The disability related work at SOFIA began through collaboration with two disability experts from the non-profit field. It was a collaboration of common intentions of working for this marginalised community as our two experts, a cross disability consultant with a focus on advocacy issues and a trained physiotherapist with a focus on cross disability functionality came to work with SOFIA, an organisation with sufficient experience in education, skilling and livelihoods. Merging both areas of expertise, a decision was made to venture into the specific area of skill development, livelihood opportunity and meaningful occupation for adults with disabilities, using the strengthens of SOFIA and the experts together. This venture together is a fruitful opportunity for SOFIA to expand into an intersectional area with disability, age and gender and add to its growth while providing the opportunity to work with another specific marginalised category of persons.

As it was important to develop an in-depth understanding of the area we were choosing to work in, we started by raising funds to undertake a small snowball-based sample survey to access the ground level realities of the nature and functionality ranges of disabilities, the socio-economic range of the families, the person with disability and their immediate carer’s health and rehabilitation needs, educational levels, economic skill sets, earning status & history and access to welfare entitlements and identity documents. This initial survey which covered 120 persons with disabilities helped our team to draw a working analysis of basic needs, entitlement status and economic support status in terms of financial support requirements for skilled persons to skilling requirements to economic support for family members of completely dependent families, on their extended families and friends, with no source of income and those in need of recreational avenues.

On the basis of the learnings regarding person with disabilities through the survey and SOFIA’s understanding and learnings regarding skilling options and livelihood avenues in that area, we have managed to write a bigger project for funding, which is being pitched at this platform. It is well thought out proposal based on ground level realities, expectations of the community that we want to work with and livelihhods that work and are sustainable on the ground.

Apart from this, the information from the surveys has also helped us to provide continual access to file for entitlements and required identity documents for persons with disabilities, support some of them in dire needs with ration and nutritional supplements and accessing healthcare and rehabilitative aids through other organisations and ALAMCO.

Special features of disability project: 

• Understanding of ground reality for people with disabilities through the survey which provides data for a detailed proposal for work in the area of livelihoods.
• Support for registering for entitlements like disability pension.
• Addressing health needs , including assistive technology. 
• Vocational training, educational support and livelihood support where possible. 
• Collaboration with government bodies and other organizations.