Special children are no longer a burden. Vocational training has enabled them to earn a living.
Self-sufficiency with dignity—that’s the byword at the Society for Child Development (SFCD), in Lajpat Nagar, Delhi. The organisation works towards social acceptance and economic empowerment of the mentally challenged—via the special school and vocational training centre it runs.
It began in 1992. A senior research officer at the department of genetics in AIIMS, Dr Madhumita Puri came across parents of special children and was acquainted with their problems. She realised that if a child’s needs were not met by the existing methods of teaching, then it was time to create an alternative one. Hence, Prabhat came into being and, later, the Raghudev School of Vocational Training.
Initially, Puri was faced with problems such as convincing people to support the organisation, lack of funds and infrastructure. "Someone put in Rs 100 and it began from there," she recalls. The school made its humble beginning with three children till word spread. Initially, the students had to pay a fee of Rs 300 but that has long been discontinued. With over hundred children and young adults, today the organisation even receives a subsidy of 60 per cent from the government.
Each special child has a skill. The idea is to identify and build it. Says Puri: "To help the mentally challenged live a life of dignity where they are not considered a burden on their family or on society, it is important to ensure optimum utilisation of their functional capacity. It is imperative to recognise their skills and provide them with a position to exhibit the same."
Prabhat gives children an opportunity to study and learn at their own pace. Here, learning is optimised by teaching with modified techniques that appeal to them. Grouping learners with care—whether a child or an adult, in the classroom or in the production room—ensures better results.
After gaining basic reading and writing skills, the students then move on for vocational training. It was started with the aim of bringing about a radical change in the mindset of educationists, re-examining the teaching and delivery process. Boys and girls are taught not just basic survival skills but also advanced technical skills that offer them the means to earn a livelihood. And that’s exactly what Akul, Shekhar and the thirty-five others at the training school are doing.
Along with the durries and hand-made paper, products such as table-coasters, candles and cotton bags made by the students are sold even at niche stores like Fab India.
The reward at the end of all the hard work put in by these youngsters is the salary they earn and take back home, with a sense of worth, as their contribution to the family income. "It is gratifying to see a family beaming with a newfound pride," says Puri. And she strongly believes that other institutions and government organisations should come forward and adopt a similar model to ensure that the mentally challenged are not deprived of any assistance. She is currently negotiating with the Delhi Transport Corporation to issue special passes for these children.
SFCD has endeavored to give individual lives focus and meaning. It’s time society acknowledges their rights and brings about changes to accommodate them with respect.
Contact: A 62A (second floor), Lajpat Nagar II, New Delhi-110024. Tel: 011 51727004, 9810003512, e-mail: madhumita@disabilityindia.org