The Spastics Society of Northern India (SSNI) came into being in 1978 with only 12 admissions. At present there are more than 1000 beneficiaries and their families receiving facilities in the five direct services, namely the Centre for Special Education, Vocational Training Centre (Vishwakarma Work Training Centre), the Home Management programme in Delhi and the Rural Community Based Rehabilitation project in Haryana. The Society has built a Regional Rehabilitation Centre in Hauz Khas, Delhi, in order to house all these and to extend its services to more children and adults with cerebral palsy.

Cerebral palsy is a condition caused by damage to the brain before, during or after birth. The damage may be minimal or severe leading to a multi-handicapping condition. The main symptom of the above is difficulty in coordinating the body's muscles, and occasionally intelligence may be impaired. Most important of all, cerebral palsy is not a disease nor it is an infection, it can occur in any family.

Facilities provided in all service projects are Physiotherapy; Family Support; Occupational Therapy, In-service Staff Training; Speech Therapy & Communication Training; Counselling; Medical Management; Special Education; Transport Parent Training; Provision of Aids and Appliances.

Projects run by the Organisation:

Centre for Special Education : This Day Centre set up in 1979, provides rehabilitation services to over 75 children with cerebral palsy. These students after completion of their studies to class 10 are helped to find employment or to be admitted to intermediate level in the mainstream regular schools.

Home Management Programme : Began in 1986, is a low cost family based rehabilitation programme located in Delhi. Here the skill and motivation, which most families have, is harnessed. Approximately, 650 families and children with disabilities benefit by attending weekly or fortnightly training sessions.

Vishwakarma Work Training Centre : It was set up as a job development centre in 1988 to identify vocations suitable for different categories of disabilities, to train and to have people with disabilities gainfully employed. The focus is on self, home based, sheltered and placement in open employment. SSNI runs its own training-cum-production centre and sheltered workshop through which the person with severe disability can earn.

The focus has been on low capital investment and allow use of the already existing Government infrastructure.

School of Rehabilitation Service (SRS ) set up in 1983, conducts the following courses:

1. One year PG course in Education of Physically and neurologically handicapped children.

1. Basic Development Therapy for physically and neurologically handicapped children.

1. Certificate courses in Special Education and Therapy for Rural Rehabilitation Workers (6 months.)

1. Non-formal training courses for rural and urban volunteers and workers in a range of subjects from screening and identification to rehabilitation (1 week to 3 months.)

1. In service training at all levels