Publication > Newsletter > 6th Newsletter > APCD Missions

Mission to India

19-28 November 2003

The Asia-Pacific Development Center on Disability (APCD) undertook a mission to India from 19 to 28 November 2003 and identified the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment as the Government's focal point. The APCD mission had two teams: One team visited the State of Andhra Pradesh to conduct research and gather information about self-help organizations and the other team conducted data base research at the 6th International Abilympics India in New Delhi.

APCD Mission Visitation to the community in the state of Andra Pradesh

The Government of Andhra Pradesh had set up an Independent Department for Disabled Welfare in 1983 and developed a State Action Plan on Disability from 1998-2012, affirming the action of campaigning for the rights of PWD and to incorporate the Persons with Disabilities Act with the State Government in 1995.

The Government of Andhra Pradesh set up an autonomous public agency VELUGU, which is the Andhra Pradesh Rural Poverty Reduction Project funded by the World Bank with 8-10% of the total budget to be used for poverty alleviation for PWDs. Mr. B.N. Yugandhar, an APCD resource person, was the first Chairperson of the VELUGU Group and is now the Managing Trustee of COMMITMENTS which is promoting poverty alleviation by organizing self-help groups.

Visitation to a Vocational Rehabilitation Center for Handicapped

COMMITMENTS organized 103 self-help groups of PWDs, and will be reaching out to 1,653 PWDs by the end of 2003,covering 94 villages of the 5 mandals. Twenty-six self-help group training programs were conducted for 65 Sangams, with an average of 40-45 trained at one time. About 1,000-1,100 PWDs benefited from this training. Sixty-six community awareness programs were held in 60 villages of the 4 mandals and approximately 33,080 people were informed about disability issues. Five to twenty members of each self-help organization meet regularly every week, sharing their life experiences and supporting each other. Each member countributes about 5 rupees per week, which becomes a micro-finance program.

APCD Information Gathering at the 6th Internatinal Abilympics, New Delhi, India

COMMITMENTS' appproach to organizing self-help groups of PWD is rather unique. Firstly, they organize self-help groups of village women, who are traditionally in charge of households, community activities and the raising of their children. COMMITMENTS then organizes self-help groups of PWD simultaneously as self-help groups of women to support each other. Their approach is to empower women with disabilities first, and then the empowered women with disabilities are to train, and educate the community as well as conduct information gathering and dissemination at the grass-roots level.

The APCD mission met with Mr. Javed Abidi, Executive Director, National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People. This organization has the Disability Network Information Service covering all the States of India and will collaborate with APCD's Information Service.

The mission also visited the Rehabilitation Institute for the Handicapped, the National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped and the Devnar Foundation for the Blind. The APCD mission team had a meeting with representatives from organizations of PWD in Andhra Pradesh which showed interest in becoming Associate Members of APCD.

The Second mission team interviewed 62 organizations from 10 countries at the Sixth International Abilympics in New Delhi.

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