Seminars and Conferences

Seminar: Empowering The Intellectually challenged

Who are the intellectually challenged? The term refers to those having intellectual disability. How does this occur? There could be several possibilities. However, the most common is: While the baby is inside the mother's womb, a tiny deletion occurs on one of the fifteenth pair of chromosomes. This tiny deletion has a lasting impact on the child's development. In some cases it renders them speechless.

Some children are able to develop just a few words through–out their lifetime. This is a serious impediment because speech is our way of communicating with the world. It is difficult for them to grasp any other form of communication. Some other common symptoms are: sleep disorders, fascination for water, squinting of eyes and the most common is: constant smiling or laughing.

A symposium on Empowering the Intellectually Challenged was held at the Dr MGR Janaki College of Arts and Science for Women. It was jointly organised by the Centre for Social Initiative and Management (CSIM), Sri Arunodayam and the Department of Psychology of the College.

Dr. Richard Bruggerman, Professor, Department of Disability Studies, Flinders University, South Australia said that one can learn about the capacity of people with intellectual disability from India. These people who work in factories are very intelligent and punctual.

In South Australia, people with intellectual disability are not allowed to take any kind of risk. The country also focuses on protecting the intellectually challenged people from harming themselves in any kind of activity and providing them independence and choice.

He also mentioned that life of the intellectually disabled is presently very narrow and it needs to be enriched. The family of the disabled plays a vital role in developing their child in various activities including sports, he added. Emphasising the need for skill training to enhance the living standard of the disabled., he said that fulfilling their needs and destinations are very important for both India and Australia.

Poonam Natarajan, Chairperson, National Trust New Delhi and Founder Director, Vidya Sagar said that parents of the disabled person are naturally worried about their ward's future especially after their (parents') death. “Unfortunately in India, unlike abroad, there are no support systems”, she added. At the present moment, there is no medical cure for disability. The disabled persons themselves say that they do not want to be cured, but want to be a part of society, she said. Poonam stated that environmental change and vocational training are a huge redemption.

Capacity building also plays an important role in empowering the disabled, where one has to look at the strengths of the disabled and not at his or her weaknesses.

She said that the National Trust conducts job fairs and shelter workshops for the disabled persons and also help them through marketing federation to market the products of the disabled, so as to enhance their capacity to earn money.

According to her, NGOs play a major, significant role in the upliftment of the disabled persons in the society.

Latha Rajendran, Secretary, Dr MGR Janaki College of Arts and Science for Women was also present at the symposium.

Source: U. Bakialakshmi, Empowering the Intellectually challenged. Chennai Online, 6 February 2008.