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"The fact that the entire household will be secure is a huge comfort and a security for our students and for us,” noted Dr Anaita Udwadia Hegde, medical director at Jai Vakeel Foundation and Research Centre (JVFRC). "More so for our students because of dependence on caregivers and inability to maintain social distance.”            
The Foundation sent Parsiana a press release after a vaccination drive organized by Jaslok Hospital for the school’s beneficiaries. Udwadia Hegde is a consultant in pediatric neurology at Jaslok. Students above 18 years and their team members were vaccinated free of charge. "Our students’ families, on sponsorship, were given the vaccine completely free,” stated a JVFRC note about the two-day drive on June 2 and 3, 2021. Parents and team members’ families were offered the vaccine at a nominal charge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jaslok Hospital chairperson Kanta Masand noted: "It’s incumbent upon us as a society to help those that are most vulnerable.” Realizing that for many of their students’ families, poverty, lack of accessible infrastructure, inability to register on the Co-WIN app, or simply navigating the large crowds at the vaccination centers were some of the challenges they were facing, the Foundation decided to hold the vaccination camp on their two-acre campus, noted the write-up. The Foundation’s chief executive officer Archana Chandra stated that "there has never been a more important time to take care of ourselves and each other…. (Our students) are a segment that is not prioritized. Within the disabilities space, Intellectual Development Disability (IDD) seems to be the most invisible… They are one of the most marginalized groups, experiencing widespread violations of their rights.”
Quoting a report in The New England Journal of Medicine, the Foundation’s press note stated that people with IDD are "more than two-and-a-half times more likely to contract Covid-19.” The Foundation believes that though "one in every 50 Indians, or over 26 million individuals have IDD, we as a society… are unable to actively address the needs of these individuals.”
The Foundation began educating teachers, parents and staff with tips on how to stay safe early March 2020 onwards. When the World Health Organization characterized Covid-19 as a pandemic, "we took a more directive stance and closed down the institute… Quick systems were put in place so that the work would not stop… The team came together to share resources and learnings with one another all the time, whilst keeping each other’s morale high, checking on each other… ensuring that no one feels alone or isolated… Teachers who weren’t that tech-savvy have evolved to become Zoom-pros.” Ideas and strategies were brainstormed "to ensure that we minimize the impact that closure of school would have on the students’ learning and that therapy wouldn’t stop,” noted an additional note. 
A group was set up to handle emergencies. "We identified 80 families who were experiencing loss of wages… We have provided them with daily essentials which would last for a month… we are also providing medicines for 15 of our families,” noted their public relations contact Anjali Sabnani.
Since many children could not understand why they were being kept confined to their homes, the Foundation introduced personalized video calls from teachers to help calm them and bring some relief to the parents. "We are currently in the process of creating a structured timetable that will mimic the school one through a resource bank of videos that will cater to different levels of functioning. We will be uploading multiple videos that cater to different times of the day,” Sabnani stated. 
The Foundation grew from a school set up in 1944 by Hormusjee and Jai Vakeel who wanted for their child Dina, who was born with Down’s Syndrome, "a place to thrive and be happy in… No such establishment existed then.” Their focus is on healthcare, education and skills development for children and adults with IDD at their campus at Sewri in Bombay and two rural centers.
Farrokh Jijina