A new direction...INCLUSION

     

A great start with Her name to begin with...Goddess of learning!

I walked into the office of the school as I had a meeting with the school head. Wondering what to expect as I just had a brief idea based our little conversations we had recently. After the initial pleasantries he spoke about the project that supported my volunteer work at the disabilty center in Jakarta. He asked me to write the name on the white board as being an American, remebering an Indian name could be challenging. I went up to write " Saraswati"....explained to him that it means the Goddess for learning....very appropriate for a center!
Disabilities should find inclusiveness and acceptance as its a huge part of society. As years are going by, more new disabilities are finding space and we are at a point where we can no longer close our eyes to it. Inclusiveness not only helps the child but also their parents as they feel they are being heard and not just kept out. I have to see my vision finding a place. Its been a small cause close to my heart since Prisha's deafness. Finding ourselves as the "odd ones out" most times , I feel the pain of parents who are seeking a place for their kids and the general empathy lacking in society about disabilities due to lack of awareness. Hence I have been very verbal about it in every forum...be it seminars, forums, schools or even communities around me. The bubble that many live in, there is little space for such causes and hence they need to know and feel as human as that creates a more aware society and a better world.
       Inclusion and acceptance of disabilities and over and above empathy for them in the heart of society is on my mind. I have seen and faced how no one understands how much it means to be respected for what you are and are going through. It means even more when you are made to feel at home and included in society. They don’t need pity and sympathy. Just acceptance, inclusion with few adjustments and be seen as human as they themselves are. Hence every place I am at I end up talking about the center I have come across. Multiple disabilities yet all are together and are happy kids. They need to be stepping out into a bigger world and even if a few are integrated...its a step forward. Its about one hand at a time.
     The head of the school has agreed to take a few students and a teacher in 2 weeks and visit the disability school and take it up as a project for learning for the students. I shall be coordinating between the schools! I am so excited about this as its a kind of dream come true! Its just not about my dream for myself but for a few kids who deserve a bit more opportunities in the world outside. Its humbling and very fulfilling and I hope I can handle this. The volunteer group for mums was formed just few weeks ago and is already having many members and meet ups and work is being done as and when needed. This is the next big step! I am hoping that this dream is fulfilled and I can see few kids soon move from the center to a normal school through collaborative work. As I scribbled on the board....I felt as if there was a divine intervention. What a way to start !! Writing the name of goddess of learning on a absolutely clean white board does indicate something!
     Meanwhile I am happy to keep putting my thinking cap, do some leg work, talk to few people around and get few things rolling for a larger purpose in life! Isn't that what we are looking at or should be aiming at? Beyond myself and out there holding one hand at a time! I shall update as the days go!

Reflection on social attitude

I am reflecting a lot on attitude of people towards disabilities these days. The lack of awareness,uncaring attitude, callousness and lack of tolerance is what I see in people around them. It makes me wonder what kind of people we are building for future in our kids. The drive to make it senselessly with barely any empathy in our kids is very disheartening. I wonder how they will deal with disabilities if they had to face it in future. I feel sad looking at them. The fault lies with us adults. To meet deadlines and prove a mindless game and drive we are forgetting to make the kids sensitive. It's money that is driving us. The ambitions to make it in life at any cost. 

I see my community is in a mad rush. They have no time to breathe and enjoy life. The fight to finish is on and shall never stop. The small things we did as kids these kids will never learn as they are told to perform from the day they enter school. Life shall pass by and they will learn this cut throat attitude and lose all sensitivities and sensibilities. I see adults talking rudely and that is picked up by young minds they follow it as that's what they all see. Is it what we want for the gen-next? 

These days with so much exposure and and diagnosis we have knowledge of so many new issues and the future shall unfortunately bring many more. Things we never heard in our times, today are many more and the future would bring many more. How will this generation deal with disabilities? I can foresee a lot of frustration for them as well as isolation. Also I see lot of them accepting it and doing little about it coz they want to live for themselves. They would be happy to delegate their job to "specialists" who would mint money on their account while they worked harder to earn that. 

I feel it's very essential to educate the young minds and make them better people. A little moral science lessons we did as kids would do no harm to them. I often hear mums telling the kids to "give it back" ... Instead would love to hear "be kind and patient and help those who need a hand". That's the community that would bring peace, friendships , feeling of well being and integration around. Till then we can stop, look around and reflect on what's happening around us and only feel the pinch and the pain when it strikes us.