Harish is a young man with a combined vision and hearing loss, due to Down Syndrome. He has been served regularly through BPA’s CBR (Community Based Rehabilitation) programme and had achieved a reasonable level of independence.
Harish is able to move around his home and the village quite safely and confidently. In this photo Harish goes with his mother to buy biscuits from the village shop.
He can do simple tasks like getting water for guests and buying himself biscuit from the village shop. He helps to care for the family's cow.
At this stage the field worker just visits occasionally to make sure everything is okay.
On the last visit, his mother complained that Harish was not helping at home, slept a lot and was getting very difficult to handle. He has also stopped caring for himself without prompts and argument.
After speaking with Harish, his family, the field worker, and the villagers, the decision was taken to enroll him in a short program that was to take place in a few months where he would stay in a residential facility and learn several simple vocational skills that he could use when at home. Since it was a residential facility, it required him to stay with others his age and to care for himself.
The field worker felt that with the social pressure, the changed environment, and the pressure of expectation of all around him, he would conform and get back into the routine of self care and productive work.
We have learned from working with this student that issues and solutions change over time, and the programme must be flexible and respectful of the needs and resources that people and families bring to the table at different times in their lives
