Background: People with intellectual disabilities (ID), especially living in rural and resource poor settings, face enormous hurdles in receiving the rehabilitation services.
Objective: this study primarily described the planning and interventional approach of community based programs in addressing the needs of people with ID in resource poor setting in India.
Method and Material: the broader planning and interventional approach of three community based rehabilitation projects is described and discussed.
Result: this study found that various needs of people with ID, such as physical, academic, behavioral, social, and occupational can be addressed in community based rehabilitation program by following the bottom up planning approach and community based intervention at three levels: community, family and individual.
Conclusion: community based interventions appear as an option in meeting the needs of ID population especially in resource poor settings in India. Further research is suggested to explore more evidences of its use in ID, and systematize for implementing in various settings with different issues related with ID population.
