Vocational and Technical Education for the Disabled

There was a time when disability of any kind used to be considered as a curse and the disabled used to remain largely at the mercy of the family and/or philanthropic organizations. The spread of education; advancements in science and technology; efforts of the NGOs and disability rights groups; committed efforts of some of the role models in the disability sector; social awareness and policy initiatives taken by the governments in both developments and developing countries have resulted in bringing the disabled into main stream of life. History is replete with examples of outstanding contribution made by the disabled in various walks of life. The Government of India the Ministry of Human Resource Development, during the year 1999 conceived a scheme for persons with disability. The scheme has made a significant dent in making available the benefits of technical and vocational education to the disabled and thus enabling them contribute towards socio-economic development of the country. The present book is largely based on the experiences of teachers and professionals working in this scheme. The book is divided into three parts. Part one titled “Inclusive Education For The Persons with Disabilities” explains a few models of inclusive education being tried out in the country. Part two discusses institutional / Organizational and individual case studies pertaining to rehabilitation, educational and training of the disabled. Part three describes research and innovations in the education and training. The contributors to this volume have provided some insights to suggest that technical and vocational education of the disabled is not only of paramount importance but also an area worth exploring further.