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Amar Seva Sangam is an Indian registered charitable organization that aims to rehabilitate and uplift those with mental and physical disabilities. Established by S. Ramakrishnan in 1981, Amar Seva Sangam is situated at the foothills of a small mountain range, at the outskirts of Ayikudi, in the state of Tamil Nadu. According to its website, Amar Seva Sangam strives to create a “Valley for the Differently Abled”.

History
In 1992, Mr. Sankara Raman C.A, who suffers from muscular dystrophy, joined ASSA and helped it grow under his leadership. On January 10, 1975, Mr. S. Ramakrishnan experienced a life-altering accident: during the physical test of a selection interview for naval officers, he fell and incurred cervical spine injury, which rendered him tetraplegic. In 1981, the International Year of Disabled Persons, S. Ramakrishnan founded Amar Seva Sangam as a charitable organization that offered shelter to individuals with physical disability.

In 1992, Mr. Sankara Raman C.A, who suffers from muscular dystrophy, joined ASSA. Prior to this, he worked as a chartered accountant. Sankara Raman initially began to associate with Amar Seva Sangam to setting up an accounting system and help them in resource mobilization. Over time, Amar Seva Sangam grew under his leadership.

According to a 2016 study, there are over 12 million children with disabilities in India. Amar Seva Sangam now addresses both physical and mental disability though not only the expansion of its initial programs, but also advocacy and policy reform. Amar Seva Sangam has grown to occupy a 33 acre campus and now serves more than 16,000 people in over 900 nearby villages.

In 2020, Mr. S. Ramakrishnan, the founder of Amar Seva Sangam, won the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India.

Institution Based Rehabilitation
The Institution Based Rehabilitation Program encompasses a number of initiatives that are situated on the campus. The most notable of these initiatives are outlined below.

Early Intervention Centre
Due to research indicating that the first 5 years of a child's life are crucial for development, Amar Seva Sangam established the Early Intervention Centre. The Early Intervention Program found here aims to provide physiotherapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy to children under 6 years old. They are also trained in daily living activities, behavioral science, self-care, and basic reading and writing. The program uses various models and software to track the children's progress. So far, the program has screened over 50,000 children and over 1252 children have been treated using this program. After this program, if a child is well prepared to integrate with other children, they are shifted to the primary school where they are integrated with students without disabilities. Otherwise, they are shifted to Sangamam, Amar Seva Sangam's school for special children aged 6-16.

Mr. S Sankara Raman has stated that Tamil Nadu may implement a State-level early intervention program.

Vocational Training
To help those at Amar Seva Sangam become self-reliant, individuals are trained in a number of vocations befitting their physical and mental capabilities. Among these vocations are: • tailoring

• creating handicrafts, toys, and paintings

• typewriting

• computer/information technology

• home appliance servicing

• cell phone servicing

• gold appraising

• notebook making and binding

Education
The Amar Seva Sangam campus is home to Sivasaraswathy Vidhyalaya, a higher secondary school for both physically challenged children and normal children in the local impoverished area. It was started as a primary school in June 1981, and was upgraded to a middle school in 1991. In 2009, it was upgraded to a high school to prevent its students from becoming child laborers with exploitatively low wages. Currently, 749 students are enrolled.

Others
Other initiates are listed below.• Home For Children

• Sangamam School For Special Children

• Orthotics Centre

• Medical Testing Unit For Disabled

• Spinal Cord Injured Post Acute Care Centre

• Disabled Youth Trainee Students Hostel

• Rehabilitation Centre

Village Based Rehabilitation
Under the Village Based Rehabilitation Program, Amar Seva Sangam aids more than 16,000 people in the surrounding villages. Amar Seva Sangam works with stakeholders and ensures that communities are involved in the rehabilitation process. People are grouped into self help groups and have access to different government schemes.

Activities covered include:


 * Rehabilitation at doorstep
 * Self Help Group
 * Advocacy
 * Livelihood assistance
 * Government schemes implementation
 * Aids and Appliances assistance

Mobile Village-Based Rehabilitation Initiative app
To aid in Village Based Rehabilitation, the Mobile Village-Based Rehabilitation Initiative app (mVBRI) was created. The app enables Community Rehabilitation Workers (CRW) to record screenings and easily connect with specialists, who are able to provide therapy and treatment. CRWs are themselves trained to treatment in various domains, including motor function, speech development, cognitive function, behavioral development, emotional development, and functional/occupational development.