The All Kerala Association for the Mentally Retarded is a Voluntary Organization registered under the Travancore-Cochin Literary, Scientific and Charitable Societies Act, 1955, registration ER-411/1980 and it has been serving the cause of the mentally retarded, through various programs, promoting their normalization and rehabilitation. All these programs aim at the development and growth of the special people and is implemented by the Central Institute on Mental Retardation (C.I.M.R.) which is sponsored by the Parent-Association and serves as the latter’s executive establishment. CIMR is the executive wing of AKAMR. The aim of the association is to do all kinds of help for the mentally challenged children and benefit them in all possible ways.

CENTRAL INSTITUTE ON MENTAL RETARDATION (CIMR) is a voluntary, social service organisation, one of the large national level NGO in India working for the welfare and rehabilitation of mentally challenged persons. Rev. Fr. THOMAS FELIX CMI, a Catholic priest, who devoted his life for the cause of mentally disabled children in India, founded this organisation. The governing board members of this NGO are parents of mentally challenged and their friends and well-wishers. The aim of this organisation is to work for the total development of the mentally challenged persons in India by acquiring and disseminating information on methods of normalizing them; and to promote awareness of this problem among parents and public.

CIMR was founded in 1980 for education, training, development and rehabilitation of the mentally challenged. It works closely with the families of the mentally challenged, professionals working in this particular field and various governmental agencies. Through its dedicated and committed service for the ‘poorest of the poor’, it has earned itself an international reputation and is today a National Resource Centre. Drawing from its vast experience and research-oriented knowledge base, CIMR is an established organization par-excellence in the area of human development with special reference to the mentally challenged.

CIMR is an answer to the call of life – each and every human being by his or her very existence has a right to live. Unfortunately, the mentally challenged have been traditionally relegated towards the darker corners of the human mind and society. CIMR and its various activities have delivered many mentally challenged persons from the bonds of misery and darkness; and thrust them into the sunshine of the Almighty as well as normal human endeavours.