|
Articles
ARTICLE 1:
Coming out of the vicious circle of dependence
While the differently abled category forms a minority of the population (approx. 6%) and hence has never got the attention it deserves, it is important to note that the main hindrance in their progress is lack of access to quality education. While as a parent I have been interacting with various institutions providing both academic and vocational training to this category of persons, I find that most care givers and also their schools only concentrate on functional skills (even for persons who are high functioning and can be taught and pushed in academics). This restricts growth and also obtention of skill sets. The protective and sheltered environment further makes their mainstream integration more difficult hampering their job prospects making them go for low end jobs which in turn leads to low self esteem and dependency.
If we need to break this vicious cycle, we need to first of all accept that our special kids do have potential and can be trained in various areas including academics. All it needs is a lot of faith and patience. After all if Einstein’s mother did not have the sixth sense to understand her son, and she had listened to the so called educationists, he probably would never have learnt to read and write and we would never have discovered the theory of relativity!
From my own experience I can recall various occasions when my son (in the high functioning autism spectrum) was asked to leave the school and many special educators emphasized the need to go in only for functional skills and not for academics. This when he in a normal class was always in the top five! “After all”, they said, “Of what use is education to a person who cannot use it?” Even today I find this kind of bizarre opinions amongst the care givers of this category which is bothersome. Even the teaching is not geared towards addressing the special needs of all our children making it even more imperative that this becomes a battle we as parents need to address ourselves.
While I managed to find and somehow ensure a proper fit for my son in a regular school (because I found special schools being too protective and restrictive) I think this is a thought we all as parents need to consider. I personally believe that ultimately it is our own will that we transfer to our children. There are umpteen examples of success stories that can be quoted and we need to be inspired by those and ensure progress of our children. All our children are capable and given the necessary skill sets can be and will be well integrated and accepted as any other human being is, i.e. “with dignity”.
Prerna,
Parent of an autistic boy
ARTICLE 2:
MY NAME IS KHAN – A Parent’s perspective
I just saw this movie and was overwhelmed at the sensitive handling of the subject of Aspergers Syndrome (AS). It was unlike many contemporary Hindi movies which resort to melodrama and commit several and serious bloomers, on the issue being dealt in the film that one feels like taking a sword to the producer! This film has steered clear from cheap parodies which goes on to explain the massive amount of research that has gone into making the film. As a parent, caregiver and an activist in this field, I commend the filmmakers for making a commercially appealing sensitive film sans any melodrama.
The adult, Rizwan Khan, coping successfully with AS has been brilliantly played by the Badshah of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan. While I would not like to dwell on the review of the film nor about the story and the acting prowess of the main actors, all I want to share is the lessons I have learnt from the film as a parent.
NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE which is so very true for our children
- People may label our kids with unflattering adjectives, but we must make them believe that they are good and capable of wonders.
- It is only with unconditional and non-judgmental love and empathy that we can bring about a change in society.
- We need to concentrate on all those tasks which we are capable of doing well and learn to live to our strengths and make weaknesses redundant.
- Learn to identify people who can understand us and accept us as whole individuals who will help us in our journey forward.
I thank the film for having created an awareness level amongst a large number of people which otherwise would have remained concentrated amongst a small group of affected individuals and families.
Meera Prasad,
Founder, Pravritti
|
