Disability Information Advisory Services
About this Project
Head Nepal developed a kind of advisory and counseling services in regards to disability issues to make every service/support or information accessible for disabled people and their network.
Disability information advisory services provide independent information and advice to disabled people, their families, friends, colleagues, caregivers, service providers, and the general public.
This support service may include family counseling, encouraging the disabled people themselves to enhance their ability/potential. Moreover, it is to find right services for the right persons with disabilities and to make all the services for the persons with disabilities accessible for disabling community themselves.
This type of service can provide information and advice on:
- how to find support and advocacy groups
- how to find a needs assessment and service coordination organization
- other community information Information related to specific disabilities
- right services/intervention for persons with disabilities
- Referral, recommendation, and suggestions in regards to the services available at local, regional, national, and even at international level if possible
- Counseling for family/community members, disabled people themselves, and others
This program also helps disabled people find both government and non-government-funded support services at the local level and even at regional and national levels. The information provided should be accessible and appropriate to disabled person’s needs. The following are some examples of what this support service provider is and how the beneficiaries got benefited.
Bel Devi Rawat Obtained Disability Identity Card
Bel Devi Rawat from Jaira VDC Ward No. 8 Humla district has obtained a disability identity card from Women and Children Office Humla on the 17th of March 2014. 25 years old Bel Devi came to district headquarter Simikot with his father Mr. Dhan Raj Rawat a week before when we met her on the 16th of March to make a disability identity card. Her left eye is completely blind and also she has very shorter in height than the average. She has weak physical growth which has a permanent effect on her life. When Mr. Dhan Raj came to Head Nepal Office, he did not have the idea/process of obtaining the card for his daughter. The Executive Director of Head Nepal, Mr. Chhitup provided the man with the necessary information, suggestion, and process for the same. Chhitup asked Dhan Raj to have a recommendation letter from the VDC Secretary and a medical report and a letter from the hospital that day. The next day, 17th of March, Head Nepal too provided the girl a recommendation letter and sent them to the Women and Children Office and finally, Bel Devi received a disability identity card. Head Nepal advised Dhan Raj to go to the local VDC office and process for further intervention and government support for his daughter.
Successfully Encouraged the Parents to Enroll Two Children with Visual Impairment from the Same Family:
Before running the Head Mobile Blind School in 2011, we identified three children with visual impairment, Raj Bahadur, Shreedevi, and Chandra Kami in Bargaun village in the same family. To read how and when we visit there for the first time, click here Actually, the family belongs to a lower caste (untouchable) locally called Dalit or Dum in Nepali society. Most Dalit people in Nepal are still socially/culturally disregarded and discriminated against. The parents of these three children, Sal Bahadur and Rithu Kami also are desperately poor. More than this we found that the family members extremely lack knowledge and responsibility to their children and their education. They were completely illiterate/uneducated. After the need assessment in May 2011, we asked the parents to join all three children in the class of Head Mobile Blind School in Thehe. But they never brought the children to the unit of the school. The instructor Lokraj and even Chhitup often visited the home and tried to convince the parents to send their children to the class but they never did so. In May 2012 after the establishment of the Head Vision Home in Simikot, we also tried to bring the children to the center for their study. Unfortunately this time as well we were not successful. But we never gave up our effort to encouraged the parents and kept them participating in the workshop for parents education. With the support of the Disability Information Advisory Service, only in February 2013, Sal Bahadur and Rithu realized their responsibility to their children’s education and joined their younger children, Shreedevi and Chandra in Head Vision Home. Now the kids are happy and being trained in the center and they are already in grade two this year.
sailesh jethara now studies in namuna machhendra secondary school in kathmandu
Sailesh is a 6 years old child from Simikot(then). He was one of the students with visual impairment in Head Mobile Blind School in 2011. He was trained in daily living skills, mobility skills, Braille writing/reading in Mobile Blind School for a year. Later in August 2012, at the request of their parents, Nara B. and Sarita Jethara, Head Nepal sent Sailesh to Kathmandu for his study and enrolled in one of the old blind integrated schools in Lagankhel Kathmandu. Currently, Sailesh is staying at the Early Rehabilitation Center in Lalitpur and studying in Namuna Machhendra Secondary School with many blind and partially sighted students all over Nepal.
Dip Bahadur Shahi has been to Kathmandu for training
Dip Bahadur Shahi from Dandaphaya 3 Chauganphaya lost his right foot while cutting a tree in a forest in May 2012. Suddenly the tree was fallen on him and his foot was badly broken. Head Nepal especially Mr. Lokraj helped him to raise money for his treatment in Nepalgunj. Later in July 2012, Head Nepal referred/recommended Dip to Technical and Skill Development Center (TSDCBD) in Kirtipur Kathmandu for 6 months of training in Music, knitting, and tailoring. While being in Kathmandu for the training, he got an artificial foot and now he can walk easily even in the remote area like Humla.