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Satya Special School
Annual Report
2015-16
COLOURS SHINE FOR EVERYBODY
Satya Special School
S.No DETAILS STATUS
1 Full Legal Name SATYA SPECIAL SCHOOL
2 Office Address / Project Address 6,7,8 E.C.R Road, Opp to Siva Vishnu Mahal,
Karuvadikuppam, Puducherry, India
3 Telephone No 0413 - 2263592 4 Fax No 0413 - 2249154 5 E.Mail Address [email protected]
6 Website www.satyaspecialschool.org
7 Registered under Societies Registration Act
1980 Reg. No 521 / 2002
8 Registered under Section 52 of the PWD
Act (Persons with Disability) 27th June 2014 (Date of Renewal)
9 Registered under 3505 National Trust Act Date of Registration – 6th Feb 2013
10 12 AA & 80 G Registered under section 12 AA of the income tax Act &
Exemption certificate granted under section 80 G of the
income tax Act
11 FCRA Registration No 285130094 12 PAN No. AAGAS1322
13 Bankers Andhra Bank, Pondicherry (FCRA Designated A/C)
HDFC Bank, Pondicherry
Satya Special School
NO 6, 7, 8, ECR Road
Karuvadikuppam, Puducherry
Ph: 0413-2263592
Satya Centre for Unique Learners
No 278/3,Adiparasakthi Koil street
Rainbow Nagar, Puducherry
Satya Vocational Training Centre
Edayanchavady Main Road,
Kuilapalayam Auroville
Satya Center for Autism
ECR Main Road
Sarukupalayam,Kottakuppam
Satya Village Rehabilitation Centre
No 4,Kaveri nagar,Villianuar
Puducherry
Satya Village Rehabilitation Centre
Yogalakshmi Nagar,
Mutrampet, (Kodathur), Vanur Taluk
Tamil Nadu
Satya Village Rehabilitation Centre
Perumal koil street, Selimedu
Puducherry
Satya Special School
Mission
Vision: Ch ange the current fragmented rehabilitation system into a more integrat-ed and holistic one dedicat-ed at improving the lives of intellectually disabled chil-dren through individual spe-cialized trainings thereby making social inclusion a reality.
Our Belief: In transparency In professionalism and
dedication In charity with dignity
Our work:
Involves any person with intellectual disabilities, irre-spective of their degree of disability, socio- economic condition and age. Towards eradicating the stigma associated with disa-bilities especially intellectu-al disabilities. Empowering the children thereby making them confi-dent and self-reliant. Improve the quality of life through better health care and individualized rehabili-tation programmes.
Contents
Page No.
1. President’s Note 2
2. Director’s Note 2
3. Executive Committee 3
4. Statistics of Satya 4
5. Awards Received 5
6. Major Projects 6
7. Our Work: Capacity Building Programme 7
8. Recreational Activities 14
9. Unique Initiatives 16
10. Highlights of the year 2015-16 21
11.Volunteer Contribution 27
12. Future Endeavours of Satya 28
Satya Special School
President’s Note Greetings to All.
New Year, New Challenges New Milestones. . . . .
It was a challenging moment when we experienced heavy rainfalls in 2015, rendering many homeless and without food for days. For the first week, Satya took the initiative of starting a community kitchen catering to about 600 people living in villages in and around Pondicherry and Cuddalore. Thanks to the full support from Donors, vol-unteers, and our staff who helped not only in the kitchen but in the ground level as well. Basic items such as bed-sheets, mats, mosquito coils etc were distributed to over 2000 households. Reconstruction of houses were also un-dertaken as part of rehabilitation efforts .
Our dream project with our long term partner “You and We Trust , Switzerland” was the construction of the state of art (rural ) Village Rehabilitation Center at Kodathur. Ably supported by the “Charity Challenge UK” who have proved that Charity has no geographical boundaries, 40 Volunteers from Body shop and Santander's groups, UK participated in the construction work unmindful of the October heat with all enthusiasm, replicating all the intervention facilities under one roof. As Mr Anthony from Charity Challenge states - “TOGETHER, With LOVE, We SUCCEED”
Accessibility is on Satya’s priority list for 2016-17, making Pondicherry accessible for the differently abled including the beach, parks, Bus stops and even Commercial establishments. With Pondicherry on the list for Smart Cities, we hope to realise this Dream of an inclusive accessible city . . . .
Directors Note WHAT SATYA IS – A JOURNEY OF CHANGING THE WORLD
Though the French left behind a fairly well planned coastal town – Pondicherry in Southern Part of India, and influenced the life styles, cuisine and pretty much every aspect of social life here, life of CWSNs was that of neglect.
Unable to bear the plight of a young girl, age 10 years being tied to a chair, locked up in a room, everyday for 8 hours, 365 days a year for 5 years, a group of socially minded doctors, social workers, home makers and busi-nessmen started Satya Special School - a Day Care Centre in 2003 with 20 children. Today Satya caters to over 700 children and PWDs with various special needs from as young as 23 days to as old as 45 years.
Years of hard work, dedication and innovation has changed many lives. The successes, the trials and pains, the struggle and its fruits seen in the children being accepted by society, the social change that is sweeping through urban, semi – urban and rural villages due to the dedicated team of community workers, the story of mothers from being ostracized for the birth of a child seen as a curse of GOD due to her Karma or past sins to aiding, ac-cepting and standing by her Special child , who is today elegant, bubbly, loving and an achiever in his/her own terms is the reason for what SATYA is today .
Their experience gives hope to many families faced with similar situations, encouragement for rehabilita-tion workers and promises a great future for thousands around the world in less developed countries and conti-nents.
Every day when a child takes the first step, moves a limb, makes an eye contact, utters a sound brings in hope and enthuses us at Satya, to work harder. With all the support we could gather from our families, like mind-ed individuals, philanthropists, dedicated staff national and international agencies, we promise the children thus “We will not change you for the World but Change the World for You”!!!
