Muskan Foundation For People With Multiple Disabilities

Special Education: Each child with multiple disabilities is unique. He/she has his/her own set of experiences, medical condition, style of learning, likes and dislikes. Each child has a different learning need. Hence, we create an Individual Education Program (IEP) for every child, wherein we create parameters for the child on the basis of which we determine the progress the child has made during the past year. All our special educators are RCI (Rehabilitation Council of India) certified and are specialized to teach children with multiple disabilities. They are also provided ongoing training in different areas of disabilities.
Some of the highlights of our Special Education Program includes:
● IEP are devised keeping in mind the special needs of the child.
● Training the child in cognitive, social and motor skills through activities like puzzles, games, sorting activity, coloring pictures, storytelling, etc.
● Use of appropriate teaching aids and equipment, as per the requirement of the child (taking into consideration the visual field, visual acuity, hearing loss, motor) including enlarging devices and Braille.
● Developing effective programs and teaching strategies specifically for children with MDVI.
● Providing a suitable and barrier free environment, along with fulfilling the recreational needs of the child.
● Regular feedback reports to track the progress of the child to parents.
● Continuously revised education plans & teaching strategies depending on the progress of the child.

This is still done the traditional way. IEPs are created with the help of professional mentors by sharing the requisite details of the child.

Children are referred to Muskan Foundation for various therapies based on their needs, following an initial assessment and intake by the therapist. Parents are informed about the child’s condition, therapy plan, number of sessions, and fees. If needed, referrals are made for additional therapies. The center offers a range of therapies essential for the child’s overall development and to address physical, sensory, and emotional challenges. These include:

Vision Rehabilitation Therapy – Enhances functional vision through stimulation, efficiency, and utilization techniques.

Physiotherapy – Supports motor skill development in children with delays or conditions like Cerebral Palsy and Autism.

Occupational Therapy – Helps children with neurological issues develop daily living and hand-use skills.

Speech & Language Pathology – Develops communication skills and includes oro-motor exercises.

Behavior Therapy – Addresses socially inappropriate behaviors using cognitive and conditioning approaches, involving parents and teachers for effective outcomes.

Therapies are vital for children with special needs, and any disruption can lead to immediate regression in progress.

MAPP is an initiative set up by Muskan Foundation, to conduct training & workshops to empower parents with confidence and skills on how they can bring out the best in their child. Professionals from different fields educate parents on a variety of topics and skills. This ensures that the parents are better equipped to deal with the issues they face at home with their children.

Trainings are conducted in-house by experts from the field like Life Coaches, Special Educators, Doctorates, etc. to keep abreast with the recent technology and strategies related to the field of disability. This helps the Special Educators to continuously develop skills, strategies and techniques that help in the rehabilitation process.
We also encourage our staff to attend seminars, workshops and conferences related to the field of disability. These Capacity Building training sessions expose our staff to the rich treasure of knowledge which brings a change in the outlook of looking at children with disabilities. It also helps them to network with various organizations to exchange ideas. These training sessions help them to create new strategies and techniques which can be incorporated in the rehabilitation process. Our teachers attended a number of online training and workshops related to the disability field to enhance their knowledge.

MDVI Children have to live in society and interact with their communities. Thus, inclusion is necessary for these children to achieve their full potential. As a first step towards inclusion, general society needs to be made aware of MDVI as a type of disability and sensitized to the needs of people with MDVI. We, under our Advocacy and networking program, conduct awareness and sensitization programs for schools, colleges, local communities, and corporations. Our Social workers also network with nearby hospitals and doctors to sensitize them. They also create opportunities for parents to get all government benefits and connect them with schemes and policies such as UDID, Niramaya policy, Aadhar, etc.