Many times I have wondered what life would have had in store for me if it had not been for the birth of this amazing person (my daughter babli), who has taught me to be what I am today - a happy positive person.

Even as a child, I remember reaching out to the less fortunate kids in my neighbourhood and try to please them by giving them my pencils or my erasers. My father constantly dinned it into my head that he wished me to be a medical doctor and do free service.

When I completed my Doctorate and got the label of a doctor I felt I had come one step closer to his dream.

When Babli entered our world, I never realised that one day I would be able to serve people by helping them to free themselves from the enormous guilt of having brought a child with challenges into the world. It seemed difficult to understand this feeling that was projected by most parents, of rejection!

When Babli was presented to me with all her challenges, I do not remember a day that I felt weighed down or afraid of raising this child.

A child is a child, and every child will work to their fullest potential if they are given the opportunity. However one must also understand their limitations and guide them to overcome them.

During my counseling sessions, whenever I reach out to the parents, I often wonder, "Is it so difficult to accept this child?"

Sometimes I believe that not having the Internet and the numerous sites was an advantage, as I took one day at a time and allowed my child to develop at her own pace. At other times I realise that but for my website not many parents would have sought me out.

Most times, I feel the parents are feeling sorry for themselves and their questions are always the same - "Why me?" Feelings of guilt, shame, rejection, and many feel they have sinned and this is a punishment. To me, if this is His way of punishing, then I do not mind this punishment again and again. The pleasure I have had in raising Babli can never be equated to raising the so called normal kids.

I find the same questions racing through the minds of every parent, and with the 4300 parents that I have reached out to and spent time with I have learnt a little more, and they have been my teachers and have actually given me a solution to all my problems.

With every parent I have envisaged different level of pain, tolerance, levels of acceptance, and with some it seems like the best gift from God. I have cried with the parents, laughed with them, appreciated every single achievement of their child, been with them during medical complications, and guided them through schools and into professional help.

What a life …..Yes, 25 years of working and living with people with Down Syndrome has made me what I am … As a good friend once said "A smile is a light in the window which tells all, that there is a caring, sharing person inside."

What made me feel really proud was when my son presented me with a smiling-face stone sculpture for always smiling!! Thank you son, for being there.

Rekha Ramachandran 2010

Schools Get Diktat That No Student Should Be Denied Admission For Being Physically Challenged Or Differently Abled .

step towards offering equal opportunity to all children seeking an
education, including those with “special needs’’. The board has reminded its
schools that they cannot deny admission to students on the grounds that they
are differently abled, but this time the threat of dire consequences has
been included in the diktat.


A recent circular issued by the CBSE says, “It is being reiterated that any
school which fails to provide attention to a child with special needs or
makes a pretext of denying admission to any category of differently abled
children will be liable to stringent action even to the extent of
disaffiliation.’’ The statement in the circular is attributed to Vineet
Joshi, chairperson of the CBSE.


Special children include a range of kids, including those who are physically
challenged, visually impaired, hearing impaired, spastics, and those who
have Down Syndrome, Learning Disability (LD) and autism. LD can include
dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia and other conditions. Kids from
poverty-stricken backgrounds are also considered as those with special
needs, a CBSE official told TOI.


The circular also makes it mandatory for all schools to have a special
educator and to create an “individual evaluation programme’’ for special
children based on their abilities and skill sets.


Since special children may not be able to focus on the teacher during
classroom interactions, and their pace of learning may be at variance with
the rest of the class, schools have been told to allow a parent or aide to
sit with the child in class and motivate him to “move along with the rest of
the class’’.


A senior CBSE official said the new policy would be easier to implement now
that the board is set to make the Class X board exam optional and replace it
with a system of continuous and comprehensive evaluation. “Earlier, schools
were obsessed with the marks their children scored in Class X and would even
include these marks in the advertisements for their school. This also led to
schools excluding children with special needs as they felt these kids would
spoil their record at the board exams. The fact that board exams are losing
their significance will help our new policy work,’’ said the official.


The CBSE board also wants to start grading schools, a system that would help
the board pull up schools that do not offer inclusive education.


“Thank God for this decision,’’ said Sheetal Kumar, the lawyer whose battle
against an apathetic system led to the Bombay High Court’s landmark ruling
on LD three years ago.


“I feel this is a very proactive step on the part of the CBSE board, which
is one of the most child-friendly boards in the country,’’ said Avnita Bir,
principal of R N Podar School, Santa Cruz. Cherian George, principal of
Kendriya Vidyalaya, IIT Powai, also gave the policy a thumbs-up.


“This is a very positive step and will definitely give special kids a leg
up. I think the new move will do a lot to spread awareness about kids with
special needs,’’ said Usha Bhatia, principal of the Shapurji Billimoria
Trusts’s teacher training course, the first in Maharashtra to train teachers
in integrated


education.


