Offerings
JPCC
Jeevan Prakash Child Centre is established in 1991 in collaboration with “Aktion Sonnenschein at Kinderzentrum” of Germany, this unique child centre has facilities to examine and identify developmental disorders. Those found with disorders are given Vojta Therapy, Montessori Therapy and also Orofacial Therapy. From 1991 to 2012, a total of 13,958 children were screened at Jeevan Prakash and associated centres for developmental delays, out of which 5643 children received various services like Vojta, Orofacial or Montessori Therapy from the Jeevan Prakash Child Centre.
AshaKendram
Ashakendram at Cochin was the first special school-cum-rehabilitation centre of CIMR started in Kerala. It was established in the year 1980. The institute is located at Cochin in a spacious campus with facilities for special education, vocational training and medical rehabilitation. A dedicated team of 18 staff members give love, affection and training to 65 children. Having trained over 400 children for over 34 years, Ashakendram is today considered as a model centre.
DCMR
Developmental Centre for the Mentally Retarded is the normalization model centre for (the) mentally challenged children and it was started in 1983 at Jagathy in Trivandrum, the capital city of Kerala. The Centre is located in a spacious building in a unique campus. It is fully equipped with classrooms, labs for practical’s, workshops, and outdoor facilities. Thus, it provides ample opportunity for the children to re-assimilate theory through practical experience. This model Centre today has over 175 mentally challenged children and 43 staff undergoing training in various aspects of rehabilitation, including special education using the “Three Cs” concept, mobility, vocational training, arts program, sports, music, drama, dance, drawing, painting, horseback training etc. Admission is granted irrespective of age, sex and functional levels after a thorough professional interaction with the children and their guardians.
Agriculture Centre
CIMR established an Agricultural-Horticultural farm at Kuttichal, 30 km away from the city of Thiruvananthapuram in June 1996 on a 10.8 acres plot which serves as the Vocational Training centre for the mentally challenged students of DCMR and Ashakendram. Activities in this farm are structured to develop employability skills to make them self- reliant through the total development. The selected group of students are taken to the farm every day for agricultural training. They are given opportunities to attend all farm operations, from sowing to harvesting and post-harvest technology too. The children spend their time in the farm in a very pleasant environment in addition to getting agricultural training.
Freedom Centre
CIMR’s National Centre of Performing Arts for and by the Mentally Challenged is located at Kovalam, Thiruvananthapuram. Freedom Centre is a symbol of National Integration for the integration of mentally challenged children and their families as well to the nation as a whole. The centre – open to children from all parts of the globe – offers long term training in various performing arts.
The Centre has a wide range of musical instruments, ample learning space, and a well-equipped auditorium. Professional music teachers put in their hearts and souls into developing hidden talents.
Batches of mentally challenged children and their mothers from each state of our country have the facility to spend a week in Freedom Centre for learning new ideas and exploring new possibilities in various forms of arts.
Teachers Training
To spread the opportunity of special education to a greater number of people, CIMR also runs teachers training courses. CIMR trains special teachers, who have competence and dedication. A two-year residential course leading to ‘Diploma in Special Education’ recognized by Rehabilitation Council of India, and short-term courses are also conducted. 42 batches have so far successfully trained 645 teachers. These teacher trainees have identified more than 30,000 mentally challenged children from across — states in India, who were not getting any service from any other organization. At present the 43rd and 44th batches are undergoing training. The enthusiasm with which trainees continue to apply for this program bears testimony to the genuine, professional-cum-humanitarian approach of CIMR.
National Centre
The centre has been functioning since 1999 as a coordinating centre for different programs for the mentally challenged children and their families. Union Ministry of Social justice and Empowerment decided to do a National project intending to identify and train the mentally challenged children across 23 states of India and CIMR was entrusted with the responsibility of implementing the project. Through this project CIMR could identify more than 40,000 families with special emphasis on the North Eastern area as well as Jammu and Kashmir. National Centre, Delhi was the coordinating centre for this program and project implementation.
