Social Work Intervention with the Disabled and Their Families

OC 28: Social Work Intervention with the Disabled and their Families

Case Study: Select a family of the disabled child/PWD (person with disability). Become acquainted with the PWD/ family through interviews.

Case: Jeevan Anand Chavan, 25 years

• Introduction

Jeevan Anand Chavan is a 25 year old, enthusiastic individual whose vivacity takes you by surprise and makes you want to know more of him. He is working as a Project Coordinator (Self-Employment Scheme) at The Muncherjee Nowrojee Banajee Industrial Home for the Blind. He finished his HSC from King George School, Dadar with a envious score of 82% and went on to do his SSC and Bachelors in Arts at S.I.E.S College, Sion. After that Jeevan went on to do an MA in Social Work from the prestigious Tata Institute of Social Sciences and specialized in Urban and Rural Community Development. Currently, he is pursuing his LLB from the Government Law College, Mumbai. Jeevan has been visually impaired for the past 20 years of his life.

When I went to The Muncherjee Nowrojee Banajee Industrial Home for the Blind and expressed that I want to speak to him in particular, Jeevan asked me why I wished to study his case in particular. Well, it was a deliberate choice I agree. Let me offer an explanation.

When I met Jeevan for the first time I was totally intrigued by his personality. He nullified all previous conceptions and perceptions I had of visually impaired people in particular and of the disabled in general. He exuded such a sense of independence and confidence that I had not felt myself in a long time. Also, from what I noticed, Jeevan hardly spoke of the bleak side of the disability that we had, for all this while, studied in this course i.e. Social Work Intervention with the Disabled and their Families. This is what made me want to explore his case and see what is it that keeps people like Jeevan who have been shaken by odds, keep going, and going very smoothly, becoming an inspiration for most around them.

• Family and Socio-economic background

Jeevan has lived in a nuclear family all his life that constitutes of his father, mother and younger brother.

The relationships between the family members can be explained