Chitra Shah, Director
2
Satya Special School
Executive committee 2003—2015
Newly formed Executive committee 2016-17
Ms. Bindu Modi Mr. Nallam Krishna Babu Ms. Chitra Shah
Dr. Nallam. V
Ms. Sita Ram Kumar
Ms. Sita Ram Kumar
Ms. Chitra Shah Ms. Bindu Modi
Mr. Nallam Krishna Babu Ms. Maya Chandrasekar Dr (Ms). Asha Oumachigui Dr. Chandrsekar
Dr (Ms) Chidambaram Dr. Velumani
Mr. Madhavan
Dr (Ms.) Nalini Ranganathan
Mr. B.Narayanaswamy Mr. Mukesh Jain Mr. Sumitro Sen Gupta
Ms. Nalini Kamra Dr. Sibnath Deb Mr. AroquiaRadje Ceas-
Ms. Monique
3
Satya Special School
Stat ist i cs of Satya
4
Satya Special School
Life time Achievement Award by Balaji
Vidyapeet University on occasion of International
Women’s day March 2016
Child Friendly School Award
December 2015 by TYCL & Mugil Social Welfare
Organisation
Puducherryin Real Heroes 2015 – Big Social Ini-
tiative for 2015-16 by Reliance Foundation & 92.7
Big FM – awarded by Public voting
Child Friendly Teacher Award
December 2015 by TYCL & Mugil Social
Welfare Organisation
Child Friendly Parent Award
December 2015 by TYCL & Mugil Social
Welfare Organisation
Satya Special School recognised as
a Model of Excellence for Early
Childhood care by the University of
Oregeon , USA
Awards Received (2015-16)
5
Satya Special School
Community based
rehabilitation
supporting our
Village Rehabili-
tation Centres.
Arohan -
Children with
Special Needs
Project
India
Winterim
Program
Kodathur village
rehabilitation centre
Early childhood Intervention
and Centre for Unique Learners Mobile Therapy Unit
Sports for the Disabled
The Grace & Gratitude Trust
Infrastructure
Sponsorship
Major Projects
6
Satya Special School
CBP for Students
Sl.
No
Topic Presented /
Organised By Objective
1 Session on Dance & Move-
ment Therapy/ Mr. Sivam,
Dancer & Choreographer
To focus on movement
behavior as it emerges in the
therapeutic relationship.
2
Exposure Visit- Learn to
travel by public transport from
Karuvadikuppam to the local
Market / Special Educators
Enabling students to learn to
use public transport inde-
pendently as a key functional
activity that builds the child’s
confidence.
3
Storytelling Session :
Ms. Banu Priya, Storyteller
To encourage children to
observe skill learning on
drawing, coloring and story-
telling activities.
4
Unique Activity Based Learn-
ing Making a climber box
space & Gardening with Early
Intervention-Autism:
Ms. Afsan Marium
To enable students to learn
the importance of gardening
5
Group Therapy for EIC
children : Team of Physio-
therapist and Special Educa-
tors
To impress upon the im-
portance of group therapy
among parents and the role
these sessions can play in
building confidence and mo-
tivating parents.
6 Clay Sessions- Autism Class-
room: Ms. Afsan Marium To develop hand eye coordi-
nation using clay.
Capacity Building Programmes (CBP)
Satya strives to train and develop the abilities and skills of not just its students but also
the staff and parents. These Capacity building programmes (CBP) are carried out
throughout the year, they include various internal and external workshops, certified
trainings and skill building activities .
7
Satya Special School
CBP for Parents
Sl.
No
Topic Presented /
Organised By Objective
1
Speech Therapy — Orientation
and Training Programme /
Satya Speech therapists - Ms. Sivapriya and
Ms. Agilandeshwari.
To make parents understand and gain
knowledge regarding assessments, fac-
tors affecting speech and language, nor-
mal speech and language development,
visual and auditory stimulation, Oro motor
exercise, voice articulation, fluency, proso-
dy problems.
2
Activities of Daily Living and Toi-
let Training Programme/
Ms. Bora Sai Lakshmi, Principal - Satya Special School
To draw attention towards the importance
of activities of daily living and toilet training
from an early age for children with multiple
disabilities.
3
Guardianship Programme for
Parents of CWSNs/
Ms. Nathiya, Counselor,
SNAC, Puducherry
To create awareness on the Nirmaya
Health Insurance Scheme amongst par-
ents of PWDs
4
World Physical Therapy Day/
Physiotherapy Department,
Satya Special School
Presentation was made by Parents on
their child’s journey and improvement due
to Physiotherapy and Home Based pro-
grammes as part of World Physical Ther-
apy Day celebrations.
5
Life Skill Training Programme for
Parents of CWSNs
Ms. Vijaya Ramanujam
A motivational programme for parents on
instilling life skills in CWSNs and to sup-
port them in the process.
6 Autism Centre- Interaction and
Discussion with Parents : Autism
Division Staff
To discuss the experiences of the parents
of children with autism and to need for a
separate Center for Autism.
7
Toilet Training Programme for
Parents : Ms. Jeya Thamarai
Ezhil- Paediatric Physiotherapist- Sensory Integration Unit
To highlight the importance of Toilet train-
ing and the steps involved in enabling their
children to independently use toilets.
8
Workshop on Joint Liability
Group for Parents of CWSNs :
Mrs. Uma Gurumurthy, District
Development Manager, NABARD
To create awareness amongst parents on
NABARD’s – Joint Liability Group scheme
that allows members to start small busi-
nesses enterprises.
8
Satya Special School
CBP for Parents
Sl.
No
Topic Presented /
Organised By Objective
9 Home Programme
Management : Mr. Senthil
Kumaran, Physiotherapist
To create awareness amongst parents on
the status of the child such as tone and
tightness, techniques on positioning, re-
laxation, splintery, types of exercises
beneficial for cognitive development.
10 Parents Interaction on special
education : U. Malarveni, Spe-
cial Educator
To drive home the importance of IEP, the
need for quarterly assessments and the
role played by parents as co-therapist in
the entire intervention programme.
