Department of Clinical Psychology, All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, Mysore, India.
The present study is undertaken on a sample of 97 persons with various levels of mental disabilities. A demographic data sheet, semi-structured interview schedule and five point Likert scale, specially designed for this study, was used to elicit information on family background, socio economic status and details on their investment in terms of observable and measurable tangibles like time, effort, money or other allied resources; as well as intangibles like felt stress, pain, burden, social stigma or appeasements they had to yield in their venture for securing certificates testifying mental disability in their wards. Cost Benefit Analysis, as tool for economic evaluation, was attempted to weigh the time, effort, opportunity, hidden and monetary costs incurred vis-à-vis benefits reaped by the sample of beneficiaries seeking monetary benefits under a government sponsored monthly pension scheme for persons with mental retardation. The results highlight the need as well as possibility for undertaking economic analysis of social service programs in disability sectors. The various sub-types of costs, their meaning, costing techniques, procedures for discounting and monetization, calculation of simple return on investment, and implications of the elevated cost benefit ratios derived from this study suggests the need for improvement of the pension scheme for optimum benefit to end users.
School Drop Out, Perceived Causes, Reported Reasons, Venn Diagram
