Mental retardation is a kind of deformity. It is found that 2% of the infants are mentally retarded. Generally, mental retardation is a result of the malfunctioning of the brain. In some cases, it is caused by illness after birth. The children afflicted by this need our help, support & love to get about in the world. They cannot ever become quite like you and me; but each one has a desire to do something and be independent. The mission of Matimand Vikas Shikshan Mandal is to help such children to achieve this goal.

There was a mentally retarded girl called Jyotsna in a middle-class family in Ahmednagar. All her brothers and sisters were studying in a general

school. Jyotsna also had fascination for learning. However, other children annoyed her in that school. So her mother, Mrs. Vasanti Khandagale, decided to take the responsibility of teaching her daughter. At the same time she thought that she could teach other children similarly affected. When she began on 2nd Jan.1978, she had only two students. Such was the beginning of a school which later flourished. The school was registered in 1981 and got government recognition in 1985. The school has 60 students entitled at present & has a trained staff of 13 persons. Dr. Suchit Tamboli as Honarary Medical Officer visit the institution regularly & examine the student.