Key Highlights
- In July 2025, NIEPID and Jai Vakeel Foundation signed an MoU establishing a single, scalable curriculum for children with intellectual disabilities across India.
- The DISHA scheme integrates multisensory VAKT methods and a Interest–Teach–Apply framework, supported by a web‑based portal that logs assessments and streams materials.
- Partnership will deliver Individualised Education Plans IEPs, teacher training modules, and bilingual printed resources distributed under the DALM initiative.
- Proof of concept in Maharashtra already serves over 18,000 learners, 2,600 educators and 453 schools; the national plan targets free, reusable study aids in multiple regional languages.
Detailed Insights
The Memorandum, signed in Mumbai on 18 July 2025, links the National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities NIEPID with the Jai Vakeel Foundation JVF to close a longstanding gap: the absence of a uniform educational framework for CwID. By adopting the DISHA curriculum, institutions can standardise teaching methods, assessment rubrics and learning materials, ensuring consistency across the country.
The DISHA approach is built on the evidence‑based VAKT model and the Interest–Teach–Apply cycle. It is complemented by a digital portal that records skill‑based checkpoints, monitors progress and disseminates lesson plans to teachers and parents.
Teacher capacity is strengthened through multi‑module training, including classroom strategies, data analysis for IEP creation and leadership practices. Parents receive guidance on monitoring learning goals, and the program’s alignment with SDG 4 and SDG 10 underscores its role in promoting quality education and reducing inequalities.
Key Concepts
Intellectual Disability: a developmental condition characterised by significant limitations in intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviour, impacting learning, communication and daily living.
Individualised Education Plan IEP: a custom design of educational objectives, supports and assessment methods that align with a child’s specific needs.
DISHA Curriculum: a national framework that blends multisensory VAKT techniques with the Interest–Teach–Apply model, supported by an online portal for delivery and monitoring.
DALM Scheme: the Digital Access to Learning Materials initiative that supplies free, reusable books and teaching aids in regional languages to schools and centres for children with intellectual disabilities.
VAKT Model: an instructional design that integrates visual auditory kinesthetic and tactile learning modalities to enhance comprehension and retention.