Vela School

Vela Institution for Social Action and Development (VISAAD) is a non governmental organization located in Villupuram, India.

Vela School is basically a school for the hearing impaired started in 1992 with just 2 children. It currently shelters about 148 children. The children are subjected to audiogram tests to assess the level of hearing loss. Children below 5 years of age are taken to the JIPMER institute, Puduchery for BERA tests. Each child receives speech training and basic education with the aid of computers. The children are given quality hearing aids free of cost. Besides, these children are trained in tailoring, computer usage, painting, games and yoga.

At present, the school shelters nearly 138 hearing impaired, 50 semi orphans, 52 mentally challenged, 6 orphans, 7 children suffering cerebral palsy and several children with multiple disorders, autism, physical and visual handicaps.

SPEECH THERAPY

Besides education, the children are given shelter, food, books and all other learning aids. Speech therapy is given by trained and experienced therapists.

ONE TO ONE TEACHING

At the early stages of schooling, it is difficult to make the child concentrate on the lessons, mainly because of the hearing impairment. To win their confidence and make them more attentive, children are taught on a one to one basis till they get used regular classrooms.

EARLY INTERVENTION CENTRE FOR HEARING IMPAIRED CHILDREN

The idea is to identify children between the ages 1 and 3 with hearing loss. They are trained by special educators who help children develop communication skills just like normal children. Then the children are put in the mainstream schools just like a normal child that uses hearing aids.

VELA SCHOOL FOR THE MENTALLY CHALLENGED

The ultimate aim is to make the child perform basic day-to-day activities without the need for much external help, activities of daily living (ADL). They are also trained in yoga, drawing and sports. These children are given vocational training in phenol making and candle making. This will help them in their earnings at a later date. Other vocational training programmes are also being prlanned. The Gingee school for mentally challenged, started on December 2008, harbours 23 children.

VELA EARLY INTERVENTION CENTRE FOR MENTALLY CHALLENGED CHILDREN

Children with cerebral palsy, autism, multiple disabilities and other birth defects come under this. Vela school has a special early intervention center for them. Children between the age of 1 and 6 are selected. They are trained to develop muscular co-ordination through special programmes and are subjected to regular physiotherapy by qualified physiotherapists. The individual Education Programmer (IEP) that is being extended to these children is of great help.

 COMPUTER BASED EDUCATION

Children are being introduced to computers at a very young age. A Chennai based software company (HI-COMMAND) specialized in e-learning has come forward to help the hearing impaired children by arranging for three classrooms. Once this comes through, children from grades (1 to 10) will be taught subjects like mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology by this method. When children are exposed to an experimental classroom, both the children and the teachers are excited. They are looking forward to the introduction of  e-classrooms.

DIAMONDS POLISHED BY THIS INSTITUTE

 NEED OF THE DAY

The school has purchased land for its own building and they are in ned of funds to raise the civil structure. A classroom will be named after the donors who bear the cost of the construction.

 The school needs a van to transport day students from the nearby areas of the school. A van is also an integral part of the hostel, when a child falls sick, the child has to be transported to the nearest medical facility.

In the school, nearly 150 children are fed three times a day. This has been possible because of the benevolence of sponsors. Despite this, there are days when there are no sponsors. The school needs basic food materials to manage such days. A detailed list of the daily requirements with the cost is available with the school.

The school is able to get only commercial cooking gas cylinders. The cost of cylinders is prohibitive. So food is cooked using firewood. The smoke it produces is a nuisance during class hours. Also, the usage of firewood is a problem during rainy and cold weather. This can be avoided if there was a steam-cooking equipment.

The teachers and students sit on the ground owing to lack of furniture. Classroom furniture will be of help.

The teachers ore paramount to the success of the school. The school needs funds to employ teachers at 8000 Indian Rupees per teacher per month.

ACCOUNT DETAILS

Vela Institution For Social Action and Development

VKS Pandian Nagar, Valuthareddy, Villupuram District

Pin: 605401, Tamil Nadu, India

(+91) 04146 – 259797 | (+91) 98423 10390 | (+91) 98423 10391

Email: secretaryvelainstitution@gmail.com

www: velaspecialschool.org

DONATIONS

Cheque / draft in favour of

Vela Institution for Social Action and Development

Indian Overseas Bank

12780100002880 (For Indian donors)

12780100002881 (For overseas donors)

IFSC : IOBA0001278

All donations are exempt from income tax under section 80G of the Income Tax Act.