Article of the Week

New Delhi: Regular Schools to Integrate Disabled Children

Twelve-year-old Vinayana Khurana is most at home when she is in school. Laughing, playing pranks, chatting, dancing, working on the computer, normal activities for any child her age. She has normal dreams too. "I want to be a computer engineer," she says, here eyes lighting up. Only, she is disabled. She has cerebral palsy. But that hasn't deterred her from taking up activities her classmates do effortlessly.

Prashant Shastri, 8 suffers from severe Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). He is a changed person after two years in a regular school. Once when the principal asked, "What's my name?" he was the only one who had the answer in a class of 70. He slowly walked towards her, pointed to her I-card and read the name aloud.

Vinayana and Prashant are few of the disabled children who are being integrated into regular schools. The transformation they undergo is immense. They come out of their shells and are more confident. Take Ayush Mishra, a hearing-disabled child who's undergone a cochlear implant surgery. Three years back he was a shy, quite child, not used to the constant chatter of other kids. Today, he's as chatty and sporty as his classmates at Delhi's Ryan International School.

"Our effort is make these kids independents so that when they step out into the world tomorrow they're able to stand on their own feet," says Anne Koshi, principal, St Mary's School, Delhi. The school has had disabled children for the last 20 years.

At Delhi Public School, disabled children are given equal opportunities. "They attend morning assemblies, participate in various activities and are supported by the Buddy Programme. Here, each challenged child is given a buddy to assist him throughout the day," says Sharma, principal.

Children with orthopedic, visual hearing and mental disabilities can be easily integrated. However, the schools need to make some basic adjustments. "For wheelchair users, ramps have to be provided. For blind students, there should be Braille and talking lab instruments," says Javed Abidi, executive director, National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP).

In the case of Sidhant Ahuja, a victim to cerebral palsy, his class at Mumbai's Manik Vidya Mandir was shifted to the ground floor. For Sambit Roy, affected by acute Duchene muscular dystrophy, computer lessons were provided in the classroom by his school, Junior South Point, Kolkatta. And Shashank Srinath, affected by disgraphia, a motor co-ordination disability, was allowed to write his exams at Bangalore's Good Shepherd High School, using a scribe.

But most importantly, it's the sensitization of staff, and school children, and revamp of learning methods, that essential. "Our orientation programmes for staff are all about sensitizing them to the needs of these special kids," says Manika Sharma, principal, Shri Ram School, Delhi.

Yet, for every child admitted to regular school, there are at least 10 who are denied a seat. Disabled kids make up only 0.5% of the total school population across the country, says Abidi. A recent survey conducted by NCPEFDP among 89 schools across India threw up some starting revelations.

At least 20% of the schools surveyed were not even aware of the Disabled Act, 1995. "It's been more then 10 years since the Act came into force, and even today, disabled children are denied admissions," says Abidi.

The Act clearly states that all educational institutions receiving aid from the government will reserve 3% sears for the disabled. Also, the draft national Policy for Persons with Disabilities stresses the need for inclusive education.

It also mentions that children "learn best in the company of their peers". This fact was reiterated by HRD minister Arjun Singh in 2005 when he presented a Comprehensive Plan of Action for Children and Youth with Disabilities. It calls for making all schools disabled-friendly by 2020.

For parents, it's usually a harrowing experience to get their challenged child admitted in a school. Bangalore's Sameer Bhatia, afflicted with duchenne muscular dystrophy, was initially denied admission. "He was finally admitted to Eastwood School after much struggle," says Jaya, his mom.

Even Ayush's father had struggled a lot before Ayush was finally granted admission. Then there is the case of a couple who approached nearly 12 schools in Delhi for their cerebral palsy child. None would even entertain them. In Kolkatta, schools shy away from integrating disabled children because they feel they don't have adequate facilities.

"Unfortunately, our academic curriculum is marks-oriented and most schools feel a challenged child won't get them the desired marks. They thus refrain from spending on such children. "This excuse of lack of resources is strange. How much does it really take to build a ramp or train teachers?", adds Abidi.

The solution is not just enacting more laws or building new schools. "The attitude of people, parents, teachers, and government has to change. We still have parents who object to having their children study along with a disabled child," says Vandana Bedi, consultant, Disability and Development.

Renu Singh, director, Action for Ability Development and Inclusion, believes that unless the schools invest in changing their teaching methods, inclusive education cannot become a reality.

Meanwhile, Vinayana is busy pleading with the principal to let her use the computer lab. "I want to practice computers. I love computers," she smiles. Success stories are made of these.

Source: A new school of thought. The Times of India, New Delhi 9 July 2006.