5.1 Profile of Governmental Organizations for Persons with disabilities

The Ministry of Education oversees special education programs including Special Education schools, integrated and inclusion programs. The Ministry also oversees teachersﾒ training colleges, universities and other training schemes providing professional training for teachers involved in special education.

The Department of Social Welfare falls under the Ministry and is the primary agency handling issues for PWDs. The Department has developed its own mechanism for the collection and analysis of data and provides information to various agencies on matters relating to disability. The Department undertakes the registration of PWDs.

The institute was established in 1947 by the then Ministry of Social Welfare and was known as the State Home for Children. In 1978, the institution was designated for the care and training of mentally handicapped children. Accordingly it was renamed to its current name in honour of its Royal Patron, DYMM Tuanku Ampuan of Negeri Sembilan. Until 1983, the institution provided care for all categories of mentally handicapped children with low to average functioning abilities. Those who were not educable were only given care and treatment. From 1984, it accepted only children below the age of 14 and who were educable. Since 1994, the institution has been gazetted as a shelter home for needy children under the Child Protection Act, 1991. Today the institution is home to about 100 children of various races. The children of the institution suffer from diseases such as cerebral palsy, Down's Syndrome, hydrocephalus, mental retardation, speech defects and deafness.