
The Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO) and Samagra Shiksha Meghalaya organized an integrated state review meeting at Shillong Club to evaluate inclusive education and support systems for Children with Special Needs (CwSN). The meeting brought together district officers, special educators, and district coordinators to address key field-level challenges, infrastructure requirements, assistive support, and accessibility barriers, particularly highlighting how Meghalaya’s difficult terrain and digital connectivity gaps impact technology-enabled interventions in remote areas. Officials highlighted that 3,085 CwSN in Meghalaya and approximately 30,000 across the North-East have received support through inclusive education frameworks over the past five years. Emphasizing a paradigm shift, State Project Director Richa Kulkarni called for moving from a traditional medical model of disability to a social model that adapts environments, education systems, and technologies to fit individual needs rather than treating disability as a condition to fix. Reaffirming their joint commitment to building a more responsive ecosystem, both organizations stressed the need for greater societal sensitivity and active input from grassroots functionaries to ensure sustainable, long-term support for special-needs students across the state.
