The Home-Base Program was started way back in 1999. From the constant contact and surveys in the community, it was discovered that children, who were profoundly disabled and from families with a weak economic background are deprived of any kind of intervention for the child, as he is unable to reach school. It was thus decided to step in through early intervention with the main objective of providing therapy and special education to these children at their door-step and try to increase their mobility. Counselling of parents and their capacity building was a simultaneous exercise to support this initiative. Prayas Psychologists, Special educators and Physiotherapists provide services to the children and their families to bring about awareness on disabilities, care-taking and legal documentation.
Some children who started off in this programme are today attending one of the schools of Prayas or have been enrolled for mainstream schooling.
Since most of the children are of profound category, it takes years of painstaking therapy to bring about a small change. We do not give up hope and we do have some children who have made some progress, through therapy, and in basic concepts, identifying family members and partial independence in activities of daily living), but not sufficient enough to be integrated into school.
20 children have been successfully integrated into schools. 32 children continue to receive services and as we continually identify more children under this program.
