Sobti Parents Association

About us

We are the parents of visually impaired children having other multiple disabilities. We have organized ourselves and formed this organization Sobti Parents Association in 2004.
Our children are part of the Home Visit Programme of National Association for The Blind (NAB). We came together after a realization that individual efforts to bring up our children are going to be inadequate, we need to come together to help each other and it is essential that we create an organizational support system. This spurred us to start asking questions and try to find out various ways in which we can come together. It was the inspiration and help of NAB that motivated us to come together and form the Association. On this background it became essential for us—the parents of blind children having other multiple disabilities--to come together to form an organization and help ourselves in whatever way we can.

Our work:
Our children and youngsters are in the age group of 12 and 36 and all of them are visually impaired along with other handicaps such as Autism. Mental Retardation, Spasticity etc. We used to run two Vocational Centres, one at Thane and another at Andheri in Mumbai. In these Centres Special educators used to teach children & youngsters the skills like stinging beads to make imitation jewelry, pounding work for making chutneys, mukhawas and other such food items; painting and block printing for greeting cards etc. We also used to impart the skills for sorting and packing. These tasks used to be divided into four to five activities per day according to the urgency of orders..

Now since June 2017 we have shifted all our activities from Thane & Mumbai to to a Respite Care Facility at Tilsa, Taluka: Wada, District Palghar. This place is about 100 kms from Mumbai. All the Vocational Training Activities which used to happen at Thane & Mumbai Centres are being carried out at the Respite Care Facility.

Concept of Respite Care Facility:
In a long term perspective such variously challenged children & youngsters require a care giving institution permanently. Respite Care Facility is not an ORPHANAGE. The Respite Care Facility provides a healthy working and living environment as well as it helps these children and youngsters to maximize their limited potential to lead a happy and self satisfying life. The children & youngsters are being looked after, helped and trained by professionals. In the management of the facility, parents are also involved and parents are not allowed to abandon their children at the Facility. The children & youngsters go to their home at the weekends and return to the Facility during week days. The Association has assured the parents that after them the care of their children or youngsters would be taken by the Association at the Facility.

Usha Bal is the Director of this Respite Care Facility.

For other net participants we can offer an expert guidance through trained staff, give an expert opinion, procure expert information and establish new contacts in the field of our work.