Education for children with special needs: difficult but possible.

IT IS RECESS TIME AT THE AMAR JYOTI SCHOOL in East Delhi, India, and the quadrangle is full of children, their happy voices echoing in every corner of the campus. At one side, a group of boys is playing cricket, while at the other, a vigorous game of "catch" is on. From a window overlooking the quadrangle, young Ritu shouts to her friends below that she is coming to join them in a game of throw ball. "I am fixing my calipers", she tells them, and in a few moments she is happily part of the game. After the short recess, the children make their way back to the classroom, some on wheelchairs, others using crutches and some wearing calipers or hearing aids. There are also a few visually challenged children, who use the tactile path to find their way to their classrooms; along the way, their friends lend a helping hand when needed.

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Having pioneered nearly 25 years ago the concept of integrated and inclusive education, Amar Jyoti provides an eloquent testimony to the efficacy of this approach. When I first started the school with a group of 30 children with and without disabilities, literally under the shade of a tree near the college where I used to teach, many thought I was crazy. In fact, they told me I did not know what I would be up against, but with some colleagues who volunteered their time I went ahead. We had decided that we would admit children in equal numbers, with and without disabilities, to truly practice integration, starting at the nursery level.

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As word spread about the school, we had parents bringing in their polio-afflicted children who could only crawl. So we set up a workshop to make calipers and crutches on the terrace of our house. The "office" was made of wood taken from packing cases donated by fruit vendors. Soon after, more children started coming in. To make it easy for the those who were from the most vulnerable strata of society to travel, a rickshaw was procured to fetch them free of charge from neighbouring localities. As the children progressed, a class was added every year. Social agencies and philanthropists extended their full support, and three years after the school's establishment, the Government of India started giving aid grants.

The Amar Jyoti school, which has over 600 children, from the nursery to class VIII levels, now has its own building and, instead of a rickshaw, a bus with a hydraulically operated ramp.

Rehabilitation services at the school are provided with a holistic approach by therapists, doctors, orthotists, special educators, vocational instructors, psychologists and neurologists. The teachers training and child guidance centre offers much needed services to schoolchildren, including in-service teachers in managing the disabled. Equal importance is being given to sports and cultural activities that inculcate confidence and self-esteem; vocational training is also part of the curriculum.

The study centres of the National Institute of Open Schooling and the Indira Gandhi National Open University in the premises fulfil the needs of children with severe disabilities and those who cannot attend regular schooling. Capacity-building courses are also extremely popular. The University of Delhi has granted recognition for a four-and-a-half-year course in physiotherapy, while teachers' training in special education is also given, in collaboration with the Rehabilitation Council of India and the Madhya Pradesh Bhoj Open University.

Amar Jyoti's most precious assets are its alumni, who are engaged in different vocations today. Take Lakshmi, for instance, who came to the school when she was four years old, literally crawling. She was soon fitted with braces, given crutches and provided gait training. She also underwent regular physiotherapy and within weeks of meticulous attention became independently mobile. For her family and neighbourhood, this was a miracle. Other, bigger miracles were to follow.

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From a shy, withdrawn and feeble child, Lakshmi gradually blossomed into a bright, confident girl, lovingly supported by the staff and students at Amar Jyoti. On completing her eighth grade, she decided to take up a watch repairing course, one of several vocational programmes offered at the school. She also enrolled in the National Open School, with which Amar Jyoti is affiliated, and completed her 12th grade. Always keen to learn, Lakshmi decided to take up a hairdressing and beauty course sponsored by one of Delhi's leading professionals, and she now trains others at Amar Jyoti (see photo). "One day, I want to start a parlour of my own and provide free training to girls with disabilities. I have received so much; now it is my turn to do something for society", she says with a bright smile lighting up her face. Along the way, Lakshmi got married and has a lovely three-year-old daughter.

