What does living at home mean? The answer to that question may be very different for different people. Many people with disabilities across India, particularly those who come from backgrounds of material poverty, have been stripped of home, and are seeking connections with family and roots. Choices and freely given relationships are so important and...Read More

What makes a good program? What are the ingredients? A dash of skills training, a garnish of presuming competence, a sprinkle of multi-sensorial methods, a sauce of individualized education…et voila! Think again. The beginning, middle, and ending of any program is the person, the people we serve. This is the thought process that went into...Read More

Across India and the world, the institutional experience of being apart and away, locked in, and separated from society carries a huge number of wounding life experiences along with it. Sometimes the impact of the profound rejection and isolation from community causes people to go inward, so they survive by being quiet, compliant, and not...Read More

A strong and confident person is built from the many and varied experiences she has had in life. In fact, all of us are shaped and formed by those experiences. They prepare us for adversity, help us realize our preferences and options, and steer us toward the lives we choose. Many people with disability have...Read More

When you first hear about Rick, you will likely hear all sorts of good things about him. “He knows what he wants – he’s a definite kind of guy.” “He’s a good traveler by road and train.” “He’s a thoughtful, observant guy, easy going and kind.” In fact, last September, that’s how a group of...Read More

Efforts to help people with disability to fully contribute their gifts, as well as to lead full, expansive lives requires more than hoping, wishing, and half-hearted efforts. In fact, much of the work of elevating the status of marginalized people goes against the grain of societal devaluation, and so it stands to reason that many...Read More

An invisible entity, a tiny virus has changed what we knew as normal. The lockdown in India brought everything to a standstill. The closure of schools and programs sent parents of those with special needs in a tizzy, and it sometimes seems that everything is in jeopardy. No doubt, within a crisis lies possibility and...Read More

Photo by Sujata Khanna Photography. Sitting in the first SRV workshop was like looking into a mirror for Elizabeth Albuquerque (Liz). “... my belief system, of how every human being deserves respect, dignity and a purpose in life .... was right there staring back at me.” Creating meaningful and valuable social roles for each person...Read More

Social devaluation and marginalization diminishes people, makes people seem small, and even makes people invisible to the rest of society, particularly if they are locked away in mental hospitals. Valued social roles, even small ones, have the capacity to help people be bigger, stand taller, feel stronger, and shine.Read More

Photo by Sujata Khanna Photography. Person-Centered Planning can be a powerful method to help envision all sorts of valued roles a person might move into. Autism Society West Bengal gave their organization a powerful boost when they combined their SRV savvy with a tool like PATH to give a roles-based vision. Mr. Amitava Basu took...Read More