NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR THE EMPOWERMENT OF PERSONS WITH VISUAL DISABILITIES

The National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Visual Disabilities (Divyangjan), Regional Center, is located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and functions under the parent body, the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Visual Disabilities (Divyangjan), Dehradun, formerly known as the National Institute for the Visually Handicapped (NIVH). The Chennai center was established in 1988 to provide rehabilitation services to the southern states of India. It renders vocational training at par with the main institute (NIEPVD) and also provides rehabilitation services to rural-based visually impaired persons through its Community Based Rehabilitation activities. Unlike the peripheral Regional Chapters at Kolkata and Secunderabad, which were established later in 1997 and are served by a small component of officers and staff transferred from the Headquarters, the Chennai Regional Centre is described as a full-fledged Institute with a staff strength of 30, headed by a Regional Director. The parent institute in Dehradun also coordinates and supervises other centers, such as the Composite Regional Centre for Persons with Disabilities in Sundernagar, Himachal Pradesh, established in 2001.