The Rehabilitation Center for the Communication Impaired (RCCI) is a not for profit organisation established in 1993 to care for children and adults with special needs. It was founded by Shiranee Joseph-De Saram, a Consultant Speech Language Therapist who set up the first speech therapy clinic at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital and the National Hospital of Sri Lanka(General Hospital) in the 80s with the support of Dr. J.B. Peiris, the Founder of the Institute of Neurology at the NHSL, and Save the Children Fund. The Centre was established to provide training and support for those with Autism, Cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome, learning disabilities, and other disorders in a school-like setting leveraging Mrs. Joseph-De Saram’s extensive experience both in Sri Lanka and the UK (including Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children, The Royal Free Hospital, St Bartholomew’s Hospital and many others).

Today, the RCCI continues to strive for a world where every person with special needs has the opportunity to access education, embrace expanded possibilities and reach their full potential for independence. We incorporate Speech and Language Therapy into our teaching programme and place an emphasis on the development of social communication skills to facilitate integration into society. Specific activities are planned according to the student’s needs based on an Individual Education Plan. We have also launched a School Readiness Program for children aged 4-7 to build foundation skills for the classroom, including those in mainstream schools, and a Vocational Training/ Work Readiness Program to provide young adults with the skills needed to enter the work force.

Our multidisciplinary approach unites the core RCCI team of special education teachers, speech therapist, and support workers with specialists in behaviour analysis, psychology, physical therapy and occupational therapy. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, we provided our services to over 40 full time students and a further 10 part time students. Currently we have 31 registered students, of whom 24 regularly attend school. Our students/learners range from 6 years to 39 years of age. The RCCI serves those who need very specialized care, including some who always need one-to-one attention at all times.

We provide our services to those in need regardless of their financial resources. Whilst students from more affluent backgrounds contribute towards costs of running the centre, most of our students come from low and middle income households that are unable to fully contribute to the cost of operating the RCCI.  One third of our students attend the RCCI free of charge. Other students pay what they can, often no more than Rs.2500 per month (approximately $8). Following the fuel crisis and financial crisis of 2022, the RCCI also supports low income households with a travel bursary to cover the increased costs of transportation.

The RCCI operates with the support of many charitable individuals and organisations. Our custom-built premises at D.M. Colombage Mawatha, was donated by the Access Group of Companies. Many of the internal fixtures and equipment was donated by The Overseas School of Colombo. The premises exist on land leased by the Urban Development Authority in recognition and appreciation of Mrs. Joseph-De Saram and the RCCI’s over four decades of service to people with special needs, particularly intellectual and communication disabilities, in Sri Lanka.