DISABILITIES in children are often regarded as a curse. Little children as young as infants are subjected to rituals and discrimination that harm their minds and bodies and alienate them from their peers, families and communities. Due to the mistaken belief that disabilities are a bad omen, children with disabilities are starved of food and water, tied up to chairs or bedposts and locked up inside houses where they are alone, crying and terrified. On the instruction of those who claim to be able to “cure” disabilities, these children are hidden from sight for months or years, in the hopes that their disabilities will disappear. Satya Special School is an NGO for children with disabilities that educates and rehabilitates children and works with families and communities to change mindsets around disabilities in India.
Because of the stigma against people with disabilities, these children are also prevented from going to school. This academic deprivation takes away any chance they have of improving their lives and living independently and self-sufficiently, which is a strong possibility no matter what disabilities a person may have. As an NGO for children with disabilities, Satya Special School has a team of teachers who teach students in a school setting, physiotherapists who provide multiple therapies and counselors who conduct sessions with children and their parents to help them build a nurturing home environment for children with disabilities.
How children and young people with disabilities suffer
Children with disabilities are filled with potential and promise. But many children are written off by their families as “useless” or “burdensome”. For children from underprivileged communities, the situation is much worse. Unable to afford special education and resources for their children, many families consider it their “bad fortune” and give up on the child altogether. In some cases, the children are abandoned and end up on the streets.
Disabled children are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, whether at home or on the streets. Children with mental and psychological disabilities cannot fully process or comprehend people’s intentions and the dangers they are in. On the other hand, children with physical disabilities are not able to properly defend themselves in cases where people try to take advantage of them. Satya Special School, as an NGO for children, understands these setbacks that special needs children have and reaches out to rehabilitate and empower them.
In India, there are many young people with disabilities that are not given opportunities to be productive and take care of themselves and their families. Because their families or loved ones do not believe that they can amount to anything, these young people with disabilities are criticized for being unemployed and not contributing to their families. But the reality is, with just a chance, these bright young individuals can achieve and accomplish their goals.
Little girl tied to a chair and locked in a house
Chitra worked as an assistant to a child psychologist and it was her job to track the progress of the children and make sure they were doing well in their home environments. She noticed that one of the children, a girl with Down’s Syndrome, had not shown up for her appointments so she decided to go to the girl’s house to check up on her. Chitra waded through a garbage dump to reach the small shack but found it locked, so she peered in through a small window and what she saw shocked her to the core. The girl with Down’s Syndrome was tied up to a chair and locked inside the house throughout the day, until her mother returned home in the evening from work.
Chitra Shah was overcome with emotion and outrage. Together with her friends, she founded an NGO for children called Satya Special School in 2003 to ensure that children and young people with disabilities receive the education and rehabilitation they need to overcome their challenges and access all the opportunities they deserve. Since its founding, Satya Special School has been working with special-needs children in 10 centers in rural and urban Puducherry and has rehabilitated and empowered more than 1,200 children with multiple disabilities. Satya Special School is equipped with a sensory walkway, an outdoor inclusive disabled-friendly playground and wheelchair accessible spaces and vehicles.
Empowering children through education
Satya Special School reaches out to children and young people with disabilities and equips them to develop their skills and live productive lives. The NGO has a school bus and a mobile therapy unit to reach children and young people who may be in remote areas and cannot reach the school. Once at the school, the children have one-on-one sessions with trained teachers to assess their academic levels and are placed in classrooms according to their abilities. In the classrooms, the special-needs teachers use diverse methods to teach students including learning through activities, visual media, movement, drama, role play and practical sessions.
Empowering children through rehabilitation
The NGO for children recognizes that most of the children require different therapies to be able to carry out day-to-day functions and take care of themselves on their own. Satya Special School’s physiotherapists work with each child using hydrotherapy, speech therapy, arts and crafts therapy, occupational therapy and more. Since each child has a different physical disability, tailor-made physiotherapy programs are designed for each child. The trained and expert physiotherapists take their time to work with each child in a patient and encouraging manner to ensure that their recovery is strong and long-lasting.
Empowering young people through skills-training
In addition to children, Satya Special School also rehabilitates and supports young people with disabilities. These young people are working age young Indians with the potential and capability to be productive, earn an income and take care of their families. Satya Special School runs a program called Youth For Jobs to improve the employability of young adults with special needs. The organization trains youngsters in their specialized paper quilling unit, bakery unit, mat weaving unit, woodworking unit and workshop. The NGO also trains young people in back office and data entry operation, enabling them to get jobs and a stable income.
Satya Special School’s impact
Because of the education support provided by Satya Special School, the children’s academic performance has improved and their families have enrolled them in mainstream schools. The children now have a solid academic foundation to build their futures. Satya Special School’s skills training programs have enabled the young people to start businesses such as shops and earn an income for themselves and their families. Individuals who were once written off as being “useless” are now earning and supporting dependent family members – shattering the myth that people with disabilities cannot live productive and self-sufficient lives.
The impact upon the children’s parents and families is immeasurable. Chitra shares that “generally, these services are only available to people who can afford it. But people from poor backgrounds are forced to suffer without any assistance for their children with disabilities”. Satya Special School stands in that gap and provides state-of-the-art education, skills-training and multiple therapies for free to empower special needs children and young people.
Support Satya Special School
The NGO for children and young people with disabilities need support to reach out to more young individuals and empower them to live fulfilled lives. To support Satya Special School, you can donate here:
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Shirley has been in the development sector for over 10 years and is passionate about making a change in the world around her, including adopting dogs and writing to make a difference.
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