Sunil Jethwani, a 23-year-old with Down's syndrome and mild mental retardation, came to Amar Jyoti in 1992 with his mother Radha. His parents were very motivated and never considered him disabled. An only child, they gave him all the encouragement to study and interact with others and did everything to make him independent. A vibrant, dynamic and very motivated individual, Sunil completed his studies up to class VII at the National Institute of Open Schooling, trained in screen printing and paper bags, and learned to operate a photostat machine. He also has a flair for writing short poems and articles and a penchant for photography. He is currently in Rajkot, Gujarat, with an independent venture of making paper bags, pencil and pen stands, screen-printed wrapping papers, etc. He is happy and inspires others to overcome the challenges of disability.

The concept of inclusion and integration is being implemented as a legal requirement in India, one of a few countries where the interests and rights of persons with disabilities are protected through legislation. In 1995, the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act was passed by India's Parliament, a landmark for the disability sector. Shortly thereafter, the Government appointed a Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disability, who has the responsibility, among others, to implement the Act in both letter and spirit. In 2001, I was privileged to be appointed as the first non-bureaucrat Chief Commissioner, serving for over four years until 2005. Having worked for more than two decades with a non-governmental organization (NGO) in the disability sector, the experience was most rewarding, as it gave me a rare opportunity to use the vast quasi-judicial powers vested in the Office for the welfare of the disabled.

As envisaged in the Persons with Disabilities Act, steps were taken to ensure accessibility, education and employment opportunities for the disabled. Directives were issued to concerned departments and state entities to make the necessary provisions and ensure their implementation. Several institutions in India are successfully facing up to this challenge. In the course of my work and extensive interaction with persons with disabilities, NGOs, the corporate sector and various government departments, it became clear that the Government is making genuine efforts to reach out to persons with disabilities with several new initiatives. In 29 states and 3 union territories of India that I visited, it was heartening to see the work of NGOs. The main emphasis is on mainstreaming and creating opportunities for the disabled to enroll and acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to seek employment.

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When given the opportunity, persons with disabilities are second to none. This was most eloquently demonstrated in November 2003 when the Sixth International Abilympics--a major competition in vocational and leisure skills among persons with disabilities--was held in New Delhi. Inaugurated by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, some 1,500 participants from over 30 countries, including an Indian contingent of 124, took part in 45 events designed to bring out the best in vocational skills of persons with disabilities. Underscoring the efforts put in by the participants was the fact that when given an opportunity, the disabled had the courage and determination to compete with the best in the world! And they did so in grand measure.

Awareness about the abilities of the disabled is steadily increasing in regular integrated sports and cultural activities, including the Abilympics. There is also great emphasis on teachers' training in special education and the creation of necessary infrastructure to promote inclusive education. The Minister of Education of India announced in the Rajya Sabha on 21 March 2005 the formulation of a comprehensive action plan for the inclusive education of children and youth with disabilities. The need for inclusive education arises because most children with disabilities can, with motivation and effort on the part of teaching institutions, become an integral part of such institutions. The Indian Government is committed to providing education through mainstream schools for disabled children, in accordance with the provisions of the Persons with Disabilities Act. Non-specialist schools, whether at the elementary, secondary or higher level, with appropriate support within the educational community can adapt themselves to work with children with disabilities. Amar Jyoti has been a trailblazer in implementing inclusive and integrated education since 1981.

As I look out from the school window at the busy quadrangle filled with the joyful sounds of children at play, I can only hope and pray that the time will soon come when all children with disabilities around the world get an opportunity to show their "time watch". As what has now become the Amar Jyoti school slogan, "it is difficult but possible", I am sure that our dream of an inclusive, barrier-free and rights-based society will come true.

Uma Tuli, a social worker and rehabilitation professional, is the founder of Amar Jyoti Charitable Trust, rendering rehabilitative services with a holistic approach of providing integrated vocational training, medical care and self-employment. She is Vice-President of the International Abilympics Federation and Chairperson of the Education Commission for Asia-Pacific Region.

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