LIFE HELP CENTRE

Dedicated to the welfare and development of the orthopaedically handicapped, Life Help Centre was established in 1977.

With three children as beneficiaries initially, programmes were started with a school for the mentally handicapped. Subsequently, a school for the orthopaedically disabled was started. It was in 1981 that construction of various schools was started, in a phased manner, on 11.3 acres of land at Palavakkam.

The service programmes of the centre are divided into three spheres - education, training and rehabilitation of handicapped individuals.

The Eva Integrated High School is intended for the orthopaedically handicapped. Also, for children who come from a poor socio-economic background. It is a residential school, where, besides education, physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and playtherapy are given to the disabled children. Special training in mobility, with the help of aids and appliances, is also provided. Currently a total of 125 students are benefited by this project.

The Navapraja School is for the intellectually disabled children in the age group of 5 to 16 years. They are classified into three groups, based on their I.Q. - educable, trainable and custodial. The educable group is given special education and the rest are taught basic academic skills and self-help skills to make them independent.

The Pre-vocational Training Centre, started in 1987, aims at imparting vocational training to the disabled, to enable them become self-dependent. With the help of special instructors, students above 17 years are given three years of concentrated training in carpentry, metal work, tailoring, crafts, horticulture, envelope making, injection moulding, screen-printing and cotton wool processing. A few of the beneficiaries are absorbed at the centre's own toy production unit where recreational toys under the trade name Mikky Visual Aids and Toys are manufactured for sale in India and abroad. The other units are orthopaedic appliance unit, power laundry and printing.

A few families of deserving orthpaedically disabled children are selected under the Family Support Scheme for Self-employment and are given assistance to start their own business like a shop, dairy or retail snacks sales business.

The centre also provides accommodation for disabled women who work at the centre. The hostel, situated at Neelankarai, is provided with all basic amenities. At present 37 working women reside at this hostel.

The health centre has a laboratory equipped for 35 types of investigations. It has now added service units like immunisation, dental care and X-ray units. The health centre has one general physician, a dental surgeon, a health worker and an auxiliary health worker.

The centre is run with parental contribution, local receipts and funds generated through the production units.

Address: Life Help Centre for the Handicapped, East Coast Road, Palavakkam, Chennai - 600 041
Phone: 492 5044

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