Muskaan was started in 1982 by parents and professionals in Delhi to fill up a huge gap in required services for children and adults with intellectual & developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families. Services in this sector were and continue to be woefully inadequate, both in quality and scale, leading to a highly neglected and marginalized life for such people. Due to lack of awareness and required services, their parents/families face tremendous hardships in our society. Underestimation of their learning capabilities led to absence of growth opportunities e.g. appropriate education, vocational training, employment opportunities, required support systems and safe living options after the parents pass away.
Muskaan started with nil resources and absence of service models. A great deal of experimentation was required at every step. Careful and appropriate services and growth opportunities, designed by Muskaan, resulted in success at every step. Years of close working with ID persons led to lot of insights and learnings and we kept developing our services in key areas given below:
Family support services
Training & employment of adults with IDD
Assisted living facility for senior adults with IDD
Awareness to dismantle myths & advocacy for their rights
Independent living Skills Training Program
Capacity building of other organisations, professionals