Vocational Education
Attention has to be paid towards training the persons with disabilities in some specific kind of skill. Such a training can tap their hidden talents and bring them to the surface level. There is a need of implementation of vocational training programmes for them. Such programmes have to be properly executed rather than just “scratching the surface”.
Vocational education proves beneficial for mentally handicapped learners, learners with emotional problems, visually impaired, hearing-impaired learners, people with learning disability, speech-impaired learners, physically handicapped learners and multi-handicapped learners. It can become a good alternative for the people who have moderate to severe disabilities. Such programmes can teach them to live independently and can help them to earn their livelihood.
Vocational education and training is imparted in Vocational Rehabilitation Centres (VRC) especially set up for these people. A VRC is an informal institution which helps in assessing the abilities of persons with disabilities and trains such persons in vocational areas according to their physical conditions. Here various methodologies are used to determine physical capacities, vocational interests, work habits and many other characteristics including job endurance of the individuals with disabilities. Persons in working age group are provided admission in various courses in these centres. PwDs are given a chance to develop hobbies which can get converted into vocational skills at some point of time in life. Students are taught stitching, candle making, spice packing, book binding, knitting, basket making, carpentry, shoe repair, handicrafts, tapestry etc.
Teachers working in these centers are also well trained. They need to have personal personal-social capacities such as patience and open-mindedness. They should be well versed in the skills which they train the students and have to be sometimes acting as role models for them.
There are around 20 such Vocational Rehabilitation Centres all over the country set up by the government of India. Many Skill Training Workshops have been attached to such centres in order to impart non formal training. Through Rural Rehabilitation Extension Centres, services of VRCs can also reach the doorsteps of the disabled persons in the rural areas.
Vocational Rehabilitation Centres also help them in adjustment related issues. Personal adjustment counselling sessions are provided by these centres. Their medical and psychological needs are evaluated and after that rehabilitation plans are developed for them. Persons with disabilities who are registered with them are sponsored for the notified vacancies. These centres also function as distribution centres for various scholarships, aids and schemes available for the disabled people. Vocational Rehabilitation Centres may also refer these people to the financial institutions from where these people with special needs can get adequate funding and loans for their self employment projects.
