go away for long periods from their villages thus miss school work covered during this period. Children are also irregular due to poverty. Reaching the school from their homes is a major barrier for children with physical impairments because of the nature of the physical terrain. Many children with disability continue to prefer to sit in their siblings classes. Teachers Many children are moving into government schools because they receive various benefits in these schools. Teachers are finding it difficult to follow up these children in other schools. Teachers are not able to resolve the issue of irregular attendance of children with disabilities. If children are irregular in school then progress is difficult to achieve. Teachers are raising concerns about the future of the children with disabilities. Many children will turn 16 soon and teachers are wondering what will happen to them after they move out of class 8. Other children usually get admitted into government schools. Presently there are not many opportunities available for children with disabilities in the community. Some teachers are finding it difficult to communicate with children with speech impairments. During assessments teachers who came with children were not the actual teachers, thus they were not able to see the demonstrations by the team, or listen to the explanations of the suggestions. Teachers don t have complete information about the medicinal interventions required and the follow ups to be made. At present teachers do not receive medical reports 6 See Annexure 4 for further details 7 See section of this report 18 BODH- AADI- GEF

20 After aids are provided children are not able to maintain them properly. Teachers have not been taught how to manage aids. Thus many hearing aids are not in working condition and some children have lost their hearing aids or glasses. Some classes on both the floors were very narrow and due to space constraints forming small groups was difficult. Working with families As reported last year as well, many families are not convinced about the necessity of medical interventions. In some instances parents are not agreeing to important surgeries and children are at risk of developing secondary impairments and the team is not able to make any breakthrough. Instances of problems like ear discharge continuing even after an operation make it more difficult to convince families. Some teachers reported that they have tried hard to convince parents about the use of aids and adaptations but they continue to refuse Learnings for the training team Individual child follow up is needed and visit needs to be more regular to support teachers. Strengthening of the belief in inclusion is a process and it takes time Teaching English and Hindi is creating confusion for many children and especially children with hearing and intellectual impairments. There is a need to break the mystic of special education and special techniques There is a need to work with families to sensitize them to the importance of education especially for children with disabilities. So there is a need to work on community aspects Teachers should have information about medical check-ups, follow-ups and about management of aids which is at present being addressed separately by a coordinator 3. KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS Many children with disabilities have shown positive changes in behavior after the teachers have made an effort to pay attention and encourage children, extend support and appreciation for abilities of children with disabilities; it has made a marked difference in the confidence levels of many children. Children who are learning together with children with disability are becoming more adjusted to diverse ways of doing the same thing. Interaction with the children has increased. In school and social settings people have stopped name calling Approximately 175 teachers have information of impairments and the social model of disability. They have basic information about types of disabilities like visual impairment, hearing impairment, cerebral palsy, physical disability, polio, spinabifida, mental retardation, mental illness, deteriorating conditions, epilepsy etc. The major change in teachers has been the change of their attitude. They now pay attention to children with disabilities and try to include them. During discussions the earlier trained teachers were themselves answering queries of their newer colleagues and were advocating for the rights and diversity perspective. Some teachers were able 19 BODH- AADI- GEF

21 to follow the previous suggestions. They were able to actively participate in the discussions regarding the children. They did not reject children with disabilities earlier as well, but felt helpless as they did not know how to support them. So whatever efforts they made, they did not show any impact. Whereas now, they are able to try suggestions by AADI and see changes. There is openness in teachers, to hear and implement the suggestions by AADI. Teachers felt they are sensitized to the need and understand difficulties to some extent. They give extra time, worksheets etc. to support children. Every school maintains a file with documents of children with impairments in addition to the portfolio maintained like all children. Teachers appear eager to learn newer strategies on how to teach, what else to do etc. They stated that AADI s support has been helpful. The active participation of the cluster coordinator has increased towards the latter half of the year The number of medical intervention at the local level have increased manifold. The AADI team was able to conduct numerous assessments and make two school visits within a period of seven months 4. FUTURE STEPS There is a basic level of knowledge base available with the entire team of 175 teachers and supervisors. This needs to be expanded much further through trainings. A training is scheduled in May Further training will be focusing on micro level skills for including children in the classroom processes-including planning, teaching strategies, evaluation and accommodations for different impairments. There is a need to integrate this knowledge base into BSS s regular training processes so that there are more opportunities for teacher to revisit and for them to continue to learn further. The cluster coordinators have to supervise and support the teachers much more. The future sustainability of the project depends upon the skill and knowledge base of the supervisors, thus continued capacity building of this group is crucial. This team will then be able to integrate these skills into the BSS internal processes. Community work trainings need to be organized Implementation of the physical audit suggestions need to be done Disability survey in 40 villages has to be undertaken Medical interventions need to be continued In conclusion AADI and Bodh team managed a structured and sustained intervention towards the project objectives throughout. The commitment of the teachers to education remains strong and their eagerness to learn more motivates present efforts and will lead to sustainability of efforts towards inclusion in the future. Thus as stated last year as well, even though marginalization, diversity and power disparities continue to impact the lives of persons with disabilities negatively; all the three organizations remain committed to bring about a change, by working together to address these issues. 20 BODH- AADI- GEF

