Mainstreaming Persons with Disabilities
This program began in 2017 as a micro project in 130 villages of Kadur and Chikmagalur taluks with the support of CBR Forum, Bengaluru. Bringing an attitudinal and structural change by spreading awareness on social inclusion and creating a disability-friendly environment in community institutions was our major initial activity.
With the continued partnership of CBR Forum India, CMSSS extended this program across the two civil districts of Hassan and Chikmagalur, becoming an official pilot project of CBR Forum in the whole of India known as “Mainstreaming of Persons with Disabilities.”
The 5 Core Interventions:
Sarvodhaya Vikalachethanara Okkuta
The program has evolved into a sustainable model by forming Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) called Disabled Peoples Organizations (DPOs) at village, block, and district levels. By 2016, Sarvodhaya Vikalachethanara Okkuta — the district-level Disabled Peoples Organization — was formed in Hassan and Chikmagalur.
The District Disabled Peoples Organization of Hassan was formally registered in April 2019 under the Societies Act, ensuring persons with disabilities have their own legally recognized governance body to advocate for their rights.
Featured Inspiration
“Sundaramma is a brave fighter who is fighting since her birth to be an independent woman. She started with her own visual disability, added with utter poverty and desertion in marriage. Today she is an Asha worker, spreading awareness on health and nutrition, and runs her own poultry farm employing two other women.”