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About
Ability Foundation
ABILITY
FOUNDATION, a cross-disability Non-Government
Organization, was initiated in October 1995 by
Ms.Jayashree Raveendran with the focused objective
of contributing to a better understanding of disabilities
and disabled people. It strives to integrate and
mainstream disabled persons by creating facilities
for the utilization of their skills/abilities
so that they are empowered to lead more meaningful
lives as full members of society. It also makes
serious attempts to dispel the stereotyped images
that the general public has of persons with disabilities.
The organization advocates and emphasizes the
rights of persons with disabilities.
Towards these goals Ability Foundation engages
in a spectrum of activities that include publishing,
education, employment, culture, recreation, legislation
and human rights.
Ability
Foundation believes that given the right opportunities
at the right time, so much more is possible.
Activities
of Ability Foundation
•
What began as a part time Computer Application
Skills & Personality Development programme,leading
to placement opportunities for hearing impaired
persons and for visually impaired persons, has
now evolved as the “NATIONAL CENTRE FOR
INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY”(NCICT)-
A full time 6-month programme initially supported
by UNESCO as a pilot project in the country. This
is a package offered to graduates with hearing,
visual and orthopedic impairments and includes
computer application skills, life skills, employment/interview
skills, yoga etc. to enable them to become employable
in today’s context and prepare themselves
to meet the demands of the corporate world.
• There is also a cyber café at the
NCICT premises for the blind, to browse the web
using the speech software JAWS for windows and
a talking book library where a wealth of books
is available for visually impaired persons in
and around Chennai during weekends.
• The foundation also operates a Braille
printing unit. Anyone who wants to translate text
into Braille can use this facility.
• In 1998, Ability Foundation became the
1st ever study centre of the Indira Gandhi National
Open University-IGNOU( a distance education university).
The centre helps all disabled persons to acquire
university education giving particular attention
to those deprived of college education on grounds
of their disabilities in a sensitive atmosphere
that caters to their individual requirements.
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