An inclusive school in Mumbai

All schools can be special

Nergish Sunavala, TNN Oct 20, 2013, 05.35AM IST

While interviewing Usha and Rupesh Bhurke at their Goregaon home, I assumed that their seven-year-old son wasn't paying attention. After all Dev, diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder at age two, was spinning merrily around the room, playing with Lego, and urging his parents to switch on the TV. But the moment Rupesh mentioned the name Advait, Dev froze mid-spin and announced, "Advait was absent on Monday."

Both boys study at Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Vidyalaya, a mainstream school in Malad, Mumbai, and have known each other since junior kindergarten. Early on Advait, who has no special needs, was asked to monitor Dev's class work - a task he took so seriously that Dev was in danger of becoming helpless without him. Now, Advait waits for a go-ahead from the teacher before swooping in to help.

Besides bonding with Advait - a feat considering Dev's speech was delayed - there has also been a marked improvement in his vocabulary, sitting tolerance and a sharp decline in his hyperactivity. Dev's situation is remarkable but not unique. Parents, teachers and special educators have long realized that children, when sensitized from a young age, accept differently abled classmates - incorporating wheelchairs and even prosthetic limbs into their games. As for academics, tweaking the curriculum slightly - or in severe cases creating an individualized education plan - allows these children to flourish in a regular school.

Analyzing what works has taken on a new urgency in light of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, which makes it mandatory for schools to admit children with disabilities under the 25% quota for "disadvantaged groups". A 2012 amendment expanded the definition of disability to include autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation and multiple disabilities. Though the RTE Act came into effect in 2010, activist Ashok Agarwal from Delhi describes the implementation as "tardy" and "uneven". He regularly fields calls from frantic parents whose differently-abled children are being denied admission or ousted from government or private schools. (In 2012, the parents of an autistic boy took a Mumbai school to court because they asked that he be shifted to a special school. The case is still on.)

It's easy to understand why many schools - already flailing under the pressure of overcrowded classrooms, rigid curricula and a shortage of staff - are reluctant to take on children with special needs but that only makes the ones that have successfully embraced inclusion all the more remarkable. In Dev's case, for the first six months, he kept wandering around class but his teacher - despite having 40 other students - took it in her stride. "She never shouted at him," says Usha. Similarly, Jaya Palaparti's son Siddhanth, who has Asperger Syndrome, reached class 10 because his teachers at Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Vidyalaya in Borivali focused on his strengths (reading and mental math) and accommodated his hyper-sensitivity. He was allowed to wear sandals because socks exacerbated his sensory issues, and he wrote in print even after the rest of the class switched to cursive (kids with autism struggle with fine motor skills). Siddhanth scored 79% in his SSC boards with concessions like using a calculator and dropping a third language and is now completing class 12 through open schooling. "Siddhanth's success encouraged the school to admit more kids with autism," says Jaya.

Anecdotal evidence shows that it's not just high-functioning kids who can thrive in a regular school. Harsh Shardul, a nonverbal child in a wheelchair, who has cerebral palsy, attends an inclusive pre-primary school in Aurangabad. His mother's initial fears that he might feel ignored were soon allayed. "Once the other children got used to him, they started inventing games, they could play with Harsh like racing against his wheelchair," said his mother.

Such stories are the norm rather than the exception at Beacon High in Khar. For the last 13 years, the school, which has special educators, counselors, a physiotherapist, speech therapist and a psychiatrist on its rolls, has been admitting children with disabilities. "I'm blessed that I have never had a child feeling rebuffed, humiliated or left out," says principal KS Jamali, who has found that the "buddy system" - similar to the relationship Dev and Advait share -works marvelously even in senior classes.