11
Autism Parents Support Group
Meeting- Mothers : Mr. Nara-
yanswamy, EC Member
Ms. Geeta Narayanswamy- (Parent ) and Ms. Raji–
Resource Trainer
To initiate a self driven group that will
come together to discuss, share experi-
ences, help in problem solving and sup-
port each other towards supporting their
children’s further.
12
Autism Parents Support Group
Meeting- Fathers :
Mr. Narayanswamy– Executive
Committee Member and Parent
To create a support group for parents of children with autism . The goal is to initi-ate a self driven group that will come to-gether to discuss, share experiences, help problem solve and support each oth-er towards supporting their children further.
13
Session on causes of disabil-
ity— Dr Sethuraman,
Vice Chancellor, Mahatma
Gandhi Medical College
Interaction with Parents on the various
causes of disability and the possible inter-
vention services available. Emphasis was
on the importance of prevention and the
initiatives taken to achieve it.
14
Parents awareness
Programme on Niramaya
Insurance Scheme:
Vocational Training Centre
Ms. Nathiya, Counselor,
SNAC, Puducherry
To create awareness on the
NIRAMAYA SCHEME amongst the
parents of disabled children and to im-
prove their economic status of the family.
9
Satya Special School
CBP for Staff
Sl.
No Topic Presented/
Organised By Objective
1
Fund Raising Schemes :
Mr. Ananth Arumugam,
V-Solve Consultancy
Services, Bangalore
To discuss various fund raising
schemes for Satya's such as pay roll
giving, Domestic Fund raising, ECS
fund raising and Tele calling fund
raising schemes.
2
Yogic Concept of Health :
Mr. Arokiyaraj Ceaser, EC
Member , Parent & Yoga
Trainer
To understand how yoga/ yoga ther-
apy in our life could reduce Stress- the cause of all ailments.
3
An interactive session on un-
derstanding children with
autism and suggestions for
changes: Dr. Lakshmi
Prasanna, Autism Expert
To help parents of children with au-
tism understand certain behaviors of
their children and various techniques
of handling them.
4
Therapeutic Theatre :
Ms. Annabelle Jaccard,
Clinical Psychologist and Art
Therapist
To use theatre as a means of thera-
py for children in order to develop
imaginative, creative and expressive
skills as well as the ability to work in
a group enhancing communication.
5
Wheelchair Orientation Pro-
gramme : Mr. Satish Kumar,
Physiotherapist
To orient the staff on the manage-
ment of wheelchairs.
6
Workshop on Oral Hygiene
for Satya Staff : Dr.Sendhil
Kumar- Head of the Depart-
ment, Dr.Baskar– Pedestrian
Dentist, Dr.Ramesh– Dentist,
Indira Gandhi Institute of
Dental Science.
To create awareness about oral hy-
giene with special focus on brushing
techniques, dental care for CWSNs
amongst the care givers & special
Educators.
7
Awareness Programme on
Lifestyle Diseases and Laws
of Health : Mr. Abhijith- Life-
style educator- II year stu-
dents from Institute of Life-
style Diseases, Nagarkoil and
Mrs. Rose Pushpa Wesley,
Primary Health Worker
To discuss the various causes of
lifestyle diseases.
10
Satya Special School
Sl.
No Topic Presented/
Organised By Objective
8
Wheelchair service training pro-
fessional course-Intermediate
level by Mobility India in
Bangalore : Mr. Sathish Kumar,
Physiotherapist
Training programme cover-
ing Assessment , Funding
and Ordering, Product prep-
aration , Fitting , User train-
ing , Maintenance and fol-
low up of wheelchairs
9
Communication & soft skills
Training : Mr. Sumithro Sen
Gupta, Executive Committee
Member
To improve Satya Staff's
communication skills in
English language with
regard to project activities.
10
Workshop on Oral Hygiene :
Team of Dentist from Indira
Gandhi Institute of Dental
Science.
To discuss the possible
roles special educators
could play in ensuring oral
health and hygiene for
CWSNs.
11 Economic empowerment through
Micro Credit and Finance :
Mr. Christopher, ACCION
To understand the activities
of ACCION and the kind of
support extended by them
towards micro finance & the
possibility of a partnership
between ACCION & Satya.
12
Interactive session with Director,
Keystone Institute India :
Ms Elizabeth Neuville, Director,
Keystone Institute India
Interactive session on
Organizational Vision
13
Teaching Techniques for Young
Children- Ms Val Close and
Ms Judy Newman , Early Child
Care programme, University of
Oregon
Discussion on Multiple
Learning opportunities,
Specific teaching tech-
niques, Modelling & physi-
cal prompting etc.
CBP for Staff
11
Satya Special School
CBP for Stake Holders
Sl.
No Topic Presented/
Organised By Objective
1
Sibling Meeting /
Ms. Sai Lakshmi,
Principal, Technical
Staff
To make the siblings aware of their role and
responsibilities in the lives of their different-
ly abled sister or brother.
2
Women from SHGs
Focused Group Discus-
sion / Mr. S Abraham,
Satya Special School
To initiate a dialogue between SHGs on
the status of CWSNs in their Community.
To help undertake a need analysis of the
community , to help draft programme s to-
wards awareness creation & plan interven-
tion services.
3
Programme on Mixed
Play : CWSNs of Satya
Special School and
Students of Navodaya
Vidyalaya, Kalapet.
To bring about an interaction between chil-
dren with special needs and children from
mainstream schools in order to create
awareness and promote inclusive play.
4
Sensitization
Programme on Inclu-
sion—Team of Special
Educators from Satya
To train Government school teachers from
around Villianur commune on disability
awareness and importance of inclusive ed-
ucation.
5 Screening of “Margarita
with a Straw”
The film on Disability & Sexuality featuring
Kalki Koechlin was screened for an elite
audience of philanthropist, well-wishers and
partners of Satya.
6
Disability sensitizing
Workshops by Satya
Special School support-
ed by Department of
Social Welfare,
Puducherry
The main objective of world disability day
program at the local level is to promote an
inclusive society and awareness on the
issues of disabled people to the community
and society at large.
12
Satya Special School
External Training Programs for Staff
Sl.
