Program Coordinator

**Village Based Rehabilitation Initiative** is a derivative of the **Village Based Rehabilitation** (VBR)

program. It is a part of our overall **Valley for the Disabled, **which is a concept whereby

physically/mentally challenged persons live in a pro-active society where equality prevails irrespective

of physical, mental, or other challenges with the rest of the society. It is a futuristic vision whereby Amar

Seva Sangam plays the role of an enabling agent to get the physically/mentally challenged equality of

status, equality in opportunities and equality in access. It is a Society where people are identified as

differentially abled.

Village Based Rehabilitation Initiative as the name indicates is an initiative undertaken by Amar Seva

Sangam to try and work out a model to achieve the above vision. It is part of Village Based

Rehabilitation called in short form as VBR, in which delivery of services to bring equality among the

differentially abled persons (among the physically/mentally challenged and others in the society) is

ensured by creating an Infrastructure Base. This infrastructure base becomes the resource center for

society in meeting its needs for various rehabilitation aspects of physically/mentally challenged

persons.

VBRi attempts to involve local communities by creating village level forums in planning, decision-making

and executing the rehabilitation needs of the physically/mentally challenged members of the society.

Village Based Rehabilitation Initiative is an innovative attempt born out of the experiences gained in

the VBR program. While more than 1000 villages are covered under the purview of the VBR program,

Village Based Rehabilitation Initiative is being tried on a Micro level in three selected pockets.

Experience tells us that more focused attention is required at small group levels and the rehabilitation

requirements at individual levels need personal attention. Secondly, for the groups, if they must be

active, a common platform addressing the basic requirements of physically/mentally challenged

persons viz. the rest of the community must be identified and established. Thirdly the groups must be

made independent to investigate the needs on a regular basis.

The process starts right from demographic mapping, classification of differentially abled, identification

of the needs and categorizing them into employment, educational, therapy and skill needs and initiating

the process of group formation. The initiative ends with creation of assets within the groups and makes

them independent in resource planning, generation, and utilization. This initiative is within a time frame

and deadline set for various goals and events.

**Main activities**
- Program activities
- Sensitizing the community, families, and persons with disabilities about disabilities.
- Promoting the Self-Help Groups for development and forming Federations - wider level
- networking.
- Organizing people with disabilities into Self Help Groups.
- Initiating comprehensive rehabilitation measures.
- Enabling the Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) to access various government schemes.
- Promoting advocacy work and campaigning for the protection of rights and equal
- opportunities for PwDs.
- Strengthening human resources for the effective implementation of the process.
- Project proposal writing and mobilising funds for the program
- Monitoring, evaluation and learning through systematic data collection and reporting for action
- Technology to leverage the program management system providing end-to-end case management

with built-in scheduling, monitoring and data for action with features for planning, budgeting, and
executing the program by connecting community workers with service users and program
managers so that high-quality, high-fidelity services can be provided to PWDs and their families.

Job Description VBR-D Co-ordinator

**Other activities**
- Advocacy
- Ensuring that appropriate legislation and policy frameworks are in place to support the
rights of people with disabilities.
- Ensuring people with disabilities and their family members can access all public
programmes, services, and facilities.
- Developing CBR as an operational methodology or service delivery mechanism for
providing rehabilitation services across the country.
- Advocating for improved accessibility and inclusion of people with disabilities by contacting
health centers, schools, and workplaces.
- Empowerment
- Disability issues should concern all levels of government and all government sectors, e.g.,
the health, education, employment, and social sectors. Their roles and responsibilities
might include:

- Address other barriers that may prevent people with disabilities and their families from
participating in the life of their communities.
- Protect their communities and address the causes of disability.
- Provide support and assistance where needed for people with disabilities and their families.
- Advocating and lobbying for