If mainstreaming is implemented halfheartedly, a child can feel excluded. A mother of two autistic girls was forced to withdraw her elder daughter from a Mumbai school ten years ago. "She would laugh and talk to herself in class so the teacher wasn't keen to keep her," says the mother. Her younger daughter is now floundering in the secondary section of an IGCSE school. Small concessions like photocopied notes, regular breaks and fewer assignments would help but the school isn't always receptive to suggestions.

Times of India

Red Tape in issuance of Disability Certificates not circumstances let them down in Pune

and here is the news from Pune City of Maharasthra State in India, where the applicants with disabilities who come for assessment and for issuance fo disability certificates are given appointments in 2015 thanks to the careless approach of the State Hospitals. Here is the news from Mid Day today!

Want disability certificate? Come in 2015: Sassoon Hospital

31 October 2013, Pune

Hitting new lows of bureaucracy, Pune's government-run Sassoon General Hospital has been giving appointments to physically challenged people in need of a disability certificate for 2015.

Sassoon Hospital's cold-hearted response to physically disabled people so exasperated them that they turned out in hundreds to protest. Under fire, hospital said it would begin issuing certificates daily.

As though circumstances haven’t already slowed them down, red tape — perhaps burdened with sheer sloth on part of the authorities — has been forcing the disabled to put on hold their quest for a disability certificate for two years.

Hitting new lows of bureaucracy, government-run Sassoon General Hospital has been giving appointments to physically challenged people in need of a disability certificate for 2015. Without the crucial document, they can’t avail of the benefits reserved for them under various government schemes – such as commuting, medical discounts, employment opportunities and so on.

To protest the administration’s cold apathy afflicting applicants for the past few months, hundreds of them turned up at the dean’s office on Wednesday morning. At last, after a two-hour brouhaha, the dean made a statement assuring them that the facility would begin issuing certificates that very day.

Dilip Modak, who has been making rounds of the hospital for three months in the hope of getting a disability certificate, finally got a date, but for a day in November 2015. For formalities that shouldn’t take more than a day, he was asked to wait a couple of entire years.

Mid Day

Kolkata Teachers believe children with disabilities are careless, insincere, doubtful and rigid!

Teachers prejudiced against disabled kids, says Indian Statistical Institute study

Jayanta Gupta, TNN Oct 1, 2013, 04.35AM IST

KOLKATA: A study conducted among teachers in government- and government-aided schools in the city has revealed that most of them are prejudiced against pupils with disabilities.

According to the study, conducted by the Psychology Research Unit of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), a large number of teachers believe that children with disabilities are "careless", "insincere", "doubtful" and "rigid". So much for the government's initiative to promote inclusive education. A study conducted by the Psychology Research Unit of Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) in government and government-aided schools in Kolkata has revealed that a large number of teachers consider differently-abled children to be careless, insincere, doubtful and rigid.

The same teachers believe that children without special needs are "systematic", "confident", "sincere" and "responsive".

The research paper was presented at the Indian Science Congress with a view to impress upon the state government that our schools may still not be ready for inclusive education, which the government is trying to promote.

The study revealed some startling facts. "The most negative attitude towards children with disabililies was expressed by young teachers; those with postgraduate degrees; and those from high socio-economic backgrounds. Many of those who held this attitude have people with disabilities at home," said Sumana Dutta, a research scholar at ISI .

The institute collaborated with Bikashayan, an NGO, in carrying out the study.

To gauge the attitude of 1,472 teachers in Kolkata, researchers used what is known as a semantic differential scale. "In a semantic differential scale, respondents are asked to choose where his or her position lies, on a scale between two bipolar adjectives. This scale is used to measure opinions, attitudes and values," explained Dr Debdulal Dutta Roy, assistant professor of the Psychology Research Unit. In this case, some of the pairs of bipolar adjectives used were "careless and systematic", "insincere and sincere", "doubtful and confident" and "rigid and responsive". The questionnaire with 20 such bipolar adjectives was filled in by teachers, parents and administrative staff.

A complex statistical method known as "Principal Component Analysis with Varimax Rotation" was used to arrive at the results.

