Dr.T.S.Chandrasekar

IQ Assessment and Career Counselling of school children with disabilities as per their intellectual capability (IQ) has not been reported in India as per available literature and broad-based internet research. Like any other normal children, disabled children too have dreams and ambitions, but the disability has an impact on them resulting in compromised IQ.

Presently IQ based evaluation criteria for categorizing the disabled students for channelizing them for higher education and employment options has not been put into practice by HR Managers and Education Consultants.

This has placed the disabled children at a definite disadvantage by pressurizing the children to take up sub-standard occupations.

Medlndia Charitable Trust, tookup the challenge and organized a pilot project for disabled + 2 school students of Chennai City schools, who have compromised IQ, who were screened for IQ Assessment & Career Counselling, enabling the students decide on their career choices, such as employment (or) higher studies, helping them achieve self sufficiency.

This pilot project executed in Chennai City by Medlndia Charitable Trust, has been widely acclaimed for its innovative approach and appreciated by the Tamil Nadu Innovation Initiatives (TANI) and approved by the State Planning Commission, Government of Tamil Nadu. This project, now, is being taken up for implementation in Schools for the DifferentlyAbled throughout the State of Tamil Nadu.

This project identifies the strength and deficiency of the candidate and directs them either to an academic career or to a suitable employment, as identified by the assessment. This guidance, hitherto not done earlier, will be a key for the school leaving students to make them financially independent. An additional benefit will be the linkage of the students with an employment service provider.

This project is likely to help the disabled children financially self-sufficient by selecting suitable career, such as pursuing higher education (or) get suitable employment options through their IQ. By identifying their IQ and providing them with matching career options will be a great boon for them either to progress for higher studies or guide them to choose from various vocational options as dictated by their IQ.