To address the need for a uniform curriculum for children with Intellectual Disability in India an MOU was signed between the National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities  (NIEPID) and Jai Vakeel Foundation(JVF) in the presence of Rajesh Aggarwal, secretary, department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan).

The agreement will facilitate roll out of a structured and uniform curriculum; NIEPID Disha Curriculum for Children with Intellectual Disability (CwID) across the country.

The collaboration will also make available resources developed by JVF like the NIEPID Disha Assessment Checklist for Individualised Education Plans (EIPs), the NIEPID Disha Multi sensory Curriculum, NIEPID  Disha Digital Portal and Teacher Trainings nationally to schools, centres and organisations serving CwID.    

Disha Abhiyan is being practised in more than 450 special schools with 2600 special educators and 1800 children in Maharashtra since 2019.

Speaking on the occasion Aggarwal said that the role of philanthrophy and good NGOs in this sector is most important and society is viewed by how it treats the most vulnerable. Parents tell him sob stories of indifference from society towards their children and issues become important. He added that when a visually impaired or deaf child has studied in an inclusive school they do slightly better in life. For children with cognitive impairment, special schools have special significance.

He noted that for a huge country like India, there are no real numbers of children with special needs numbering in millions with a limited number of institutes catering to just a few thousands children. He also highlighted the shortage of psychologists, special educators and therapist and exploitative practises that put financial pressure on not only lower but also upper middle class families.

He also spoke about the transformative power of AI in managing disabilities including cognitive impairments and data analytics in the larger eco system.  

Aggarwal further said that his ministry is partnering with hundreds of good organisations — NGOs, start-ups, helplines to scale solutions. “With Jai Vakeel, the ministry wants to scale the IEP-based system built through Disha Abhiyan which has been tested with 18,000 students, 2,600 teachers, across 250+ schools, in English, Hindi, and Marathi. We will implement Jai Vakeel’s IEP work immediately across SEDIC centres, DDRS programs, and wherever possible. For those schools that want to adopt it voluntarily, we will offer free materials and training. We will integrate this with our Accessible Learning Materials Scheme (DALM) which until now focused on Braille books  but this week  we will approve it nationally to include cognitive disabilities too.”

He said that children will receive free, reusable books in their preferred languages including  Telugu. The ministry will also remove restrictions on teacher and parent training under CRE points to enable faster, unfettered scaling. “ To those dedicating their lives to this cause, even without a personal connection  my deepest respect. To all parents navigating this journey- you are not alone. The government stands with you, but more importantly, society must stand with you,” he added.

BV Ram Kumar, director, NIEPID, said, “Jai Vakeel is not just a partner, it is a trusted ally with whom we have shared six year journey grounded in commitment, innovation and impact. NEIPD ‘s accreditation of Disha’s content is a testament to its quality and potential for systemic transformation.”  

“The partnership not only strengthens India’s educational framework but also aligns with global commitments under the UN SDG’s particularly SDG-4 (quality education) and SDG-10 (reduced inequalities). By empowering educators and streamlining implementation, this initiative contributes to the vision of an inclusive, empowered India envisioned in Viksit Bharat," said Archana Chandra,CEO, Jai Vakeel Foundation.

“In our 80th year of serving children and adults with ID, this partnership with NIEPID is not just a milestone, it is a reaffirmation of our collective commitment to inclusion,” she added.