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15 November 2009
A normal, active and boisterous childhood has eluded Francis, who is epileptic and autistic, a fate suffered by many children with special needs.
But on Saturday, this scene changed. He found himself surrounded by high school children in a multi-purpose hall of the Dubai Modern High School (DMHS), all trying to egg him, alongside many others with similar conditions, to get involved in a number of activities. While Francis could only take a few steps towards them before returning to his mother’s side, they were made in the direction of inclusion of children with special needs into the mainstream education.
Francis is a part of the ‘Children for Children: Reach out for Inclusion’ initiative launched by Saathi, a support group for children with special needs and their families, on November 14, celebrated in India as Children’s Day.
“This is a good opportunity for him to be around children,” said his mother, Anna Pereira. “When he was in school he would like the company of children. But now he is at home most of the time. He does not trust anyone but me and my husband,” she added.
When younger, Francis used to attend a special needs centre but as reading and writing skills were found to be a challenge for him, he could not continue. Now, growing up without interaction with other children, he lags behind as far as social skills go, creating a feeling of insecurity in him.
The initiative is so designed that students into mainstream education get involved proactively to help those with special needs. The group will organise a get together at the school every two weeks where mainstream students will chart out a morning of activities for those with special needs.
“Children with special needs rarely have friends, they rarely go out of their homes... so it is through this programme that they can look forward to a fun-filled day,” said Dr Saroj Thapa, head of the executive committee of Saathi. “It also sensitises other children to issues their peers face and makes them realise that everybody is different,” she said.
The initiative was launched in the presence of Venu Rajamony, Consul-General of India, who said that the issue of integrating people with special needs into the mainstream is not a problem difficult to tackle if the community came together through such programmes. “I would like to see more and more schools involved in this,” he said.
“Equal efforts must be made by Saathi to educate adults through a general awareness programme for the community to be a part of an experience like this,” he said.
The morning kicked off with the high school students donning the cap of guardian for the 30 special needs children, while their caregivers took some time off. As the ice broke with the warmth of compassion the students expressed for their friends, the children took to stage dancing and speaking their minds. An outdoor basketball match also provided a glimpse of untapped talent owing to the lack of facilities.
Pragya Kaul, a student, and her friends, who participated in the event, found the lessons they learnt during the course of the day more valuable than any off the books. “It teaches us empathy, humility and we gain invaluable friends,” she said.
Special educator at the school, Prabha Hari said that community service is an essential part of personality development of students. “Students know that it is much more than just charity,” she said.
“The students will devote these days to edutainment sessions where they will work with these children, design games and help them in all aspects,” she said.
Saathi is planning to hold these sessions at an Indian school in Sharjah as well. “Apart from the DMHS, Delhi Private School in Sharjah has also showed interest in the project,” Dr Thapa said.
The organisation also conducts monthly meetings where it invites parents of children with special needs and experts to share information and to discover ways of enhancing their wards’ development and integration.
“We do not cater to a particular disability but are like an umbrella that provides support to other non-governmental organisations dedicated to the cause of special needs children,” she added.
Anna Pereira calls the organisation’s work a blessing for parents like her who do not have the financial means to invest in the requisite training of their children.
“Either centres are too far away or they are too expensive. For Francis, a ride on the bus is also a joy and thus, such outings will definitely help,” she said. Saathi has a team of 15 volunteers and information about their services, sessions, events and contact details can be obtained at www.saathidubai.org.
