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Sure, the handicapped have hobbies too ………Clara Lewis | TNN
Mumbai:Three young women who have been specially trained to teach mentally challenged children are finetuning a venture that they hope will infuse some sparkle into the lives of the kids. On Teacher’s Day, they will inaugurate their project of weekend hobby classes for special children at the YMCA in Andheri.
For two hours every weekend, youngsters spanning the age group of six to 25 will be gainfully occupied—learning to twist and turn to the latest Bollywood chart buster, doing yoga exercises and deep breathing, or simply learning basic vocational skills like making greeting cards, envelopes, candles and diyas.
Sister Noella, principal of the Dilkhush Special School at Juhu is enthusiastic about the idea. “Our children too need recreation like other children. This is a fantastic idea,’’ she says. “All three girls are trained so they are in the best position to conduct such classes. There have been such classes in the past but not on a regular basis. I would want my children to attend the hobby class.’’
Few special children ever go out to play or are allowed to play with other children. As a result, they have no friends. “Once they reach home they are put in front of the television or simply do nothing. These classes will provide an outlet for them to have fun and also learn,’’ says Beverly Louis, the leader of the trio.
To teach a special child a skill, even something as seemingly simple as buttoning a shirt has to be repeated again and again. And again. “Everything has to be done in a sequence,’’ says Gitanjali Parmar, the youngest in the team who is training to teach dyslexic children. “We have to start with familiarising them with what a button is, how to hold on to it with one hand and use the other hand to firmly hold the edge of the button hole, how to bring the two in alignment and slip the button through the hole. It can take as long as a month for a child to learn how to button a shirt and another month to unbutton it.’’
Even the tedium of repeating the same action everyday does not deter these women. “We always dreamed of an institute of our own. But while training and later teaching at Dilkhush we realised that what these children needed most was to be accepted and treated as normal. What they love to do most is dance to Bollywood tunes,’’ says Louis, who is studying for her degree in special education at SNDT, Juhu.
So taken up was the Young Men’s Christian Association with the idea that they offered them their premises at Andheri to set up the Vocational and Recreational Centre for Special Children. “We were convinced about the young women’s capability and motives and so decided to support their venture,’’ says Leonard Salins, senior secretary, YMCA. “Most of the children who will come here will be from poor socio-economic backgrounds. The cost of teaching each child works out to around Rs 500 per month, so people can pledge an amount of Rs 500 per month or Rs 1,500 per quarterly and so on. The YMCA will give them an 80G tax exemption certificate.’’
Dilshad Khosravi, the third team member, says the guiding principle is to provide holistic development through fun and recreation. “When we see mentally retarded kids the first thing we feel for them is sympathy. What they really want is to be accepted and not treated as handicapped. With training, children with mild to moderate retardation can lead near normal lives.’’
ADDING A TOUCH OF FUN: Beverly Louis, Gitanjali Parmar and Dilshad Khosravi will conduct hobby classes for special children at YMCA in Andheri
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