About Us

Lekhadeep is a Professional Education-Training-cum-Rehabilitation Centre for Mentally Retarded Children. It is an integrated and Holistic Project of the three tier system, dove-tailing the three following essential and interdependent components.

I. Special School

Catch them young and teach basic

1. Social Skills like dressing, toilet, hygiene, Communication etc. and
2. Living Skills concepts like colour, size, shape, time, money etc [essential for effective imbibing of Vocational Training]
3. and give Pre Vocational Training - grooming for VTC [Comprehensive School to Workshop Training]

II. Vocational Training Centre

1. Prepare to put to use VTC Training and earn
2. If ripe enough, bag open market job and retain it
3. And give Pre Vocational Training - grooming for VTC [Comprehensive School to Workshop Training]

III. Sheltered Workshop

1st stage in empowerment and rehabilitation

1. Prepare to put to use VTC Training and earn
2. If ripe enough, bag open market job and retain it
3. If more advanced and motivated, start a self employment project on a viable and sustainable basis [with parental assistance and with/ without financial assistance from CAPART (Rural)/ National Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation etc.]

Note: Those not ripe enough or motivated enough and/ or do not have suitable family support will continue to stay in the Sheltered Workshop and earn according to their capacity.

Morale Boosting for our mission of thus bringing them in the mainstream of society, is being given by the Principal Accountant General by providing accommodation for Special School and Work Sheds, while the National Institute for Mentally Handicapped provided necessary guidance for setting up the Centre and running it successfully.

Its doors are open to all eligible persons [without restriction of caste, creed, community, religion, race or sex]. The Income Tax Department has given exemption for all donations under Section 80G of the IT Act. Begun with just 6 Trainees in 1994, the Centre has now about 90 MR Students and Trainees including Autistic, Cerebral Palsy, MR and Multiple Disabilities[besides more than 40 persons empowered/ rehabilitated in various streams].

The main objective is to mould and shape them as well rounded, self reliant and productive citizens through a wide range of Self Employment/ Sheltered Employment/ job opportunities. This is through offering them, functional education followed by special training to learn and improve skills to manufacture marketable goods and remunerate them. The very training will ensure that they gain self-confidence, sustenance and enable them to lead a secure life as useful, productive and respectable citizens of the society, to the extent their handicap permits.

As a part of the need based approach, a Group Residential home is also run under the auspices of THE NATIONAL TRUST for the welfare of persons with Autism, CP, MR and Multiple Disabilities.

The HEALTH CARE programme runs through all the above activities like a thread running through a garland, as a vital link in their effective functioning, as MR persons suffer with one or more other disabilities as well which require constant attendance & treatment.

Workshop

Equipment

Lekhadeep is equipped with Paper Cutting Machine, Envelop-Cutting Perforation, Offset printing press, Wire-Stitching, File-Creasing, Spiral Binding, and Treadle Printing Machines, as also Tailoring Machines etc.

Production

They get hands-on training in operating these machines and fabricate Envelops, File-pads, Note Books, Scribbling Pads, Letter Pads, File Covers, Office Files etc. and in stitching simple under-garments.

Ultimate Quality

The inspired MR Trainees, though are not able to produce quantity-wise now, are excelling in producing better quality products. The finished products which come out in the course of the training are supplied to the AG's, NIMH Hyderabad District Collect orate, High Court of Andhra Pradesh and other Govt offices and premier educational institutions like Gitanjali, Satya Sai Vidya Vihar, Gautami Chain of Educational Institutions etc.

Gracious Gestures

We owe our grateful thanks to SBI, SBH as also the State Bank Ladies Club for donating, Xerox Machine, Music and Sound Systems, Utility Based Furniture etc., Sri D. Satyanarayana, an ex-employee of AG’s Office, M/s Baan Info Systems and other benefactors who have donated a gas stove with two cylinders, aqua guard water purifier, blue star water cooler with water storage and supply facility, file creasing machine, screen printing equipment etc.

Brief History

Visit of Dignitaries

Sri V. K. Shunglu, the C & AG Of India our Patron-in-chief and Smt Madhu Shunglu visited Lekhadeep on 13th June, 1996 and were greatly impressed with our functioning. The result was a grant of Rs 0.5 lacs which helped us to acquire the Envelop Cutting Machine, a Key unit for the manufacture of Lekhadeep Products. The sincerity and empathy this constitutional functionary has evinced made them take very keen interest in the project for MR Persons and make a repeat visit to the Centre on 29th July, 1999.

Noting that more room is needed to accommodate the increasing strength of trainees - has also then gone up to 45, the C & AG announced a munificent assistance of Rs 0.60 lacs towards constructing an extension block to the existing work-shed. With the assistance of Principal AG And other benefactors, the building work was completed expeditiously and the extension block was inaugurated on 5th August, 2000.

Our patrons, the Hon'ble Comptroller And Auditor-General of India, the Principal Accountant General, other Accountants General, MAB, DAG's and other officers, functionaries of NIMH, the State Commissionerate of Disabled Welfare, often visit our institution, in spite of their busy schedule of work and keenly observe our working style and render their valuable guidance, advice and suggestions.

Study Tours

Delegates from Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, France, China & UK in the field of Disabled Training Rehabilitation and Research have also made such Study Visits, the latest in the line being the Director, International and Inter-Agency Affairs, United States National Institute for Disabled Rehabilitation and Research, member joint working group (Dr Robert. J. Jaeger) and his associates (Dr Paul R., Ackerman and Ms Kiran Dhawan).