Dr. Anjali Morris Education & Health Foundation Shared by Padma Rajurkar +91 95525 99341
Dr. Anjali Morris Education & Health Foundation
301 Gopur Apartment, Ghole Road, 1195/7 Shivaji Nagar, Pune – 411 005 CIN: U73100PN2008NPL131507 Tel: +91 20 25538157, 7378787914 Email: info@morrisfoundation.in Website: http://www.morrisfoundation.in
Dr Anjali Morris Education and Health Foundation
In 2008, Dr Anjali Morris Education and Health Foundation, abbreviated as Anjali Morris Foundation (AMF), was co-founded by Dr. Anjali Morris and Late Mr. Umakant Joshi as a section 25 Company non-for-profit (now a Section 8 Company under Companies Act 2013).
Purpose
The main focus of AMF is to work with students who have and could be at risk of Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD). As per global indicators 10 to 12 percent of school going students have SLD. This number in the Indian context is really mind boggling. As per 2022 statistics, India has 26.52 crore students in school. Using the global indicator, we can safely assume that we have 2.65 crore students who could have SLD.
We have made small but significant steps towards reaching out to all the stakeholders – Parents, Students and Teachers.
History of our Beginnings
The Bridging Over Learning Differences (BOLD) program was started in 2003, under the Rose and Lora Morris Trust, with the vision to provide academic assistance and support to students who face extraordinary challenges in the classrooms due to Specific Learning Disabilities. The program was launched as a pilot project in a school with just six students and two teachers. This was the only NGO who was identifying and providing intervention to children who had learning difficulties in the Pune region and the rest of Maharashtra, except Mumbai.
Our Vision
To make available to students, with Specific Learning Disabilities, specialised support and intervention so they become effective learners and Productive members of Society.
Mission
To enable academic success in students with Specific Learning Disabilities by:
- Teaching them strategies and skills using evidence-based interventions in individual and group settings
- Training teachers to identify students with SLDs/ADHD and provide evidence-based Interventions
- Educating and supporting parents of children with SLDs/ADHD
- Supporting efforts of schools and other organizations to replicate our program ● We run a 960-hour fellowship for Masters Psychology Students
- Participating in research projects, whenever possible, which could further the understanding of these disabilities
Our current Standing
17 years later we are happy to share the progress we have made in our chosen field of work. AMF conducts the following four programs to assist students under its flagship program – ‘Bridging Over Learning Disabilities (BOLD)’
- Direct Service: The Foundation assesses students at risk of or with SLD and ADHD and offers interventions on one-on-one basis or in small groups.
- Technically Assisted Projects (TAP): AMF offers technical expertise to schools to set up their own resource center through our TAP. This helps us reach out to students indirectly.
- Training Programs: Since there is a limited number ofstudents AMF can help directly, we conduct short workshops, and Skill Enhancement Program (SEP) for classroom teachers and professionals working in the field of Special Education. AMF also focuses on sensitizing other stakeholders such as the school administration/management, classroom teachers, special educators and parents, who are important for assisting students identified with SLD and/or ADHD to achieve academic success.
- Research: AMF has been conducting a multiyear research project in developing a curriculum-based assessment measures (Oral Reading Fluency) in Marathi. We are the only organisation who is developing a CBM in an Indian language. This project was initiated in collaboration with Drs Roland Good and Ruth Kaminski from Acadience Learning Inc., USA. Drs Good and Kaminski are authors of the DIBELS tool used to measure Oral Reading Fluency in English and the pair has worked in other languages too.
AMF is also into developing formative and summative assessment tools for identifying at-risk students in Marathi medium from 1st to 6th grade.
AMF is the only organisation in India to be certified by International Dyslexia Association.
Dr Anjali Morris Education and Health Foundation
In 2008, Dr Anjali Morris Education and Health Foundation, abbreviated as Anjali Morris Foundation (AMF), was co-founded by Dr. Anjali Morris and Late Mr. Umakant Joshi as a section 25 Company non-for-profit (now a Section 8 Company under Companies Act 2013).
Purpose
The main focus of AMF is to work with students who have and could be at risk of Specific
Learning Disabilities (SLD). As per global indicators 10 to 12 percent of school going students
have SLD. This number in the Indian context is really mind boggling. As per 2022 statistics,
India has 26.52 crore students in school. Using the global indicator, we can safely assume that
we have 2.65 crore students who could have SLD.
We have made small but significant steps towards reaching out to all the stakeholders – Parents,
Students and Teachers.
History of our Beginnings
The Bridging Over Learning Differences (BOLD) program was started in 2003, under the Rose
and Lora Morris Trust, with the vision to provide academic assistance and support to students
who face extraordinary challenges in the classrooms due to Specific Learning Disabilities. The
program was launched as a pilot project in a school with just six students and two teachers. This
was the only NGO who was identifying and providing intervention to children who had learning
difficulties in the Pune region and the rest of Maharashtra, except Mumbai.