22 5. LIST OF ANNEXURES ANNEXURE NUMBER 1: List of children who came in Bodh Gaon for assessments ANNEXURE NUMBER 2: List of children visits for medical interventions ANNEXURE NUMBER 3: Class Observation Format ANNEXURE NUMBER 4: Disability certificates and others ANNEXURE NUMBER 5: Budget July 13 to June 14 ANNEXURE NUMBER 6: Expenditure Details 21 BODH- AADI- GEF

23 ANNEXURE NUMBER 1 LIST OF CHILDREN WHO CAME FOR ASSESSMENTS AT BODHGAON Dates- 27/08/12, 28/08/12, 29/08/12,30/08/12,31/08/12 and 01/09/12 (A total of 6 days) S.No Date 27/08/12 Children for assessment called Age Village Cluster Children came for assessments 1 Indra Gurjar 13 Dev ka devra Pratapgarh First contact done 2 Ramchandra Meena 8 Rajali First contact done 3 Shringari Meena 7 Kaleka First contact done 4 Kamlesh Gujjar 8 Manko ki First contact done 5 Rajesh Meena 10 Dev ka Devra First contact done 6 Nikita Meena 9 Rajali First contact done 7 Hansram 8 Kaleka First contact done 8 Manish Meena 6 Kaleka First contact done 9 Dhramraj Meena 5 Manko ki First contact done 10 Kiran Gujar 9 Dev ka Devra First contact done 11 Rahul Gujjar 11 Dev ka Devra First contact done 12 Bala Meena 6 Rajali First contact done 13 Shimla Parjapat 7 Manko ki First contact done 14 Golu Prajapat 6 Manko ki First contact done 15 Roshan Lal 10 Dev ka Devra First contact done 16 Rahul Kumar Meena 6 Dev ka Devra First contact done 17 Krishan Meena 5 Rajali First contact done 18 Dulichand 8 Kaleka First contact done 19 Chote Lal 10 Kaleka First contact done 20 Vinod Meena 7 Rajali First contact done

24 21 Ramesh Gujjar 7 Kaleka First contact done 22 Vimla Meena 13 Kaleka First contact done 23 Aarti Meena 7 Manko ki First contact done 24 Dhrampal 13 Manko Ki First contact done 28/08/12 25 Vikram Balai 9 Agar First contact done 26 Poonam Kohli 7 Agar First contact done 27 Desraj Gujjar 8 Bhawata First contact done 28 Amisha Meena 10 Haud ki First contact done 29 Santosh Gujjar 6 Badwala First contact done 30 Sachin Gujjar 10 Badwala First contact done 31 Matti 9 Bawata First contact done 32 Jai Singh 12 Haud Ki First contact done 33 Golu Koli 12 Agar First contact done 34 Rinku Balai 8 Bawata First contact done 35 Rajesh 15 Haud Ki First contact done 36 Kiran Jogi 9 Haud ki First contact done 37 Vishram Gujjar 9 Badwala First contact done 38 Narender Meena 12 Agar First contact done 39 JaiKmar Ragier 9 Agar First contact done 40 Varsha Kolhli 8 Agar First contact done 41 Chavan Meena 10 Haud Ki First contact done 42 Prakash Gujjar 9 Badwala First contact done 43 Rinku Harijan 7 Agar Pratapgarh First contact done 44 Neeraj 9 Agar First contact done

