Indumathi Rao

CBR Network (South Asia)

Mrs. Indumathi Rao is the Regional Advisor for the Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) NETWORK in South Asia. Mrs. Rao has a first degree in science from the University of Bangalore, training from the Association Montessori International and an advanced diploma in the education of handicapped children from the University of Manchester. She was the founder of the Niveditha Shishu Kendra Integrated Day Care Centre for children with learning difficulties and has been (among other things) Chief Advisor to Niveditha Manovikasa Kendra (a self-help group of parents of children with disabilities), a member of the Task Force to draft public policy on disability for the government of Karnataka State, secretary to the advisory committee to promote the integrated education of children with disabilities in Karnataka State, a former member of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (India), and South Asian Regional Coordinator of the Community Based Rehabilitation Network.

She is chairperson for south zone of Rehabilitation Council of India and governing council member of Council for Advancement of People's Action and Rural Technology (CAPART) started by the rural development ministry. She is editor of several publications produced regularly by CBR NETWORK as well as five booklets, in a series "From Panchayath to Parliament", on integrating disabled people into mainstream development programs. She is co-author (with Einar Helander) of "Developing Community Based Rehabilitation Programs in South Asia" and author of "Self Help mutual aid groups: a CBR model in India" in Prejudice and Dignity, (ed) Einar Helander published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).She has authored a manual titled ”How to develop rights based society thorough disability rights citizens charters," Portage early childhood education which is translated into nine south Asian languages and a CBR resource kit.

About CBR NETWORK (South Asia)

CBR NETWORK (South Asia) is an international Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) working towards networking of all NGOs active in the field of Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) and Education of Persons with Disabilities, Women and Rural Development. With its regional office in Bangalore, in India, the CBR NETWORK is spread over more than thirteen states in India. At the international level, the CBR NETWORK is linked with Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka. Since its inception in 1993, CBR NETWORK is very active in accomplishing the snowballing effect through Dissemination of Information, Technical support, Training, Planning and Management of CBR Programs, Research and Publications.

CBR NETWORK uses Community Based Rehabilitation as a strategy to approach the community and the government for the rehabilitation and inclusion of people with disabilities in all developmental programs and protection of their human rights. The main thrust is given to Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD), Inclusive Education of Children with Disabilities in mainstream schools, Human Resource Development for rehabilitation activities through training, transfer of technology and skills, advocacy to influence public policies, research and publications. CBR NETWORK has been a consultant agency to United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), Action Aid, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), UNICEF, UNESCO and National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). It has implemented World Bank assisted project Udhsiha Portage, a large-scale early childhood inclusive education program. Bangalore University and Karnataka state open Universities have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with CBR NETWORK for technical cooperation to develop human resources for the programs in Community Based Rehabilitation and Inclusive education.