The District Disability Rehabilitation Centres (DDRCs) were envisioned as grassroots-level support systems to ensure that persons with disabilities can access rehabilitation, medical evaluation, therapy, counselling, and assistive devices within their own communities. Designed as a bridge between government services and the people who need them most, DDRCs aim to make disability support more accessible, inclusive, and community-oriented. They have been set up under the ‘Scheme for Implementation of Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (SIPDA)’. The DDRCs are managed by a District Management Team (DMT) and a reputed NGO of the District.
In Dehradun, the District Disability Rehabilitation Centre is being run by Raphael in collaboration with the District Administration. Raphael was appointed to manage the centre, with operations formally commencing on November 2025. Located within the Gandhi Shatabdi Hospital on Pritam Road, the DDRC has since become an important point of access for persons with disabilities and their families across the district.
The objectives of the DDRC are as follows:
- Survey and identification of persons with disabilities; facilitation of government concessions and schemes; issue of Unique Disability Identification Card (UDID).
- Awareness generation for early detection and early intervention.
- Assessment and provision of assistive devices.
- Therapeutic services.
- Family counselling.
- Provide orientation and training to teachers.
- Provide counselling and vocational training to persons with disability.
- Provide referral services.
Despite the wide range of free services available, awareness about the DDRC continues to remain limited. For many people, the centre is still primarily associated with disability certificates, UDID cards, and assistive appliances. Till date, the centre has facilitated nearly 600 UDID cards, 600 new disability certificates and renewed around 250 existing certificates, helping hundreds of individuals access government schemes and entitlements. To date, 25 camps across 6 blocks of Dehradun -Raipur, Doiwala, Sahaspur, Vikasnagar, Chakrata and Kalsi have been organised. The DDRC has also supported beneficiaries in obtaining assistive devices that improve mobility, communication, and independence.
While these services are vital, they represent only one aspect of the broader rehabilitation and support system that the DDRC has been established to provide.
Staffed by a multidisciplinary team of 12 specialists — including special educators, a speech therapist, psychologist, physiotherapist, and vocational counsellor — the centre caters to all 21 disabilities recognised under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. Therapy, counselling, rehabilitation guidance, vocational support, and outreach-based awareness programmes are all provided free of cost.
A significant part of the DDRC’s smooth functioning has been the role played by Raphael. Drawing upon its decades of experience in disability rehabilitation and community-based support, the organisation has been instrumental in coordinating services, conducting outreach activities, and ensuring day-to-day operations at the centre. Many DDRCs across the country have largely failed in the role envisioned for them because there is no collaboration between the NGO and the government systems. Recognising such partnerships is important because the success of initiatives like the DDRC depends on sustained collaboration between government systems and experienced grassroots organisations. Greater awareness among the public, stronger institutional support, and wider recognition of collaborative efforts can help ensure that the DDRC evolves into a truly comprehensive rehabilitation and inclusion centre — one that is known not only for certificates and appliances, but also for empowerment, therapy, guidance, and community-based support for persons with disabilities and their families.
(Contributed by Raphael)