25 Vishram Meena 13 Haud Ki Absent 45 Shravan (New Child) 29/08/12 First contact done 46 Rohit Meena 6 Shayampura Thanaghazi First contact done 47 Seeti Meena 9 Shayapura First contact done 48 Ramavatar Mahaber 7 Seelibawari First contact done 49 Sunita 9 Halko Ki First contact done 50 Sunder Balai 5 Shayampura First contact done 51 Dhauram 13 Seelibari First contact done 52 Bhauti Mahawar 11 Seelibari First contact done 53 Manisha 5 Halko Ki First contact done 54 Ramakant 9 Shayampura First contact done 55 Ravi 7 Shayampura First contact done Mahesh Mahawar 10 Seelibari Absent 56 Seema 7 Kiro Ki First contact done 57 Gopal Verma 6 Ban Ki First contact done 58 Dinesh 11 Seelibari First contact done 59 Premaram 8 Seelibari First contact done 60 Deepu 5 Kiro ki First contact done 61 Kamal Swami 8 Shayampura First contact done 62 Santosh 8 Shayampura First contact done 63 Yuvraj 7 Shayampura First contact done 64 Vinod 8 Kiro Ki First contact done 65 Rinku 9 Halko ki First contact done 30/08/12

26 66 Naveen Swami 10 Mukro Ki Kushalgarh First contact done 67 Anil Sanni 7 Mukro Ki First contact done 68 Chand Prajapat 11 Ban ki First contact done 69 Pramod Saini 12 Ban ki First contact done 70 Chander Pal Saini 8 Ban ki First contact done 71 Sushila Gujjar 11 Mukro Ki First contact done 72 Manisha Saini 6 Ban Ki First contact done 73 Vikram Gujjar 7 Talvirksh Nala First contact done 74 Komal Verma 6 Talvirksh Nala First contact done 75 Indraj Gujjar 9 Mukro Ki First contact done 76 Kavita Gujjar 8 Ban ki First contact done 77 Kailash Gujjar 8 Talvirksh Nala First contact done 78 Saroj Gujjar 11 Talvirksh Nala First contact done 79 Kaniya Lal 9 Mukro Ki First contact done 80 Deepak Swami 8 Mukro ki First contact done 81 Lalita Yogi 14 Talvirksh Nala First contact done 82 Aarti Saini 7 Mukro k First contact done 83 Mukesh Gujjar 10 Ban ki First contact done 84 Patasi Giujjar 9 Ban Ki Kushalgarh First contact done 85 Mahesh Prajapat 13 Talvirksh Nala First contact done 86 Anita 11 Tavrala Thanaghazi First contact done 31/08/12 87 Seema 13 Ambedkar First contact done Mohit Kumar 7 Ambedkar Absent 88 Lalita 12 Ambedkar First contact done

27 Pooja Bai 10 Ambedkar Absent 89 Neetu 7 Ramali ki First contact done 90 Kripa Gujjar 11 Ambedkar First contact done 91 Sahil Raigar 3 Ambedkar First contact done 92 Vikas 5 Ambedkar First contact done 93 Pooja Meena 10 Ambedkar First contact done 94 Brijender 12 Seelised Umrain First contact done 95 Juber 16 Dhivro ki First contact done 96 Kali Gujjar 10 Ringaspuri First contact done 97 Chatra Singh 13 Seelised First contact done 98 Ashok 9 Dhivro ki First contact done 99 Sapna 12 Dhivro ki First contact done 100* Sanju 8 Dhivro ki First contact done 101 Omprakash 11 Beenak First contact done 102 Satveer 6 Benak First contact done 103 Arun 10 Dhivro ki First contact done 104 Raja Ram 11 Seelised First contact done 105 Manmohan 15 Devro ki dhani First contact done 1/9/ Rekha 15 Saudi Ki Bass First contact done 107 Mushkan 7 Saudi ki Bas First contact done 108 Karan Singh 10 Gurunanak First contact done 109 Shabir 11 Saudi Ki Bas First contact done Fardin Saudi Ki Bas Absent 110 Manpreet Singh 5 Gurunanak First contact done

28 Abdulla 7 Saudi Ki Bass Absent 111 Harmeet Singh 7 Gurunanak First contact done 112 Soma 6 Kundlka Kushalgarh First contact done 113 Hem Singh 12 Indok Radi First contact done 114 Suman 5 Kundlka First contact done 115 Ajay 3 Indok Radi First contact done 116 Mintoo 6 Kundalka First contact done Asha Kala Meda Absent Rani Indok Radi Absent 117 Kalli 5 Kundalka First contact done 118 Durgesh 12 Indok Radi First contact done 119 Manisha 12 Indok Radi First contact done

