Special children have always been kept out of the limelight for their low level of intelligence. A look at one organization that defies the odds.
Diwali is the festival of lights. It marks the return of Lord Rama after the defeat of Ravana and signifies the victory of good over evil. But on this auspicious day, there is a slaying of a different kind - one of ignorance over special children. The myth that children with disabilities cannot perform any normal day to day functions were dispelled by the Okhla Centre for Special Children by the sale of handicrafts for Diwali made by these special children.
Out of the 1 billion population that India boasts of, more than a million people are said to be disabled in one way or the other. These disabilities range from various mental illnesses, to birth deficiencies and physical handicaps. The Okhla Centre for Special Children is an organization comprising of social workers, doctors, parents and well wishers who have devoted their life to giving special children a better life through proper care and training.
"It is not generally realized how much of a difference loving care and scientific training can make to a child with special needs. The difficulties of the special children are complex, cumulative, multidimensional and there is no simplified prescription for its solution", says the Director of the Centre. For more than four decades the Okhla Centre for Special Children have been equipping mentally retarded children with simple repetitive skills in printing, candle making, handloom weaving, caning of chairs, and making of file covers and envelopes.
The centre has various programmes for training people to take care of special children too. One of their pioneer projects is the creative schooling which tries to enhance the communication of these special children through music, arts and creativity. "This method of enhancing the senses of mentally challenged children, can in turn prove developmental to their behaviour and improve their interaction quotient with the society," says Sarah Alam, a psychologist who has been practicing privately and has been associated with a lot of NGO's related to disabled children.
For their exceptional strides in special education, this organization has been awarded the Derozio Award, the US Asia Foundation Award and the R.C.I. Hong Kong Foundation International Institutional Award.
In order to facilitate the rising number of mentally challenged children, the organization has been working round the clock to improve its facilities and incorporating the latest techniques and new methods being put into practice. But their biggest challenge is to let the society around them be aware of the simplicity of taking care of these special children. All they need is some love, and all we need is some patience.
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