Historically in India, persons with disabilities enjoyed co-existence, though at different times, the treatment and attitudes were at variance. Out of all the types of disabilities, an intellectual disability poses greater challenges than the other types.

Special educational services for children with intellectual disabilities in India are mostly provided by nongovernmental organizations. Described is a study designed to assess the impact of professional "teamwork" in special schools run by such nongovernmental organizations in India. The sample consisted of 112 rehabilitation professionals who attended a short-term training program at the National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped, and who were randomly selected from a range of nongovernmental organizations running such schools representing various parts of the country. Comparison of the teamwork scores in relation to the functional area of work using a F-test for unequal "n" revealed greater teamwork present among regular (line function) professionals (such as the educators and therapists) than among support staff (such as administrators), supporting the hypothesis that the application of professional teamwork is a useful device in special school settings. The results were interpreted against the background of organizational effectiveness in the context of special education services and it was suggested that additional research needs to be directed at the dynamics of the teamwork process and to better understanding why support staff reflect low involvement in teamwork in India.

The aim of this study was to find out areas for improvement in the system of special schools for mental retardation in India and to provide policy guidance. It attempted to find out regional variations between special schools in terms of service facilities, numbers of students enrolled in both day-care and residential facilities and composition and profile of human resources vis-à-vis students and special schools and to compare them with trends for the whole of India. The results indicate that enrollment of girl students is very low (37%) and that the staff-to-student ratio on average is 1:6 leaving scope for better utilization of the existing infrastructure. The study points out that the south and west regions account for 73% of special educational facilities while 26% of the schools provide residential facilities. Further the results indicate that only 31% of the special schools provide early intervention and early childhood education facilities. They also indicate that composition and deployment of staff is lopsided and there are wide variations among regions and within the different categories of staff. It is observed that staff profile comprises 51% special teachers, 31% rehabilitation professionals and 18% support staff. Based on the findings, seven major areas have emerged for improvement: regional balance in the growth of special schools, comprehensive services, equality between the sexes, full-time, qualified staff and optimal utilization of the existing infrastructure.

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