29 Medical Follow-up in month of April 2012 ANNEXURE NUMBER 2 LIST OF CHILDREN WHO CAME FOR MEDICAL INTERVENTIONS (MONTH WISE) S. No Name Village Cluster Difficulty Place of Check-up 1 Hariom Meena Umrain cooperative Hearing Difficulty & bleeding from Naval 2 Surji Radi Kushalgarh 3 Madan Radi Kushalgarh 4 Mahesh Kalameda Kushalgarh & Hearing problem 5 Dheeraj Hari singh ki Johad ENT Hospital, Josola and St. Stephens Hospital, Delhi ENT Hospital, Josola, Delhi ENT Hospital, Josola, Delhi ENT Hospital, Josola, Delhi Epilepsy St. Stephens Hospital, Delhi Follow- up 1 3/4/2012 Shown to ENT Jasola Hospital, Has problem in naval 4/4/2012 Has infection in Naval. Doctor suggested to use copper sulphate powder in naval 3/4/2012 To cut stitches after operation 3/4/2012 Operation done for right ear 3 /4/2012 Operation done for right ear. Have to show Mahesh again after 15 days. 3/4/2012 Used to have fits in a day, now fits are reduced to 7 to 8 fits. Has to be shown again after one month Current Status He does not have difficulty in hearing. He is Alright She is alright *The text in red reflects the children who have made more than one visit over the different months

30 Medical Follow-up in month of July 2012 S. NO Name Village Cluster Difficulty Place of Check-up Follow- up 1 Current Status 1 Mukesh Bhal ki dhani Physical Impairmen Kiwani s Research Center, Delhi 12/7/2012 Measurement done in Kiwanis research centre for 2 Dheeraj Hari singh ki Johad 3 Roshan Ambedkar 4 Bhajan Gujar Hari singh ki Johad 5 Bugga Hari singh ki Johad 6 Neeraj Hari singh ki Johad 7 Bharat Hari singh ki Johad t Epilepsy St. Stephens Hospital, Delhi Thanaghazi Physical Impairmen t Thanaghazi Kiwanis Research Center, Delhi Rajiv Gandhi Hospital, Alwar Rajiv Gandhi Hospital, Alwar Rajiv Gandhi Hospital, Alwar Rajiv Gandhi Hospital, Alwar artificial limbs 24/7/2012 Now fits are reduced to 7-8 in a day, Have to show again after sometime 24/7/2012 Measurement done in Kiwanis research centre for artificial limbs 30/07/2012 Problem in ear drum, medicine given for 7 days. Operation to be done. 30/07/2012 discharge, Doctor advised to use hearing aids regularly & to save ear from water to put cotton in ear during bath 30/7/2012 Both ear drums have holes, Doctor advised to use medicine & protect from water 30/7/2012 Problem in one ear drum, Doctor advised to use medicine & protect from water

31 Medical Follow-up in month of September 2012 S. No Name Village Cluster Difficulty Place of Check-up Follow- up 1 Current Status 1 Vikas Ambedkar Vision, 29/09/2012 No problem difficulty Alwar Eyes are normal 2 Seema Ambedkar Vision difficulty, Alwar 29/9/2012 Doctor Suggested spectacles 3 Lalita Ambedkar Vision, 29/9/2012 No problem difficulty Alwar No difficulties in eyes 4 Pooja Ambedkar Vision difficulty, Alwar 29/9/2012 Squint in right eye. Less sight in left eye. 5 Manish Halkaro ki 6 Sunita Halkaro ki 7 Rinku Halkaro ki 8 Dinesh Bhal ki dhani 9 Sumitra Hari Singh ka Johar 10 Rakesh Hari Singh ka Johar Itching and watery eyes Vision difficulty Vision difficulty Thanaghazi Vision difficulty Thanaghazi Vision difficulty Thanaghazi Vision difficulty, Alwar, Alwar, Alwar, Alwar, Alwar, Alwar Next date given on 09/10/ /9/2012 Itching and watery eyes To show again on 29/9/ /9/2012 No difficulties in eyes 29/09/2012 No difficulties in eyes 25/09/2012 Squint in left eye, cataract in eye. Doctor suggested ultra sound for eye and if retina is alright then doctor will do surgery. 25/09/2012 Cataract in both eyes, surgery suggested by Doctor 25/09/2012 Cataract in both eyes, surgery suggested by Doctor No problem No problem Parents are not ready for surgery Parents are not ready for surgery