"We surveyed 1,829 people in all. While 1,472 were teachers, there were 262 parents and the remaining administrative staff. We noticed that the teachers had the most negative attitude. Teachers from north Kolkata had the worst attitude followed by those in the south and west," Dutta added.

According to Dutta Roy, who monitored the process, it was a surprise that some teachers who have children with disabilities also display this attitude. "This reveals that the teachers are not considering the limitations of a child with disabilities," said the executive council member of the International Association for Analytical Psychology. "The second part of the study revealed that most schools (government- and government-aided) don't have the infrastructure required for inclusive education. There is clearly a need for remedial teaching and psycho-educational teaching if inclusive education has to be successful. Maybe the teachers will need more training. For the moment, though, special schools can't be done away with."

In the second part of the survey, 293 schools were surveyed. It was found that 42% of these schools don't have their own drinking water facility. Resource rooms - remedial classrooms where students with special needs are given specialized assistanceare - absent in 95% of these schools. It was also found that 98% schools have no resource teachers.

"Though 98% schools consider a resource person beneficial, in more than 44% schools, such teachers pay just a single visit in a month. In 53% schools, the visit is just for an hour. More than 85% schools have untrained teachers. If there is a problem, how will these teachers react? The problem lies with the non-manipulative nature of our pedagogy. Things will have to be more manipulative if children are to receive proper education," Dutta Roy added.

Source: Times of India

3000 Crore outlay for disability under 12th 5 year plan is useless if not spent

RS 3,000 CR FOR NEW DISABILITY PROJECTS AGAIN

Monday, 30 September 2013 | Jaya Shroff Bhalla | New Delhi

While projects worth Rs 1800-crore in the 11th Five-Year Plan meant for the welfare of the physically challenged have not been started yet, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (SJE) has yet again earmarked Rs 3000-crore for new disability projects.

SJE Minister Kumari Selja who reviewed the implementation of the People with Disabilities Act with State Commissioners earlier this year, admitted to the delays. “The Twelfth Five-Year Plan, which earmarks a total allocation to the tune of Rs 3,000 crore, will see a number of ambitious initiatives being implemented. These include setting up of a National Centre for Universal Design, Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC) and Braille printing presses across India,” said Selja addressing a meeting of State Disabilities Commissioners.

“We will also harmonise all the relevant domestic laws (including mainstream laws) and policies with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD),” she said. However, the ground situation remains rather grim. Most of these incomplete projects — like the Right to Education for the disabled, which has been a long-standing demand of the physically challenged community — still remain in limbo.

The task force constituted by the Ministry in 2010, to work out the details for the establishment of the proposed National Centre for Universal Design - to make the physical and academic environment disabled-friendly. Headed by Samir K. Brahmachari, Director General, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, taskforce submitted its report in 2011, but the Ministry did not act in three years. The partnership project of MSJE and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) of setting up Indian Sign Language Research and Training Center (ISLRTC) in 2011 has also been shelved.

 A project worth Rs 44-crore could have helped at least 2500 deaf persons in opting for professional studies. In two years, except for laying the foundation stone, there has been no progress. The Ministry took up the matter with IGNOU authorities in April, but to no avail. Most Braille printing presses across the State are also dying a slow death because of outdated machinery and technology. An example being: the Malakpet Press - the only Braille printing press in Andhra Pradesh set-up in 1986 for producing textual learning material for the visually impaired — hasn’t been upgraded. The visually-challenged workers — who are facing job losses launched an online campaign called the savebraillepress.blogspot.com. While the Centre is promising to create new Braille presses, some like Malakpet are dying for want of moderisation.

“We know that there has been a delay and that is why this department of disability was carved out by MSJE in July 2012 to look into the gaps,” said a senior official from MSJE.