No Topic/ Presented/
Organised By Objective
1
Wheelchair Service
Training Package
Mobility India Campus,
Bangalore
Training programme for therapists
on : Referral and appointment; As-
sessment; Funding and Ordering;
Product preparation; Fitting; User
training; Maintenance and follow
ups.
2 Awareness Through The
Body/ Amir and Tamara,
Auroville
To raise concentration, self
knowledge and awareness among
children and adults.
3 World Physical Therapy
Day/ Mr. Jaising To discuss on the on the topic of
handling early intervention children.
4
20th Partners Meet- Mobility India /
Mobility India Campus,
Bangalore
To discuss strategies for fund rais-
ing for rehabilitation services and
further plans for capacity building
of human resource.
5 Engaging creatively with
waste
‘Waste to Wealth’ workshop organ-
ised by the Department of Science,
Technology and Environment
(DSTE) and Puducherry Pollution
Control Committee as part of the
World Environment Day celebra-
tions
6
Waldorf Education
Training Programme:
Dr. Lakshmi Prasanna,
Catherine and Patricia
Orange, Organized by
IRA, Institute of
Teacher Training
To understand the Waldorf system
of education and curriculum and to
look into possibilities of incorporat-
ing the same into special education
13
Satya Special School
This includes Outings, Celebra-
tions, Festivals, activities like
dance, music and drama. Satya
strongly initiated these activities
to encourage and build the
strength and abilities of the chil-
dren. This also allows their fami-
lies to unwind and enjoy them-
Recreational Activities
Christmas Celebration
Childrens at cultural
event during Pondicher-
ry Water Festival beach
Anjali National
children’s Festi-
val, Orissa
Planetarium Visit
Art Session
14
Satya Special School
Apart from education and thera-
pies, Satya believes in providing
children with a fun filled learning
experience and allowing opportu-
nities for them to integrate in so-
ciety.
Recreational Activities Fun day, of pizza making ,
juggling and dancing
Teacher’s Day
Bakery Workshop
(Students) with Eat My Cake
Children’s day celebration
Bakery Workshop (Mothers)
with Eat My Cake
Fun with Clowns
Art break Day Competitive Indoor Games
Water festival drawing
15
Satya Special School
Unique Initiatives
16
Satya has always focused in improving lives of
CWSNs. To achieve this, we have partnered with vari-
ous institutions, national & international experts in
the field of rehabilitation.
Satya’s Collaboration with Institutions:
MOU with Mahatma Gandhi Medical College
and Research Institute (MGMCRI), Pondicher-
ry
Through this MOU an institution of high re-pute MGMCRI would help CWSNs with periodic health checkups treatment and follow up. It would also provide experts on various aspects of health and wellbeing to interact with parents, staff & the rural community to help create a better understanding of CWSNs and their conditions.
MOU with Indira Gandhi Institute of Dental
Science, Pondicherry
The purpose of this MOU is to establish a collaborative relationship between Indira Gandhi Institute of Dental Sciences, and Satya Special School. The MOU will cov-
er screening & providing a comprehensive oral health
programme at Satya’s various premises with special focus to cover the most severely challenged through a Mobile Dental Unit by visiting them at their homes.
MOU with Mobility India
A technical partnership with Mobility India by way of this MOU would facilitate the necessary assistance by way of assessment camps, pro-curement & actual setting up of the Prosthetic and Orthot-ic Unit of Satya and capacity building programmes & in
house training programmes for the therapist techni-cians, parents & caregivers.
The India Winterim Program is an intensive 2 -3 week field based program that
provides students from the University of Iowa,
the opportunity to directly interact with non-
profits and academic institutions and gain a deep-
er insight into the work and functioning of these
organizations. Further, it exposes the students to
the cultural diversity of India. Groups of students
are sent to different parts of India of which 35
students and 2 professors visited Pondicherry.
Satya was the host organization and arranged for
the exposure visits to different organizations such
as Aravind Eye Hospital, Meenakshi Hospital, Ma-
durai, Baby Sarah Home, Help Age India, SAR-
VAM and our school and its centers. The students
along with their faculty spent a few days observ-
ing the work at all the organizations and then
students either worked in small groups or indi-
vidually carried out small projects that would
benefit the NGO they were working at. In Satya,
we had around 14 students who carried out
different projects that supported our existing
work. Some of the projects were: Preparation of
Informational materials , A Reading Project, Pen
Pal Project, Preparation of sample Weight Lap
Pads and Vests for Children in the autism spec-
trum and Profiling lives of families of CWSNs.
As part of their exposure to India’s heritage &
culture, the students participated in Yoga ses-
sions, visits to Mahabalipuram and Gingee and
celebrating Pongal with the Satya staff. “It was
an enriching & life changing experience” says
Ms Rebacca , a student who was part of the
IOWA team.
Satya Special School
Therapeutic interventions:
Prosthetic and Orthotic (P&O) Unit:
Prosthetic and Orthotic unit was inaugurated on 4th
November 2015 to provide assistive devices not only
to students of
Satya but also to
the public as well.
So far 50 children
received applianc-
es free of cost. Our
technical partner,
Mobility India pro-
vided support in
making the appliances. Our physiotherapists made
the necessary assess-
ments prior to prescrib-
ing appliances like
splints, bracers, belts
etc. Regular camps and
trainings with staff and
parents were carried out
to provide continuous
support to the P&O unit.
Music Therapy by Dr. Nigel Osborne:
Satya
is grateful to
Dr. Nigel Os-
borne and his
team from
the Universi-
ty of Edin-
burgh, UK for
their continu-
ous support and interest in conducting Music
Therapy Workshops every year for Satya’s chil-
dren. He used music therapy ‘bio-psycho-social’
approach for CWSN’s, educators, therapists, par-
ents to make them understand the importance of
music in improvising CWSN’s speech and psycho-
motor skills. The aim is to use music as a means to
communicate with each other, to play with
rhythm, sound stimulation, and storytelling along
with musical sounds.
Music in Psychophonie method can help chil-
dren with Cerebral Palsy during hydrother-
apy :
Psychophonie method helps to manage the
type of energy that the children need. We have
special melodies that give more or less energy
to the child. We can stimulate some specific
places like the head, feet, arm and breath. We
can also help children feel more relaxed in
their muscles or if they are stressed.