Our Vision
To make available to students, with Specific Learning Disabilities, specialised support and
intervention so they become effective learners and Productive members of Society.
Mission
To enable academic success in students with Specific Learning Disabilities by:
● Teaching them strategies and skills using evidence-based interventions in individual
and group settings
● Training teachers to identify students with SLDs/ADHD and provide evidence-based
Interventions
● Educating and supporting parents of children with SLDs/ADHD
● Supporting efforts of schools and other organizations to replicate our program
● We run a 960-hour fellowship for Masters Psychology Students
● Participating in research projects, whenever possible, which could further the
understanding of these disabilities
Our current Standing
17 years later we are happy to share the progress we have made in our chosen field of work.
AMF conducts the following four programs to assist students under its flagship program –
‘Bridging Over Learning Disabilities (BOLD)’
● Direct Service: The Foundation assesses students at risk of or with SLD and ADHD
and offers interventions on one-on-one basis or in small groups.
● Technically Assisted Projects (TAP): AMF offers technical expertise to schools to set
up their own resource center through our TAP. This helps us reach out to students
indirectly.
● Training Programs: Since there is a limited number ofstudents AMF can help directly,
we conduct short workshops, and Skill Enhancement Program (SEP) for classroom
teachers and professionals working in the field of Special Education. AMF also focuses
on sensitizing other stakeholders such as the school administration/management,
classroom teachers, special educators and parents, who are important for assisting
students identified with SLD and/or ADHD to achieve academic success.
● Research: AMF has been conducting a multiyear research project in developing a
curriculum-based assessment measures (Oral Reading Fluency) in Marathi. We are the
only organisation who is developing a CBM in an Indian language. This project was
initiated in collaboration with Drs Roland Good and Ruth Kaminski from Acadience
Learning Inc., USA. Drs Good and Kaminski are authors of the DIBELS tool used to
measure Oral Reading Fluency in English and the pair has worked in other languages
too.
AMF is also into developing formative and summative assessment tools for
identifying at-risk students in Marathi medium from 1st to 6
th grade.
AMF is the only organisation in India to be certified by International Dyslexia Association.
========================================= ========================
Arya Dhanurkar’s Journey with Dyslexia
(We have consent from the student and the parents to share his story)
In the year 2014 Arya was 8 years old. His mother was told by the school
authorities that her son had no future in academics. The parents took the
child from place to place to understand the problem. They finally went to
Sassoon Hospital for psychoeducational assessments. The evaluation
report indicated that the child had Dyslexia. They were given the reference
of Dr Anjali Morris Education and Health Foundation.
The mother came with very little hope – her only ask was from us was to
teach her son to read the name of the destination and bus number on the
destination plate of public transport. (PMT buses) She thought this would
help him to be independent to commute as an adult.
Cut to 2022 the young boy Passed his grade 10 with flying colours. (94 %)
The boy and his mother came to our centre 3 times a week for close to 7
years. We helped him learn strategies which helped him read,
comprehend and reproduce as a written answer all his subject content.
(Orally he was fine. However, the education system does not allow for Oral
examinations for bench mark exams) This student had only Dyslexia- that
is difficulty with reading.
What is heartening is the next phase of this young adult. (Post grade 10
we normally do not support students as they do not need any more
intervention.) We did not support Arya
The boy joined Ferguson college in grade 11. He was keen to peruse a
design course for his bachelor’s degree. He gave the Pan India Design
Aptitude Exam. He got admission into one of the design schools. These
results come before the grade 12 exams. These admissions are
conditional to clearing grade 12. Arya took a very bold decision to take on
his grade 12 board exams with out any accommodations.
(Accommodations are mentioned below for reference) He was confident
that he would pass. He also wanted to see if he for ready to take on bigger
challenges with out the support of any kind of crutch. He communicated
his decision to his parents and prepared for his grade 12 exams. He needed
35% to pass. Arya knew how to write his exams from years of training at
AMF.
Arya Passed his grade 12 exam scoring 78% in March 2024 with no support
or accommodations which he is entitled to by law. Currently he is doing
his 4-year design course.
Stories like this make our resolve stronger to continue to work with
students with SLD. Being a hidden handicap the students very often are
not taken seriously and chided by teachers and peers alike. I have shared
another success story in my presentation. That student is pursuing his
Bachelors in commerce.
Accommodations
The RPWD act of 2016 has provide for certain accommodations for
students with SLD.
Universal accommodation for students with SLD is extra time. The get 25%
more time as their processing time is longer.
Students with Dyslexia are allowed a Reader
Students with Dysgraphia are allowed a scribe
Students with Dyscalculia are allowed a calculator.
Students having Dyslexia and Dysgraphia, will get a scribe who will read
the question for them and also extra time. Similarly, the accommodations
are granted based on the requirement of the student
AMF Presentation
Pl click on this link to view the work done by AMF and its information
