In collaboration with UNFPA Odisha and People’s Rural Education Movement (PREM), Rising Flame is conceptualising and building life skills education curriculum for students in Classes 5 to 7 and Classes 8 to 10 in Deaf Schools and Blind schools of Odisha. This curriculum bridges the knowledge and information gaps in these special schools and provides crucial resources for adolescents with disabilities to develop their sense of self and build leaders of tomorrow.
This programme is part of a government collaboration and will reach over 100 special schools with more than 5000 children with disabilities in the state.
The life skills education curriculum is being built keeping teachers, educators and resource persons working with students with disabilities in mind. It centers the crucial early adolescent and middle adolescent years. The manuals aim to create a safe space where learners are encouraged to communicate, understand and participate, without being restricted. The curriculum for adolescents with disabilities considers challenges unique to specific experiences of disability and works towards building their sense of self, confidence in relationships, social connections and community engagement. Additionally, the curriculum focuses on sensitive and challenging subjects such as disability, discrimination, and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) themes, such as adolescence and puberty, privacy, gender stereotypes, safety, and abuse, addresses the stigma and taboo associated with these topics.
The project will then be implemented by training the teachers of special schools who will further implement this year long curriculum for children with disabilities in their special schools.