“While the concept note for Institute of Universal Design is ready and we are waiting to give it a physical shape, the other projects will take some time to take off,” said the official. The official who was speaking to The Pioneer exclusively said that due to troubled waters with the IGNOU VC, the ISLRTC, the institute for the deaf and mute has almost been scrapped. “We had given the Rs 16 crore as an initial payment for the project, which we are trying to retract. There after, the Ministry is planning to open an independent institute.”

“After much noise by the disabled activists, funds were sanctioned by the Ministry in the 11th plan but in five years nothing came up. The Sign Language Centre was also mostly eye washed,” said Javed Abidi, convenor, Disabled Rights Group. “We have been hearing of the Universal Design Centre coming up every year but nothing much has moved,” he said.

“Money to the tune of several hundred crores was sanctioned for projects but has remained unutilised. This is in blatant violation of the disabled persons Right to Education,” said Anjlee Agarwal, director, NGO Samarthyam, who was also part of the task force for Universal Design Centre.

“Right to quality education is every person’s prerogative. Under the RTE, disabled should be included with the mainstream, but without Braille language books for the blind, and sign language interpreters for the deaf, quality education remains elusive to the challenged,” she said. Agarwal said that the Government should act soon if it does not want another generation of disabled to remain unemployed, socially aloof and academically handicapped. Even Sminu Jindal, from Swayam, an NGO working for disabled said, “While enhanced reservations in education and jobs are welcome but unless the Government makes physical and academic infrastructure accessible, all this seems a farce.”

http://www.dailypioneer.com/nation/rs-3000-cr-for-new-disability-projects-again.html

Gurgaon Mall faces ire for harassing Child with autism

U.S. resident alleges harassment of autistic son at Gurgaon mall

Ashok Kumar

GURGAON, September 5, 2013

“Though India has a sizeable population of people with special needs, the society still seems to be less receptive to such people and their needs. Unfortunately, sometimes even the educated people in India seem to lack the empathy for people with special needs and treat them as a burden,” this is what a U.S. resident and the mother of a teenaged boy with autism, who was discriminated against at a mall here, had to say following the unseemly incident.

The mother-son duo had to face discrimination at the hands of an “English-speaking” photo studio owner in DLF Phase-II here when they went there to get photographs clicked for a PAN card.

Attracted towards a balloon on the counter of a photo studio in Central Arcade, when the 15-year-old boy tried to reach out and grab it, the studio owner first asked the woman to take away the teenager and later flatly refused to click their pictures.

Appalled by the insensitive behaviour, the boy’s mother Harshita Mahajan, recalled how the shop owner just refused to tolerate her son inside the shop despite she trying to reason with him that the boy had to be with her and even offering to pay for any damages.

“I created a scene at the shop over it because people should know about it. Such behaviour should not be tolerated. The people with special needs also have a right to be as much part of society as anyone else. They should be allowed to use public spaces like malls, shops and parks. They should not be discriminated against. They need a bit of love and tolerance. After all, they did not ask to be born with disability. A healthy person today may also become dependent on others tomorrow,” said Ms. Mahajan, who also posted the incident on her Facebook page evoking immediate response from her friends.

Ms. Mahajan, a resident of Ohio in the United States, emphasised the need to sensitise the Indian society towards the people with special needs.

“In the United States, people have become more sensitised over the past two to three decades. I do not remember anybody taking a second look at my son in the US, whereas in India he is not even allowed inside a shop. In India, people who have children with special needs are scared to come out in the public. Their children are stared at, poked fun at. It needs to be changed. Those with special needs are wonderful human beings, they are pure. They are not involved in the kinds of horrific crimes that become the headlines of newspapers every other day,” Ms. Mahajan made a point.

Vikram, the shopkeeper, said: “The boy appeared to be normal, was not obeying his mother. He had broken a gift item and we only requested his mother not to take him inside the studio as he could damage the expensive cameras. My cousin is a special child and one of my employees is also deaf and dumb. It is not correct to say that we are insensitive.”