During the hydrotherapy session, music can
follow or direct the exercise rhythm. Some ex-
ercises require calm and slow movement; the
musician will play a slow melody with down
notes. If the exercise requires speed and fast
movement, the musician will play fast music
with exciting notes (high notes). Only playing
or singing a well-known (familiar) song or
melody will relax the child, and he will feel
more in confidence. Customized melody can
be created with the name of the child or any
other aspect the child relates to easily . This
will yield good results as the child is able to
identify it emotionally and hence responds bet-
ter.
We have to also consider that in a swimming
pool space, the acoustics are totally different.
There is more resonance, reflection, and obvi-
ously more vibrations. So, everybody will re-
ceive the music not only with their ears but
with the entire body (skin and bones). With
some adaptation we can mix the aerial vector
and liquid vector, and deliver the sound
(music instrument or voice) in a three commu-
nication system.
17
Satya Special School
How music through psychophony, can help
deaf children with muscle disorder during
hydrotherapy and how it can improve and
stimulate language and help in speech
therapy.
With any muscular disorder we work in
the same manner as children with Cerebral Pal-
sy. In the case of deaf children we have to insist
on vibrations in both aerial vector and mostly in
liquid vector. Deaf people can hear a part of mu-
sic but they can feel music through their body
(skin and bones conduction) with vibration.
We will use the same well known melody
and song as in the individual speech therapy
session. The difference here will be the vibra-
tion field. In individual sessions when we use a
vibrator we can only feel the vibration in a small
part of our body. During a hydrotherapy ses-
sion, vibrations are magnified where it can be
felt by the whole body due to the water.
In terms of lan-
guage, children
clearly receive
more vibra-
tions for the
respective pho-
nemes. When the child can feel the music or
voice throughout his body, he can understand
language rhythm with greater clarity. Due to
muscle disorders, the child may not be able to
use all the phonetic macro-movements from
verbotonale method (from Prof. Guberina from
Zagreb), but in the water, that can be a little bit
more easy.
Impact of Psychophonie on children with au-
tism during Education through Art session-
Judykaël
On Illustra-
tion 1 & 2,
we can see
the first
session in
Education
through Art
without music or Psychophonie stimulation. In-
ba drawn some lines very light and thin, with a
good center. The
speech therapist
was on his left
side, we can see
one line little bit
larger on the left
side on the
blackboard.
For the second session, we proceed exactly like
the first session for the beginning. The result is
similar than the first one (Illustration 3). After,
the speech thera-
pist introduce mu-
sic with Psy-
chophonie melody.
He was on the
right side of Inba.
We can observe on
the Illustration 4 that Inba draws some strong
lines on the right side. This exercise can be a
symbolization of relationships/communication,
so we can suppose that Inba feels a strong link
with oth-
ers when
music is
played as a
support of
relation/
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18
Satya Special School
Taping Technique:
Taping technique is a
new method applied by
the Department of Phys-
iotherapy of Satya to
help activate weaker
muscles and relax tight
muscles for children
with a wide range of musculoskeletal or neuro-
logical conditions. The tape used is a specialized
tape designed with
an elastic component
and it has the unique
ability to promote
tissue healing and
function by reducing
pain and swelling.
Special Activities at Satya:
Kootanchoru:
A collective
cooking’ was
initiated by
Satya for CWS-
N’s. The Blue
Yonder – a
travel company propagating conscious tour-
ism joined hands with Satya Special School
in Pondicherry for training the children,
their mothers and staff at Satya Special
School on innovative, creative cooking so
that they can be self-reliant and earn income
by their own skill. This training has been
very useful for PWDs as they would cook
local cuisine for tourists. The objective is to
also sensitize tourists to the social issues or
social needs of the differently abled and to
promote a more inclusive Puducherry.
Training on computer and Non-computer ac-
tivity - AMBA
A six day camp
was conducted by
AMBA training
Centre, Banga-
lore, where stu-
dents of Satya
along with one
special educator
got trained on
non-computer and computer activities, such as
learning high quality and accurate back office
visual data entry for mainstream industries
like Telecommunication, Hospitality, Insurance
etc. 80 children were selected for the AMBA
training program.
In the non-computer training, students learned
identification of capital and small alphabets,
numbers from the newspaper, pack of cards,
magazines etc. Then the students are trained
to learn basic computer skills such as, switch-
ing on computers, identification of icons, creat-
ing new folders, work on Microsoft word , file
opening, file saving, using short cut keys etc.,
this training camp has also simultaneously de-
veloped their social skills, communication skills
and working skills and also built up their self-
confidence.
19
Satya Special School
Mapping- Training on Google My Maps for
Satya staffs:
A training on Importance of Mapping was con-
ducted by Mr. Mayuresh Ellappan, Social Work
Student, Pondicherry University. The objective
was to enable the community organizers and
field staff to plot their specific geographical
coverage, distribution of CWSNs in the speci-
fied area, facilities available etc. Mapping also
helps in planning transport services ensuring
routes of various vehicles do not overlap and
helps in ensuring cost effective services.
By mapping the exact distribution of children
based on their condition, it could help generate
data for possible qualitative & quantitative re-
search in various aspects such as concentra-
tion of specific disabilities in a certain area ,
health facilities in the area and the role in pre-
vention & identification of PWDs, Inclusive
communities and their outlook towards disabil-
ity etc. The advantage of mapping is that it
gives a visual representation of the beneficiary
locations and adjustment services.
Adventures beyond Barriers :
Along with therapies and special activities
Satya focuses on gathering experiences from various
experts of the world by conducting Inspiring talks.
On 2th January, 2016 Mr. Divyanshu Ganatra, a Visu-
ally impaired Entrepreneur, Psychologist and Travel-
er shared his life experiences and about his NGO
Adventures beyond Barriers. Being India’s first
visually impaired solo pilot, it was the ability to
think beyond barriers that made him an achiever
and a true source of inspiration to both able bodied
and disabled people. His organization involves peo-
ple from all walks of life and abilities to participate
in adventurous activities and encourages them to
look beyond their disabilities and limitations.
