NSF  is committed to creating awareness and treatment of various mental and physical disabilities through education, training and advocacy especially to benefit children marginalised by society and often their own parents. We are partnering with different organisations working in this field towards sensitizing society through awareness drives and counseling families of special need people, so that more people volunteer and  extend themselves to this cause. NSF has dedicated itself to the task of aiding people with special needs especially those who have been marginalized by societies and families alike. To  fulfill  this commitment NSF  has taken under its employment Special Educator Consultants(Sp Eds). Their work involves  providing physio-therapy, health training and instructional programs to the persons with special abilities residing in the remote villages of Uttarakhand, where even basic health care amenities and infrastructure  are  nonexistent. Beginning April  2016,  the Sp Eds. have been  reporting programmatically to the CHGN-UKC  partner learning centes where they formulate methodology and processes to train the specially abled.

We believe, it is critical for parents and families to understand the specific needs of differently abled children/adults  and to continually challenge them to improve, given their condition. Therefore, the Sp. Eds. assess and create Individual Learning Plans(ILPs) and targets for the specially abled while simultaneously, training family members and volunteers to conduct the program in their absence.

PARTNERS/ORGANISATIONS

ACTION FOR AUTISM
Action For Autism  (AFA) founded in 1991 is the pioneering, national and non-profit organisation which provides support and services to persons with autism in South Asia.

NSF is funding the Action For Autism,  Parent Counseling Programs and Train the Trainer  Programme conducted at their center, in order  to  guide and counsel parents and families of persons with Autism as well as produce efficient and skilled trainers to bridge the vast gap between supply  and demand.

ASHISH CENTER
NSF is sponsoring AFDA, Ashish Foundation For Differently Abled a non-profit organisation established in 2007, for creating awareness of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Nora Solomon Foundation is funding AFDA for conducting Parent Awareness Programs , Panel  Parental Group Counseling sessions and a training program for producing “Master Trainers”, who will be qualified to train volunteers and Special Educators .

SAMVEDNA – CHGN-UKC WCD 2015
NSF is collaborating with Samvedna, an organisation based in Uttarakhand to exponentially address the needs of the differently-abled community through  early detection, intervention, care, capacity building, federation, advocacy, training, employment in the Garhwal region of  Uttarakhand. NSF was one of the chief sponsor of Samvedna, Community Health Global Network-Uttarakhand Cluster(CHGN-UK) of the Engage Disability Uttarakhand Chapter / WCD-2015, a wheel chair drive and mobility aids distribution  event, at Dehradun. Through this drive NSF distributed 193 wheelchairs along with walkers, crutches, canes and hand cripper, benefitting some 288 persons , amongst whom 97 were children.

PORDAC
NSF has  committed the use of its  space in Vasant Kunj without levying  rent or license fee to the  PROTECTION OF THE RIGHTS OF DIFFERENTLY ABLED CHILDREN (PORDAC), a Charitable  society registered under the Societies Registration Act for running a School for Autistic Children.

Also, true  to its  philanthropic commitment, NSF at its own behest, renovated and designed the school to render it suitable to the needs of  the special students.

NSF is helping parents of specially abled children address and conquer denial and depression associated with families of special children. Counseling  is one of the best methods for tackling depression which  leaves a caregiver exhausted, hopeless and vulnerable to negative thought processes, which further lead to disillusionment and apathy. Thus, NSF is funding the salary of counselors at PORDAC  for parents and other family members to provide them the necessary counseling  and support.

Since one of the main concerns of care givers is the security and future of such  children, who in all likelihood, will be left defenseless and unprotected after the death of their care givers, NSF in collaboration with PORDAC has initiated a vocational training program in order to impart different skills to their children that shall enable and prepare them for a vocation.

SAMADHAN
NSF has over the last decade consistently partnered with SAMADHAN an NGO that is continuously working at raising awareness on intellectual disability, advocacy in local mainstream schools, therapy, special education and early intervention. We continue to make financial contributions to their various initiatives.

NSF  also sponsors events that are organized for the benefit of the underprivileged in the field of education such as, “Trading teachers” a programme initiated in conjunction with Azim Premji Foundation where new methods of teaching were introduced to the Teachers at the Hill schools of Uttarakhand. These sessions were well attended and well appreciated by all.