Public Awareness:

It is indeed true that awareness of general public regarding any matter is the most significant parameter which determines the nation’s status in that regard. We can take example of pollution, environment, education, hygiene, health, safety and other things. Public awareness has a tremendous impact on the opinion of visitor to the city and the country as well. The awareness factor is obviously noticeable in the behavior of the general public. Then, how can the problem of mentally challenged be an exception?

Whether we talk about early intervention, special schooling, vocational training or rehabilitation of mentally challenged, awareness of general public with regard to the facts of mental disability is the key factor. Awareness refers to the fact that, we are conscious about a matter or problem which has no direct bearing on our personal life at that point of time. So that, when we face the problem in future, whether in our family or with any of the relatives, we can diagnose it easily. The bitter fact of the life is we do not know what is going to happen the very next moment. Are we going to dig a well when fire breaks or we shall have a fire extinguisher as prevention? The choice is of course left to our conscious.

We at SSS accord utmost importance to public awareness. We have realized that success of rehabilitation of mentally challenged will certainly depend on level of awareness of general public. Since last decade or so, print media and electronic media is also helping in awareness efforts. Even Indian cinema is also playing its role.

If one can understand the difference between mentally challenged and insane, if one can realize the limitations of being mentally challenged, and if one knows that it is not a disease but a condition, and then probably he can help these less fortunate member of our society in a far better way. And we are sure, this and understanding in many other ways will facilitate their rehabilitation. In last 20 years SSS has addressed more than 500 meetings. All through this we have realized that, people are sensitive in this regard. It is not there fault of being ignorant. We feel that it is our, rehabilitation worker’s responsibility to spread the message that, mental disability is not a disease but a condition and it does not mean work disability and so on. It is indeed very important to convey the facts and limitations related to mental disability to general public. If it is done effectively, then we at SSS believe that rehabilitation of mentally challenged will not remain a distant dream.

But mental disability is a complex and multidimensional problem. We at SSS have been talking to people from all sections which include students from higher secondary, under- graduates, post- graduate, professional courses, social clubs like Rotary and Lions, Mahila Mandal, School teachers, employees and employers etc.”

The typical awareness meeting consists of mainly three parts. One, etiology of mental disability, like why it occurs, Second, how it can be managed, e.g. early intervention, special schooling and vocational training etc. and Third, their rehabilitation and our role in this process as a member of the society.

SSS accord utmost importance to public awareness as said earlier and thus we arrange public awareness meetings to disseminate information related to mental disability.