The purpose of organizing such meeting was
to let the World at large especially the service
providing NGOs, Corporates, educational institutions
know that the disabled persons/people too can per-
form activities or compete with other citizens and
make contributions as equal to others in this world,
provided they are given an equal platform rather
than just giving them the menial jobs that make
them sitting ideal in a place. The audience from
different field like NGOs staff, representatives, and
Professors from Pondicherry University, graduate
students from Universityof IOWA , Parents of disa-
bled children and their siblings heard his inspiring
journey of achieving in spite of obstacles.
20
Satya Special School
Highl ights New Facilities: It is our constant endeavor to improve and provide state of the art facilities
for special children at different locations. This year we added a few newer facilities in order widen
both the services and ensure that our services reach the unreached. They are:
Satya Village Rehabilitation Centre, Muthurampattu
was set up with a mission to provide state of the art rehabilitation
facility to rural CWSNs. This center has the best of equipment,
disabled friendly barrier free environment and could accommo-
date 75-100 children from the age of 3 month to 18 years. The cen-
ter provides physiotherapy, solar powered hydrotherapy, speech
therapy, activities for daily living, a disabled friendly outdoor play
equipment and a kitchen with dining hall to serve nutritious food
for children. The center will be a model that could change the lives
of many rural deprived children
Satya centre for Autism, was started in April 2016. The
centre was envisioned to provide a safe space for all partici-
pants and stakeholders (children with autism, caretakers,
facilitators and community members) to explore and ex-
press themselves through a dynamic process of learning.
The aim of the project has been to help individuals with au-
tism realize their full potential and develop the abilities to
integrate themselves into society.
The centre, can hold up to 50 children along with
staff and support staff. The space has been created to provide a home like atmosphere. This is to en-
courage the children and community to feel a sense of ownership. By co creating a space with the
children, we will be able to understand the needs of the children better and support them as they
grow with us. The curriculum for the programme will have three major components, such as: Func-
tional academic curriculum, Life skills and Complementary therapies .
Satya Vocational Training Centre (VTC) inaugurat-
ed on 8th June 2016 will fulfill a long felt need of having an
independent facility for adult empowerment & skill training.
The new facility provides the necessary infrastructure for
both skill training and entrepreneurial initiatives such as
paper cup making, mat weaving, paper quilling, Satya bakery
just to name a few. The main objective is to ensure financial
independence for PWDs there by increasing their self esteem
and making them confident adults capable to facing the
world.
21
Satya Special School
Step toward Inclusion
NIOS STUDENT 1st Batch From SATYA SPECIAL SCHOOL:
National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) provides the flexibility
for the children to write examinations based on their capability. It
also provides number of vocational and community oriented cours-
es which are easier for the children to grasp. The children are given
option to choose their subject of interest and study.
Satya Special School initiated NIOS at Rainbow Nagar, Puducherry
and the first batch of class of 11 special children had cleared all the
three subjects in the SSLC examination with flying colours. Parents
of all the 11 children were taken by surprise when the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) re-
sults were announced. At least five children have scored more than 75 per cent. Out of the 11 students,
nine have scored more than 60 per cent.
“My child was in a private school till VIII standard. She had to face a
lot of difficulties and humiliation. Hence, we decided to enrol her in
the Satya Special School. They do not compete with other children
here. Instead, help each other in their studies,” said Parameswari.S,
Parent.
Considered misfit in the mainstream schools, these children were iso-
lated and jeered at for being slow. They were asked to leave the school
as they were unable to cope with the exam-oriented school education.
All the 11 children pursued subjects such as painting, data entry, home
science, business studies and English. “We want to continue our educa-
tion and enter college someday,” says
15-year old Ajay.
Ensconced in their classroom, where is a thermocol plate clock and
charts made by the special children hung on the walls, the children
are now learning Business Studies and English. “They will give their
exams for these two subjects in October 2016. We combine visual
learning with traditional classroom teaching, this helps them under-
stand and remember,” says Kamalakannan, their teacher.
22
Satya Special School
Anil– Satya’s Pride
Anil’s journey with Satya began almost 11
years ago. His story is that of deep struggle that
only made him stronger and a life of isolation to
now a life of inclusion. Born with Cerebral Palsy
and Learning Disabilities, Anil was rejected by
his grandparents and father for a long time.
When he was just a year old, due to his inability
to use his legs properly, he was often left in a
corner with his legs tied up. Unable to bear this
kind of treatment towards her child, his mother
Ramsita was absolutely determined to find a
way out of this dreary situation. Her husband
found a job in Pondicherry and despite his un-
willingness to have his family move in with him,
Ramsita shifted Anil and his twin brother Akhil
to live with her husband. While both the broth-
ers were placed in a mainstream school, Anil
struggled to cope as the school couldn’t cater to
his special needs. As a result the school suggest-
ed that he be placed in a special school. Thus,
began his journey with Satya in 2005.
With the various therapies and special education services that were provided along with the
individual attention that was given to Anil, he began to show immense improvement in no time. His
mother was so touched by the change in Anil that she soon became a teacher at Satya. Over the years,
Anil was able to talk, walk, communicate with confidence and make friends. He participated in nu-
merous events such as Special Olympics running 50 metres and winning a gold medal. He has a yel-
low belt in karate and has won a few medals along the way. His mother hoped that Anil would be able
to study a little bit of academics as well. He proved that he could when he sat for the NIOS exam and
passed. Currently pursuing his 12th grade, his mother is confident that Anil can do whatever he wants
if he works hard enough to achieve it.
Anil Mother says “We suffered a lot. But God changes everything. I never thought my son will
walk and speak. But now everything is possible, because of Satya Special School. When my son was in
10th std., it made me to complete my 10th class and recently I also completed my 12th class. I feel proud
that my motivation is my son. Now Anil father is also more supportive and helpful. I thank all the staff
for the efforts to help Anil achieve his dreams. I am sure he will be a college graduate soon”.
