Action for Ability Development and Inclusion

Started in 1978, as a small center for special education for children with Cerebral Palsy, AADI is an established national level organization working Read morefor the rights of people with disability, with a focus on working at the grassroots to policy level ensuring that each influences the other in the creation of an Inclusive Society. Today, AADI pursues the Vision of an enabling world in which people with disability are acknowledged as a form of human diversity and are able to live with dignity, make all decisions about life; pursue equal opportunities; belong and contribute to families and communities. AADI’s dynamism in responding to changing knowledge has resulted in the development of an organization that is reflective, proactive and capable of delivering quality services. AADI works with people with Physical, Intellectual, Cognitive, Sensory and Multiple impairments. The multidisciplinary team of educators, therapists, social workers along with the support of community workers and care giving staff work with people of different age groups, from infants and school age children to youth and older people with disabilities. Adopting a collaborative approach with people with disabilities and their families the team focuses on the specific needs in the areas of health including mental health, education, livelihoods, shelter, leisure, citizenship, etc. through individual and group sessions with appropriate technological and human support where required. As a leader in the Disability sector, AADI has been part of many National level committees on Law and Policy. It developed background research and draft papers for XI and XII Plans; made significant contributions to the Draft Bill on Rights of Persons with Disabilities; played a key role in developing identification tools for Census 2011 and implementation of training for census 2011 and advocated on the issues of Inclusion in education, Civil Aviation, Accessibility, legal Capacity, Human Resource Development. AADI’s annual expenditure is around Rs. 4 Crores. About 50% of the expenditure is self-financed through income from rentals and interest from investments. The balance is raised through a variety of sources – specific grants from Government and other organizations, fund raising events, corporate and individual donations. The team at AADI is backed by a very able Governing Board with Dr. Mathew Verghese as the Chair who is supported by a 12-member team with expertise in Medicine, Public relations and Communication, Finance and Accounts, Administration, Community Development, Resource Mobilization, Education, Disability and Development. In addition to a professional qualification some members contribute through their personal learnings/experiences as parents/family members, people with disability or in their capacity as activists upholding the rights of people who are marginalized. The sustainability and growth of AADI since its inception in 1978 has been through focused management of human, financial and material resources. A democratic approach in governance, transparency of operations and accounts, compliance to statutory requirements, diverse and contemporary systems of reporting satisfying the requirements of domestic and international agencies have contributed to AADI being a respected, reliable and credible organization