The independent living skill program is the most fundamental hands-on program at Mitra Jyothi that initiates self-reliance and instills confidence in people with vision impairment.
Independent Living Skills Program
The Independent Living Skills Training program is very essential to cater to the basic needs of people with visual disability. This is one of the original programs started by Mitra Jyothi with the prime objective of developing/enhancing the most basic skills needed by people with vision impairment so that they may live independent and dignified lives. This program was an outcome of experiences in the life of our founder Ms. Madhu Singhal. She designed a program that would address all the simple and basic but most essential living skills that would become catalysts in bringing lifestyle changes in the lives of the visually impaired. Thus the program took life in the year 1997 and is constantly modified over time to cater to the changing needs of the modern world. It is a residential 4-6 month program started in 1997 and has been running successfully since its inception. More than 1000 individuals have benefitted from this program over the years and many are living independent lives while working in various government and private sectors including the field of Information Technology.
The goal of the ILS Program is to build courage and confidence and bring the visually impaired from rural & urban marginalized communities into mainstream society. This is achieved by enabling them to lead independent lives through effective Life Skill Training along with advocacy of “inclusivity” among employers and bringing in acceptance in society. The program covers the following fundamental aspects of independent living:
- Orientation and Mobility Training including lessons on both indoor and outdoor mobility
- Basic home management skills from identification of grains and spices to cooking safely with fire
- Social consciousness and behavioral counseling
- Health, hygiene, reproductive health and personal safety
- Personality development and personal grooming
- Basic craft work like sewing, basket making, envelope making and handicraft work that help them in their day to day lives as well as enables them to take up employment with small scale industries
- Need-based training designed specifically for the requirement
- Development of music and art skills
- Training in the usage of assistive devices and electronic devices for the visually impaired
- “Train the Trainer” Programs
- Mitra Jyothi provides living accommodation and food during the course of this program in in-house dormitories. All Mitra Jyothi computer trainees are also provided basic life skill training like orientation and mobility as part of their skill development.
- This program though primarily caters to the need of visually impaired girls from marginalized communities, it also provides need-based support for men with vision impairment. Many young men specifically request for cooking lessons along with lessons in orientation and mobility skills. Mitra Jyothi and the ILS program supports all such requests.
- Call us or register online by clicking here to enrol to the ILS Program!
