Seeing a mentally challenged 13-year-old tied and locked in a room for eight hours every day while her mother, a labourer, went to work, triggered the birth of Satya Special School. With determination to ‘reach the unreached’, the non-profit was founded in 2003.

To alter the continuum of neglect faced by the intellectually disabled, and the unfortunate social stigma that goes with it, Satya strive to make social inclusion a reality through their education, training and individual rehabilitation programmes.

Take, Natheshwari, for example, who was born with cerebral palsy and was brought to Satya in 2010. Noticing the 12-year-old’s zeal to be independent and her interest in craft, she was soon shifted to their vocational training centre where she pursued paper quilling. Though initially she found it difficult to work with her hands, with support and training she mastered the craft and now, aged 16 years, is on the path of turning a passion into her livelihood.

At present, Satya have more than 790 children with special needs under their wing. They function in four urban and three rural centres and also have a newborn high-risk clinic - one of its kind in South India - which has identified more than 500 children born with a risk of developmental delay. Plus, their mobile therapy unit covers 44 villages in Puducherry, providing home-based care for 124 differently-abled children. All Satya's services are free as 75% of beneficiaries belong to families below the poverty line.

Amudha from Puducherry had lost all hope after doctors gave up on her severely disabled daughter and told her that she would not be able to lead a normal life - till she found Satya. Now, with their care, 10-year-old Ananya is able to walk with support and also tries to say a few words.

“Satya are a real boon to families of children with special needs. The dedication and commitment of the staff have ensured that children like my daughter are not forgotten or wished away. Satya have changed our lives and actually given hope to these forgotten children,” says Amudha.

Support Satya on their mission to change the current fragmented rehabilitation system for intellectually disabled children into an integrated, holistic one - and create a socially inclusive society.