Janet Ebsiba, Tamil Nadu

Janet Ebsiba, a 12 year old girl is a resident of Viralimalai, Pudukkottai, Tamil Nadu. She lives with her parents who are daily wage farm labourers. She has intellectual disability. Her family members have been showering their endless love and kindness on her but did not know how to support her and provide her with a life of better quality.

She was identified by ADD India through Annai Theresa Disabled Development Trust (ATDDT), a federation of Disabled people organisations (DPOs) which are self-help groups of persons with disabilities.

Realising that the family first needed economic support, initially they were provided with indirect services by ATDDT, like facilitation of ID card and maintenance grant for Janet from the government which she is entitled to. Her parents were provided with a loan amount of Rs. 5000/- for cow rearing. As the family’s burden of poverty reduced, they began to address the needs of Janet.

At this point, ATDDT introduced her to the monthly physiotherapy camp organized by them. Previously, Janet could only lie on the floor without any head control. Individual Education Plan was deployed and Janet was trained. ATDDT has been constantly following her improvement. Post regular therapy from physiotherapist, she has been able to gain control over movements of her head and is now able to sit without support for half an hour. She is now able to perform her mundane tasks of brushing her teeth, eating, using the washroom, bathing and grooming with her mother’s support. Her speech and communication skills have improved as she is now able to comprehend simple words like ‘come’, ‘go’, etc. She is also able to utter few words such as calling her mother and communicating with her mother through signs.

The field staff and the organization have taken tremendous efforts to bring about this change in the lives of Janet and her parents. Her parents are now confident and are economically empowered. The joy has surpassed the anxiety and the challenges encountered and kept the team motivated to continue their work with more children.