23
Satya Special School
Satya’s Microcredit Programme- Dream to Reality
In the initial years, Sakthivel and Lakshmi parents of Satish, a child
with severe cerebral palsy were working as daily wage workers
with a canteen contractor. It was a 12 hour job and very laborious.
Given Satish’s physical condition he needed constant medical atten-
tion and the parents were unable to make ends meet. They would
borrow money from their employer due to which they were made to
work for long hours without proper wage compensation (over
time). Though admitting Satish into Satya meant regular therapeu-
tic and educational intervention the parents still struggled to
achieve basic standard of living. They were quite keen on starting their own business venture and
even explored soliciting support of various financial institution and bank. Unfortunately, since they
did not either have a guarantee or any physical assets most banks rejected their application.
When Satya started the microcredit program they were one of the first beneficiaries to avail the assis-
tance. The Mother, Lakshmi borrowed a loan of about Rs. 10, 000 to start a Mobile Ironing unit.
While she was able to repay her loan, she still could not make profit
as the price of coal was increasing. She then converted a small por-
tion of her house into a laundry unit and even managed to get regu-
lar washing and ironing jobs from a resort/hotel. Delayed payment
from the resort left a huge strain on her and she incurred debts like
before. In the meantime her husband also suffered burn injuries at
work and was out of work for a few months. The mother had to
work over time in a sweet shop to compensate for the dad’s absence.
She took this opportunity to learn, preparation of large quantities of
Indian sweets and savouries, pricing, packaging skills, etc... She could understand that the profit mar-
gins were good especially if they could exploit festival seasons. Just before Pongal in January 2015,
they took a loan of Rs.30, 000 to start a sweet and savoury unit. They tied up with local sweet shops
and took orders. They made good profits and were able to repay all their old debts .They also had
some money left. Initially they wanted to repay the loan taken
from Satya but on discussion and as advised by the Microcredit
officer, they went to the local co-operative bank. With a small con-
tribution of Rs 25,000 as the beneficiary contribution they took a
loan of Rs. 50,000 to buy a mobile cart and they started a
panipuri/snacks cart. Though they work long hours, they are able
to make about 500-750 Rs. sales every day with a profit of 300-
350 Rs. Lakshmi and Sakthivel feel that they could also diversify
into making chips and Indian snacks. Satya is discussing with
NABARD to train some of the microcredit beneficiaries to make
Millet based snacks which is both healthy and high profit.
Lakshmi is keen on expanding her enterprise and providing employment to at least 3 PWDS in the
Sakthivel with his mobile food
24
Satya Special School
Sports
Athletic Sports meet was held in YMCA Col-
lege, Chennai, jointly organized by Kreeda Sports
meet for person with multiple disability and Inner Wheel
Club of Madras Fort on 8th January 2016.
13 Special schools participated
of which Satya Special School
represented Pondicherry. The
sport meet included games such as 50 meters, Standing Jump, Bocce.
Seven special athletes from Satya Special School participated in the
track & field events and Four of them participated in Bocce. The
medals won and other details are given in the table below:
Winners in 50 mtrs.
Name Prize
Vimal Raj 1
Tamil Maran 1
Preethi 1
Visalatchi 1
Arun Kumar 2
Kamlesh 3
Vijayalalaitha 3
Winners in Standing Jump
Name Prize
Visalatchi 1
Kamlesh 2
Arun Kumar 2
Preethi 2
Tamilmaran 2
Vijayalalitha 2
Vimal Raj 2
Winners in Bocce
Name Prize
Kamlesh 2
Vimal Raj 2
Vijayalaltha 2
Preethi 2
Inclusive Cricket Match was held at Palmyra cricket
ground at Auroville, Pondicherry on 31st January 2016. The 54
over match was between 4 teams. Each team had 6 academic
students and 4 Special students from Satya Special School and
Baby Sara Special School. The main aim of the Inclusive cricket
match is to use sports as a medium to help children interact with
CWSNs and also understand the difficulties faced by them. This
helps build a bridge between the children and paves the way for
an inclusive society.
West and South Regional 5 A side Foot Ball Championships.
Special Olympic Bharat Tamil Nadu conducted this Championship
in Salem. Five teams participated from Pondicherry, Kerala,
Trichy, Chennai and Maharashtra. From Satya Special School
eight students were participated. There was intense competition
amongst the teams and Satya special school won third price in
this football championship.
25
Satya Special School
Flood Relief, Rehabilitation & Reconstruction
The floods that hit costal
areas of Chennai,
Puducherry & Cuddalore
had devastating impact on
lives of many. CWSNs
along with their family
members also faced hard-
ships and suffered huge
loss to personal belongings
& property. In addition to
providing immediate re-
lief including food, cloth-
ing and shelter, Satya
with the support of its do-
nors and well-wishers also
undertook reconstruction
of damaged huts and in
most cases rebuilt them
into permanent concrete
houses so that they are
safe and capable of facing
any natural calamity in
the future.
26
Satya Special School
Volunteer Contribution
Every year, group of French Volunteers
Visits Satya in July. Through their paint-
ing and colours they bring life to Satya’s
walls & make our infrastructure more
child friendly.
Rishi and Nandini, student volunteers of Life-
lines International fund UK spent 2 weeks with
the NIOS secondary level students teaching
them English grammar & communication skills.
The children not only enjoyed the sessions but
also developed a lot of confidence in speaking
the English language.
Apart from visiting and observing Satya’s
work, 8 French Osteopaths shared inputs
on the growing field of Osteopathy and
its benefits. It also gave an opportunity for
sharing of experiences and learning be-
tween our physiotherapists and the visi-
Representatives from Santander's & The
Body Shop Foundation through Charity
Challenge UK volunteered to build Satya
Village Rehabilitation Center. Around 50
volunteers help construct a state of the
art rural rehabilitation center at
kodathur.
Urban playground from the UK is a highly
experienced Parkour and Performing arts
company that has worked with children
and adults of all abilities. They made their
first visit to India and was collaborating
with Chennai Parkour taking Parkour to
different organizations in Tamil Nadu and
Puducherry. On 12th January ar Sharanam
Community Centre, Poothurai village, ur-
ban and rural students of Satya above 12
years participated in the workshop. They
learnt to coordinate their movements and
steps and work in small groups. The group
planned to visit Satya and work together
in future.
