Work with the handicapped involves the following areas : Teaching, therapy (speech, physiotherapy, occupational therapy), rehabilitation, social work and medical aid.
This article deals with the training of teachers. Read the articles on Social work, Physiotherapy for more aspects on rehabilitation.
Teaching children with different handicaps needs special training. Most courses are of one year duration for teachers. There are 3 year graduate courses after +2 for training teachers for mentally handicapped children.
Courses/Institutions
Mental Handicap
Premier Institutions
National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped, Manovikas Nagar, Secunderabad 500009
The National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped (NIMH) established in 1984 as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Welfare, Government of India, is engaged in promoting human resource to work with mentally handicapped persons in the country. NIMH has its headquarters at Secunderabad (AP) and 3 regional training centers at New Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai. It has many centers where 1 year Diploma courses are also conducted.
Courses –
-- Junior Research Fellowship (research in areas related to Mental Retardation)
Conducted for three years at NIMH, Secunderabad and its Regional centres located at New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.
Eligibility - (i) PG in Social Sciences, Education, Medicine, Rehabilitation Sciences with at least 55% marks (ii) Must have cleared NET for JRF or lectureship conducted by CSIR/UGC (iii) Must be registered or expected to register with any Indian University for Ph. D. degree.
-- Diploma in Vocational Rehabilitation(Mental Retardation) Recognised by Rehabilitation Council of India
Duration - 1 year.
Eligibility - 10+2
Selection- Interview and merit.
Offered - at 2 centres - NIMH (HQ), Secunderabad - Navajyothi Trust Instt. of Mental Retardation, 1405, Golden Colony, Mugapair, Chennai - 600 050
-- Diploma in Early Childhood Special Education
-- BEd Special Education (in affiliation with Osmania University)
Duration - 1 year
Eligibility - BA/B Com/BSc/BMR/BRS with 50% English/Language at graduation compulsory
Selection - Entrance Test
--M.Ed Special Education(course affiliated to Osmania Univ., Hyderabad)
Duration-1 year
Eligibility-B.Ed with 50%
--Post graduate diploma in Early Intervention
Eligibility-MBBS, BMR/BRS(MR)/B.Ed in Spl Education/ Masters in Child Development/ Bachelors in Physiotherapy/ Bachelor in Speech therapy/ Masters in Child Psychology.
-- Bachelor’s Degree in Mental Retardation -
This course conducted in affiliation with the Osmania University, Hyderabad is intended to train candidates to provide comprehensive services to the persons with mental retardation . The course has contents from neurobiology, psychology, special education, speech pathology and audiology, physiotherapy and occupational therapy.
Eligibility - 10+2 (XII Class) Securing minimum of 50% aggregate marks (40% in case of SC/ST candidates) are eligible for admission. Candidates must have attained the age of 17 years as on 1st October of the year of admission. Applicants should have passed in English in qualifying examination to be eligible for consideration for admission.
Duration - 3 years
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Examination Centres - Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Mumbai, Calcutta, Dehradun, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Madras, Mysore, Ranchi and Tiruvanthapuram.
Selection - Candidates are selected on merit basis in each of the four zones in the country on aggregate marks secured in the qualifying examination and in the joint entrance examination conducted by the Rehabilitation Council of India.
-- Diploma in Special Education (Mental Retardation) (DSEMR) - One year teacher’s training course leading to Diploma in Mental Retardation is conducted at 32 centres in the country. Inputs given during the course include coverage of wide range of topics from the disciplines of
(a) Medical and paramedical,
(b) Special education,
(c) Psychology, and
(d) Social work.
The practical training includes individualised programme planning, group teaching, use of teaching aids, art craft, music, yoga, behaviour modification, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy.
The main aim of the training course is to enable the teacher to conduct comprehensive assessment, plan suitable programmes and systematically train the mentally handicapped children.
Duration - One academic year
Hearing handicap
A child fails to acquire language skills because of hearing disability. If hearing impairment is by birth and very severe a child may require intensive training. This training is imparted by trained teachers. It is a challenging job to speech train the deaf for living in the main-stream of society. There are almost 3 million persons who are hearing impaired.
Premier Institute
Ali Yavar Jung Institute is a National Institute for the Hearing Handicapped (AYJNIHH). This Institute has been functioning since 1983 and is the apex body in the field of education, training rehabilitation and research for the hearing handicapped. The AYJNIHH,Mumbai has three regional centers at Kolkota, Delhi and Hyderabad. Orissa State in collaboration with AYJNIHH runs a centre at Bhubaneshwar.
The Institute has affiliation from the University of Mumbai for the main branch and from Calcutta and Osmania Universities for its regional branches
- AYJNIHH, K C Marg, Bandra Reclamation (West) Mumbai 400 050
- AYJNIHH Northern Regional Centre Kasturba Niketan, Lajpat Nagar-II, New Delhi - 110024
Duration - 1 year
Eligibility - 10+2 with 50%
Selection- Interview based on merit.
