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Abhaya Pradha Speech School
WHERE IT ALL STARTED
Having been worked with private and government organizations several years, I used to visit many different places to check and collect data of the number and kind of hearing impairment in people including children. I found that hearing impaired children were left alone at home by caregivers who go out to work to earn money, with no proper living conditions let alone meaningful engagements. I used to give home-based hearing impairment training to these children which were meager use to them. In the course of my job, I found that the parents are unaware and too occupied in trying to make a living rather than making use of the latest advancements in the field of hearing impairment which could make their hearing-impaired children be no burden to them if trained.
Feeling the constraints, I was dissatisfied with the outcome, so I thought of having my own strategies and methods to make people more aware and be more useful in positively influencing a wider spectrum of people faster. Therefore, with a backing of ten years experience and saved salary, I quit the government job and set up “Abhaya Pradha Speech School”
The school helps hearing & speech impaired children by using listening and spoken language (oralism).They also provide free speech therapy and hearing aids to the underprivileged children.Their efforts have benefited many children by mainstreaming them into regular schools over the years, and their hard work continues to be of great relief to parents of such children, who have very low income and do not have the ability to fund even basic schooling.
The school is located in Raghavendra Nagar, Nacharam, Hyderabad, Telangana state. It is an independent one storied building with two rooms and caters to about 30 hearing and speech impaired children. These children are mostly from very poor families who are unable to afford schooling for their differently abled children.
PEOPLE WHO MAKE IT POSSIBLE
Team Members
G. Dhanalaxmi
Founder & General Secretary
As an educationalist, Dhanalaxmi has spent almost a decade working relentlessly in the field of Disability & Education. She has a D.Ed. Special Education (Hearing Impaired) and a B.Ed. Special Education (Mental Retardation). She also has an MA in Telugu and certificate in NGO Management from Centre for Social Initiatives & Management (CSIM), Hyderabad. She worked with NGOs in the field of Education for the disabled between 2002 and 2004. She was the Inclusive Education Resource Person at Nampally Mandal & Secunderabad between 2007 and 2011. Besides these, she has participated in various workshops conducted by Govt. agencies as well as non-governmental agencies.
She brings innovative methods to educate the hearing impaired children, which has resulted in mainstreaming of a significant number such children from Abhayapradha. The challenge in teaching such children, and especially those from underprivileged families, is the driving force behind setting up Abhayapradha. She believes that every special child has the right to education like his counterparts, and if Govt. is unable to reach every such child, qualified people like her should contribute to the effort and make it possible for these children to lead a dignified and independent life.
G. Nagarjuna
Treasurer
Mr. Nagarjuna is an MBA in finance. He has been associated with Abhayapradha since 2012. He is currently working with Tech Mahindra. Apart from handling the financial affairs of the society, he also liaises with various organizations for furthering the cause of Abhaya Pradha.
Mrs. M Jyothi
Legal Advisor
Mrs. Jyothi is an LLM from Osmania University, and she is a legal practitioner in the civil and criminal court at Ranga Reddy District. She has been associated with Abhayapradha since 2015.
Dr V Ananda Jyothi
Mentor
Dr. Ananda D.Ed., M.A., M.Ed., M.Phil. Ph.D.is highly accomplished in special education. She has won prestigious awards like Life Time Achievement Award from Helen Keller Institute for Research and Rehabilitation and has presented various national and international papers on education of special children. Working as a Special Educator at Ali Yavar Jung National Institute for Speech and Hearing Disorders, she has been a constant source of support and inspiration for Dhanalaxmi and her team, and has, with her vast experience of 27 years in the field, guided them on various occasions. Her insight has helped shape Abhayapradha’s approach to special education.
ACTIVE
Volunteers
Dr. Roshan Srivastav
IIT Tirupati
Dr. Roshan Srivastav is a faculty in the department of civil and environmental engineering at IIT Tirupati. He is actively involved in supporting socially challenged students for education.
P Uma Sundari
Volunteer Administrator and Counselor
Mrs. Uma is a Commerce Graduate who worked as a teacher before quitting her job due to personal commitments, after which she fully immersed herself in her family. Uma started volunteering her services at Abhayapradha at a time when she was under a lot of stress in her personal life. Her mild depression was also troubling her. After working at Abhaya Pradha, her life changed drastically. She discovered the pleasure of working with the special children which also cured her of her stress and depression. Her expertise in handling these children and their worried parents was commendable and was a blessing for Abhayapradha and Dhanalaxmi. She has not looked back since 2016, when she joined Abhaya Pradha and is now an active and integral presence in the school.
Hareesh Edamadaka
Yoga Therapist
Hareesh is a Yoga Therapist and Social Entrepreneur. He did his Post Graduate Diploma in Yoga Therapy (PGDYT) from SVYASA, Bangalore. He also completed a Certificate course in Social Entrepreneurship from Centre for Social Initiative and Management (CSIM), Hyderabad. He aims to empower individuals to progress towards improved health and well-being through the application of teachings and practices of yoga.He is closely associated with Abhayapradha and is using his expertise by giving free yoga classes to the special children at Abhayapradha. He believes that yoga can bring about positive changes in the mental and physical abilities of these children.
IT'S ABOUT WHAT YOU GIVE
Volunteer For Us
“Wherever you turn, you can find someone who needs you. Even if it is a little thing, do something for which there is no pay but the privilege of doing it. Remember, you don’t live in the world all of your own.”
– Albert Schweitzer –