Disha - Early Intervention and School Readiness Scheme

What is the Disha scheme?

Disha is an early intervention and school-readiness scheme of the National Trust, a statutory body set up under the National Trust for the Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities Act, 1999, which works under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Disha is aimed at children aged 0-10 years with the disabilities covered under that Act, and it works by supporting registered organisations to set up Disha Centres for therapy, training and family support.

According to the National Trust, the core idea of Disha is early intervention - reaching a child in the first years of life, when structured therapy has the greatest effect on development. The scheme prepares children for inclusive education and wider participation in society by building life skills and school readiness before the child moves into mainstream or special schooling.

Disha is a service scheme, not a cash-transfer scheme. No money is paid into a family's bank account. Instead, the National Trust funds registered organisations to run centres, and families access therapy and day care through those centres.

Which disabilities and ages does Disha cover?

Disha covers the four disabilities specified in the National Trust Act:

• Autism
• Cerebral palsy
• Intellectual disability (referred to as mental retardation in the Act)
• Multiple disabilities involving two or more of the above

The scheme is designed for children aged 0 to 10 years. Early intervention in this age band focuses on developmental therapy, sensory and motor skills, communication, and preparing the child for a school setting.

What does a Disha Centre provide?

A registered organisation running a Disha Centre must, according to the National Trust guidelines, provide day-care facilities for at least 4 hours a day, between 8 am and 6 pm, with age-specific activities. Typical services include:

• Physiotherapy for motor development
• Occupational therapy for daily-living and fine-motor skills
• Speech therapy for communication
• Behavioural intervention and structured early-learning activities
• Counselling and training for parents and caregivers, so support continues at home

To deliver these, a Disha Centre is expected to have a special educator or early intervention therapist, a physiotherapist or occupational therapist, a counsellor, and caregivers and support staff.

Who is eligible for Disha?

A child can be enrolled if:

• The child is aged 0 to 10 years.
• The child has a disability certificate for autism, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability or multiple disabilities under the National Trust Act.
• The parents or guardian can access a registered Disha Centre.

Who cannot use Disha:

• Children above 10 years of age - for them the National Trust runs the Vikaas day-care scheme, and Disha-cum-Vikaas centres in some locations bridge the two.
• Children whose condition is not among the four National Trust disabilities are not eligible under this particular scheme.
• Organisations that are not registered with the National Trust cannot apply to run a Disha Centre.

Because Disha delivers a service rather than a personal cash benefit, there is no individual online application, income test or means test for the family in the way a scholarship or pension scheme has.

What documents are required for Disha?

How to apply for Disha

For parents and families, enrolment is done directly at a registered Disha Centre:

1. Find a registered Disha Centre near you. Use the National Trust website (thenationaltrust.gov.in) list of registered organisations, or ask your district disability office or local National Trust-registered NGO.
2. Visit the centre with the child's disability certificate, age proof and your own ID proof.
3. Complete the centre's enrolment and an initial assessment, after which the therapy and day-care plan for the child is drawn up.
4. Attend regularly so the child receives the daily early-intervention sessions the scheme is designed to provide.

For an organisation that wants to run a Disha Centre:

1. Register with the National Trust as a Registered Organisation (RO).
2. Apply under the Disha scheme guidelines, meeting the required staffing and infrastructure norms.
3. Run the centre as per the scheme's day-care, therapy and family-support conditions once approved and funded.

Help and contact

• National Trust general contact: 011-65216000
• Email: contactus[at]thenationaltrust[dot]in
• Office: 6th Floor, NISD Building, Plot No. G-2, Sector-10, Dwarka, New Delhi-110075

Because eligibility, staffing norms and the list of registered centres are updated by the National Trust from time to time, families should confirm the nearest active Disha Centre and current admission conditions with the National Trust or the registered organisation directly.