There are, however, sceptics who wonder how the policy will take off. “Are
teachers equipped to deal with special kids? Do we have the infrastucture
and training to implement such a policy?’’ asked the mother of a boy with
Down Syndrome.


Psychiatrist Dr Harish Shetty, a pioneer in the LD movement in the country,
said India has way too many excuses for not implementing inclusive
education. He said inclusive education does not need massive funds, just a
change in mindset. “We can’t wait for schools across the country to be ready
for integration before we pass a policy,’’ said Shetty, adding that the
CBSE’s latest missive was a landmark for inclusive education.

Police to spread cheer by visiting the elderly in city

Chennai: In a bid to prove they are next to none when it comes to dispensing joy, police personnel will visit the residences of various senior citizens in the city between September 26 and October 2 to get to know their problems as part of the ‘joy of giving week’ celebrations.
    With the help of the records they have, they will visit the residences of the elderly in their jurisdiction. The move is aimed at reducing the inconvenience of elders in coming to the police stations to register a complaint and also to instill confidence in them.
    “A few senior citizens are unable to visit police stations due to many problems. As part of the ‘joy of giving week’, the police will go to their houses and get to know their problems. We are working out the modalities,” said additional commissioner of police (law and order) Shakeel Akhtar on Wednesday at a press conference to announce the launch of the ‘Joy of Giving Week’ and the plans for this year’s celebration.
    The police will also do their bit to help women and try to solve their problems. “Like last year, children too can visit the police stations and understand how the force works,” he said.
    Rekha Ramachandran, president of the Downs Syndrome Association, said that this year she would try to make 2,500 intellectually challenged children happy by organising a fun fair at Nehru Stadium on September 26 and 27.
    Sasikala, a class 10 student of Arunvoyal in Tiruvallur district, who is part of a children’s parliament run by 10 kids for bringing about a change in the lives of kids, said she would launch similar parliaments in 20 villages in the state. “We were able to admit two child labourers in school and reopen a library in our village. Such things should happen in every village,” she said.
    Jabamalai of the Kalpana Chawla Self Help Group said nearly 8,000 members of the group planned to donate 15,000 kg of groceries. They will be launching a drive to collect clothes, vessels and other reusable articles that will help the needy.

Courtesy: Times Of India

Sasikala and her friends from Aranvoyal in Tiruvallur district have intervened in many concerns of their village over the past three years through the children's parliament they formed. This September, she and her fellow ‘parliamentarians' will train children from 20 other villages to take similar initiatives.

Programmes like this and more would be organised as part of the ‘Joy of Giving' week celebration from September 26 to October 2 this year, it was announced here on Wednesday.

“Nobody can quantify the joy of giving,” said Shakeel Akhter, Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order). During the week, 10 police stations in the city will be open for the public, to enable interaction with police personnel and learn about their work, he added. There is also a proposal to conduct programmes for women and senior citizens on tackling abuse.

Urging people to come together and celebrate the spirit of giving, Aarti Madhusudan, one of the volunteers organising the event, said “The campaign is owned by nobody. It belongs to each one of us.”

The ‘Joy of Giving' campaign, which began last year, brought together around 25 lakh people of 40 cities across the country in a week, raising nearly Rs.10 crore towards various charitable causes.

The other nationwide events planned for this week include a clothes collection drive called Vastrasamman, an awareness event called Joyfest aimed at sensitising college students to the problems of the less privileged and a community approach to fund-raising called ‘India giving Challenges' conceptualized by GiveIndia.

A ‘Seva Mela' would be organised by the Confederation of Indian Organisations for Service and Advocacy, at Valluvar Kottam. "The mela will be activity-based with traditional games, movies, skits and exhibitions to enable people to understand the social concerns," said Prasanna of CIOSA.

Rekha Ramachandran, President, Downs Syndrome Association of India, said plans were under way to organise a funfair for 2,500 “intellectually challenged” children from across Tamil Nadu on September 26 and 27 at the Nehru Stadium, to bring out the real spirit of ‘giving' in reaching out to those who actually need help.

The self-help group movement in Chennai plans to organise several collection drives and donate 15,000 kg of provisions to charitable institutions. "It's time for us to give back," said Jabamalai, a representative of a SHG.

“There are no boundaries to giving. We want this to be a fever that involves one and all'', said Nina Reddy, Executive Director, Savera Hotel.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Rekha Ramachandran started Mathru Mandir Down's Research Society of Tamil Nadu in Chennai, an institution that offers support to individuals with Down's syndrome and their families. It was started in 1984 with 6 children and today caters to children from all over the country and the Middle East, free of cost, even though each training programme is personalised. Ramachandran, the mother of Babli who is afflicted by Down's Syndrome had felt the need for an institution like this. She has put her experiences togther in a book called Life begins at 16. The children are taught weaving and baking, taking orders for pastries at select outlets.