Description: Under the motto "Education for All," the Amar Jyoti Charitable Trust provides integrated, holistic educational services to students with diverse abilities. Amar Jyoti educates able-bodied and disabled students alongside one another, paving the way for an inclusive society. Dedicated to holistic engagement with each student, the school offers services that range from physical, occupational and family therapy to vocational training in computers, carpentry and fashion design.
Location: Amar Jyoti School
Date: March 2010
Description: For this video, we focused on a mixed-ability basketball team in order to showcase the benefits of integrated education – namely, how friendship between students breaks down social stigmas. By working together as a team, the basketball players begin to see their differences as strengths and learn that the game can only be won through a group effort. In this way the basketball team is a microcosm of the larger school experience, promoting equality, friendship and self-confidence to all students.
Location: The Blind People's Association
Date: January 2010
Description: The Blind People's Association (BPA) is dedicated to providing educational, vocational and health services to people with disabilities in the Indian state of Gujarat. Their clients include blind, low vision, deaf, mute, physically and mentally handicapped children and adults. Started as a social club for blind men, BPA has expanded their services to include a wide variety of opportunities for people with disabilities.
Location: The Blind People's Association
Date: January 2010
Description: Gaguben lives in a remote village outside of Ahmedabad, where access to civil services are scarce. When she developed cataracts, Gaguben was no longer capable of completing everyday tasks. Thankfully, BPA sponsored a surgery for her that restored her eyesight and increased her quality of life.
Location: Padma Industrial School
Date: December 2009
Description: The mission of the Padma Industrial School is to provide rural youth with vocational skills that will enable them to secure stable employment. The school provides training in three areas: welding, automobile repair and electrical wiring.
Location: Padma Industrial School
Date: December 2009
In the wake of a father’s suicide, debt left a mother with no way to feed her children. A small, but life-changing gift enabled her son to enroll at the Padma Industrial School. Madavan trained to become an electrician and then worked his family out of debt.