Education
1964
At a seminar held in Delhi, social workers, doctors, educationists and parents of mentally handicapped children discussed the problem of inadequate facilities available in India for the education, training and rehabilitation of mentally handicapped children and decided to form a society.
This resulted in a society under the name of The Delhi Society for the Welfare of Mentally Retarded Children being registered in the year 1965. This is a voluntary organization registered under the Indian Societies Registration Act of 1860. Later, at a General Body Meeting held on 5.03.06, it was decided that, in keeping with the times, the Society be renamed as Delhi Society for the Welfare of Special Children. As per census in 200, the range of the completely disabled in the country was between 2-3% of the total population. It was estimated that in India more than 50% of the disabled were mentally challenged people, of whom about 8 million were children of school-going age. These children could not go to an ordinary school; they could not grow up with the mind of an ordinary adult. Yet, with patience and skill, they could be trained to do things for them selves- to read and write a little, to learn a simple trade and to become useful members of the community. Unfortunately in the earlier years, adequate facilities for education, training and rehabilitation of these children were not available in the country, with the result that a vast majority of them were forced to lead a life of isolation, which was a source of frustration to themselves and their families.
1966
The Society organized the first All India Seminar on Mental Retardation. At this seminar both the Prime Minister Ms. Indira Gandhi and the Minister for Social Welfare made it clear that in the subsequent years, care for the mentally handicapped would fall on voluntary agencies. The Society, therefore, launched a project to provide special schooling and workshop training to the mentally disabled, to establish research facilities for the study of causes and prevention of mental disability and also to find ways and means for their rehabilitation.
1967
The Building Fund was launched in November and within a short span the Society raised Rs.1,00,000/- through sale of Building Fund coupons and donations. This was matched by an equal grant by OXFAM. The Government of India also sanctioned a grant of Rs.84,000/- towards the Building Fund. The President of the Society Mrs. Yasho Karan Singh also made a personal contribution of Rs. 1 lakh to build a Holiday Home for the children.
1968
The Society acquired a plot of land, situated directly opposite the Holy Family Hospital, from the Delhi Development Authority, for the purpose of construction of its own building.
6