With Sixty Years of Impact, WORTH
Trust Launches Inspiring Book Celebr ating Its Legacy and Vision for Inclusi on
Chennai, 9th January, 2025: The Works hop for the Rehabilitation and Trainin g of the Handicapped (WORTH) Trust, api oneer in empowering differently a bled people, celebrated its Diamond J ubilee, marking six decades of transf formative impact. Commemorating th is milestone, the trust unveiled a spec cial book chronic ling its inspiring jou urney of fostering inc lusion, indepen endence, and empowerment titled – The WORTH Trust Story – A Sa ga of e nabling the differently-abled. The bo ok was unveiled by Mr. C. Antonysam y, Patron and Former Managing Direc ctor, WORTH Trust. The grand book launch witnessed the presence of the renowned columnist, music historian, and heritage connoisseur, Mr. Sriram V who also au thored the legacy book; accompanied b y Mr. Harish Lakshm an, Chairman of W ORTH Trust alongsi de several other dignitaries.
Following the unveiling, the book was presented by Mr. R. Parthasarathy, Fo rmer ormer Chairman, WORTH Trust to Mr. C Antonysamy, Patron and For mer Managing Director, WORTH Trust, Mr. Ranjit P rkatap, Former Chairman, WORTH Trus t handed the book over to Mr. MV Subbi ah, Patron and Form er Chairman, WOR TH Trust while Mr. Harish Lakshman, Chairman, WORTH Trust presented it to Mr. Viji Santhana m, Patron, Former Chairman of WORT H Trust.
The book features a heartfelt prelude b y the Honorable Chief Minister of T amil Nadu, Thiru MK Stalin, who highli ghted the trust’s dedicated service in the rehabilitation, education, training, employ y ment and empowerment of persons wi ith disabilities.
Reflecting on the occasion, Mr. Harish Lakshman, Chairman, WORTH Trust, sa id, “Sixty years ago, WORTH Trust emba rked on a journey to empower different ly abled people, and today, w e stand as a testament to their indomi table spirit. Th is book is more than a chronicle of the hi story—it is a celeb ration of lives transfo rmed, a symbol of what inclusion truly means. It show cases the incredible resil sili silience of individuals who turned ch allenges into opportunities and became role m odels for society. As we celebrate this milestone, our vision for the future r emains steadfast: to expand Trust’s re ach and continue creating pathways for dignity and self-reliance. The trus t’s leg gacy is a shared achievement, and I ext end my heartfelt gratitude to every sta keholder, beneficiary, and su pporter wh o made this journey positive ible.”
Adding to this, Mr Sriram V, renowned columnist, music historian, heritage connoisseur and the author of the boo k, said, “Documenting WORTH Trust’s journ ey was an inspiring experience. The stori es of courage and determina tion woven through this book highlig h t how a collec tive mission can redefin e societal perceptions. I believe this b ook will serve as a beacon of hope and a call to action for a more inclusive fu ture.” Founded in 1965 , WORTH Trust has been at the forefront of rehabiitai on and vocational trainin g for the di fferently abled. Over the yea rs, the tr trust has established training centers, production units, and educational ini tiatives that empower individuals to l ead independent and dignified lives. Th e book encapsulates this six-decade jou rney, emphasizing milestones such as th e establishment of skill developm ent centers catering to trades like engi neering, welding, horticulture and Sm art Phone Technician cum App Tester; the development of inclusive employ ment models that integrate the differe ntly abled into the mainstream workf orce; and community outreach progra ms that have provided aids & applianc es, educational and medical support to t he Differently Abled.
The celebration, held in Chennai, brou ght together dignitaries, stakeholders, alumni, and supporters from across th e country. The event honored WORTH Trus t’s legacy of reshaping societal pr cepti ons about disability and creating path w ays for individuals to lead digni fied, self-reliant lives.
About WORTH Trust: WOrkshop for th e Rehabilitation and Training of the H andicapped (WORTH) was established in 1 963 by the Swedish Red Cross wi th the objective of rehabilitating leprosy cure ed persons generally ostracized by society, through O industrial traini ng and employment. WORTH Trust tod ay, is a Fully Se lf-sustained Rehabilita tion Organizatio n. The production cen ters, which emplo y mostly persons wi th disabilities, enab le them to genera te a surplus, with whic h the entire co st of its Technical Training Centers for the Speech & Hearing Impaired and P hysically Challenged boys and girls, Sc hool for Speech and Hearing Im paired children, Early Intervention Centre for the Speech & Hearing Impaired In fant s, Early Intervention Centre for Infa nt s with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Day Activity Centre for the Intellectually C hallenged children, Arts & Crafts Cent re f or the Intellectually Challenged an d out reach activities are met. Register ed as a charitable Trust, WORTH is ma naged by a Board of Trustees made up of eminent persons in diverse fields, united in their common interest in the service of perso ns with disabilities.