27
Satya Special School
A step forward: Future Endeavours of Satya .
Centre for Autism will
focus on working with children
with autism in a holistic manner,
integrating various traditional
and alternative approaches that
will cater to the specific needs of
each child. The aim is to tap into
the inner world of the child and
have a space for it to be ex-
pressed. We are also working to-
wards creating an active and
strong parent support group.
Accessibility:
The aim is to make Satya and the
city of Pondicherry completely
disabled friendly and accessible.
We are working on a Red Ramp
Project that will aim at making
the beach wheelchair friendly. In
addition to tourist places being
accessible, the aim is to get ac-
cessible transport facility in
Puducherry there by helping so-
cial inclusion of CWSNs.
Inclusive Education:
We are working with govern-
ment in setting up inclusive
classrooms in both rural and
urban primary schools.
Jobs for Youth:
We will empower young
adults with special needs by
identifying jobs in industrial
establishments, corporates
and ensuring financial inde-
pendence for PWDs. We will
aim at setting up small scale
enterprises run and managed
by PWDs such as the Satya
Bakery, Paper Cup making
Unit etc. just to name a few.
Therapeutic garden-
ing activity not be just for
CWSNs but also for persons
suffering from long term ill-
nesses like cancer and stroke
patients.
Capacity Building:
Regular upgradation of skills
of the staff, parents & aware-
ness generation for various
stake holders will continue.
The focus would be on shar-
ing experiences and learning
best practices from like mind-
ed organisations.
Adult Independent Liv-
ing Program - an initiative
to build independence among
young PWDs. We have already
commenced this process with ses-
sions that would help improve
communication skills of PWDs .
Research:
We intend to carry out qualita-
tive and quantitative research
in areas connected to
disabilities by tying up with
various universities and
institutions.
Geospatial Infrastruc-
ture(GIS):
Satya has planed to initiate GIS
so that this would support to
collect, store and archive loca-
tional or geo-referenced data,
develop software and hardware
systems to analyze and visual-
ize such data, and train people
and develop institutions to uti-
lize such evidence-based out-
comes in decision-making, re-
search and the policy process
for special needs.
28
Satya Special School
Thank You for the support
The Grace & Gratitude Trust
OUR PROGRAMME PARTNERS
SRI AUROBINDO SOCIETY, PONDICHERRY
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON,USA
INDIA WINTERIM— UNIVERSITY OF IOWA, USA
DEPT. OF SOCIAL WORK, PONDICHERRY UNIVERSITY
DEPT. OF PYSCHOLOGY, PONDICHERRY UNIVERSITY
HOLY CROSS SOCIETY, TRICHY
PIMS, PONDICHERRY
ARUPADAIVEDU MEDICAL COLLEGE AND HOSPITAL, PONDICHERRY
AFID, UK
MOBILITY INDIA, BANGALORE
INDIRA GANDHI INSTITUTE OF DENTAL SCIENCES, PONDICHERRY
MAHATMA GANDHI MEDICAL COLLEGE AND RESEARCH INSTITUTE , PONDICHERRY
Satya Special School
Visitors – Views on Satya I am very impressed
by your facilities and
the individual atten-
tion offered to the
kids. Brilliant to have
the mothers and sib-
lings involved and
hope to see more fa-
thers in the future.
Really glad I made
time to visit and will
be glad to do so again.
Kalki. K
Film Actor
It is a very beautiful
school and I am
amazed to see how
much love and
effort all the teach-
ers put in to sup-
porting the chil-
dren. I wish all
teachers and chil-
dren all the very
best for the future.
Agnetha Henne,
London
The place and the
project are very in-
teresting. We see and
feel that children are
happy because of a
very dedicated and
professional team.
We hope the best for
the continuation of
this beautiful project.
student’s group
from France
A true inspiration
to ‘MANKIND’
who have not been
at all kind. Thank
goodness for you!!
Keep going…
Melodie Pope,
UK
Totally blown
away by you all,
truly inspirational.
The difference you
are making is tru-
ly amazing, lots of
love.
Stephanie
Gordner,
UK
Fantastic facility
and really put into
perspective what
we are working for
the hard work and
heat well worth it.
Inspirational!!
Jo Strong,
UK
To see the love,
care and patience
shown by the staff
and the spark in
the eyes of the chil-
dren was inspira-
tional. What a fan-
tastic organization!
Simon Allchin,
Charity Alliance,
UK
Amazing !!!! you
have created an
absolute safe heav-
en. A fantastic
experience.
Colette Freek,
UK
Very much impres-
sive this institution
is doing wonderful
work.
Dr.Kalimuthu,
MD, NRHM
Was completely
floored. It was a
pleasure talking to
the parents who
were eager to do
some livelihood ac-
tivity. Hats of Satya!
Uma Gurmurthy,
NABARD
A heart warming
experience with the
committed teach-
ers, and supportive
mothers. Satya
special school fol-
lows the footsteps
of Mother Teresa
Dr K.R.Sethuraman,
MD, Dean, SBV
I am so inspired
from this beautiful
school. I hope to
come here again
with my friends
and spend more
time with Beauti-
ful kids
.
Juhee Shin,
South Korea
I was delighted to
see the human
service being ren-
dered to the most
disadvantaged
group children by
the Satya Found-
ers. “Hats off to
them”
Vallavan. E
Labour
Commissioner
It is an amazing
place. What you are
doing is indeed god’s
work. I am deeply
touched by your
passion and dedica-
tion. We would like
to be of support and
work with you in all
possible way.
Subramanian. G.V,
Swami Vivekananda
Rural Community
College
I am really im-
pressed and
touched by the
efforts of Satya
school in impart-
ing skill training
to special children.
I complement Mrs.
Chitra Shah and
her team for out-
standing efforts
for their passion.
A.k. Gawar, IPS,
SSP (C&I)
Puducherry