Chennai: Even after two years of graduation, most of the autistic people say that finding paid jobs is the most difficult task as organisations fear poor outcomes.
To address this issue, Sankalp, a NGO catering to children with learning disability, dyslexia and autism, has launched a unique new initiative called Spice (Sankalp Parents Initiative Community Enterprise).
“Spice is a production unit where masala powders are mechanically manufactured in semi-automated machines where students are trained and employed in packaging, along with their mothers,” said Sulata Ajit, founder, Sankalp.
She further added that students who graduate from Sahayika - Skills Training Unit connected to Sankalp Learning Centre, Mogappair are eligible to join Spice.
“We have been educating children with disabilities up to class 12, but the actual problem arises after they complete their school education, as they find it difficult to attend a regular college for higher education and find it difficult to secure employment as they lack the necessary skills,” said Prema Gnanaolivu, consultant, Sankalp Sahayika.
This model of rehabilitation is focused on designing an income-generating program for the young adults with special needs, especially autism spectrum disorders, who are trainable but cannot be accommodated in the open placement model.
