The comfort zone

How did MMP come about?Mentally disabled/spastic children have special needs and demands. Parents of such children are compelled to accep...

How did MMP come about?
Mentally disabled/spastic children have special needs and demands. Parents of such children are compelled to accept a different kind of responsibility, which may weigh heavy on them as individuals. Some of us parents felt that collectively we could make a difference. The MMP was formed on October 2, 1996, with Bhal Korgaonkar as chairman, for parents of children with mental disability to come together on a common platform to discuss their specific mutual problems and find solutions to them.

What kind of needs does the organisation address?
There are several levels at which the need for support and counselling is felt. The presence of a mentally disabled/spastic child affects the entire family. Initially, parents of such children find it difficult to accept that their child is mentally disabled, leading to frustration and disappointment.

It affects inter-personal relations within the family, between husband, wife and siblings. Such a family may find it awkward to bring the mentally disabled to functions or get-togethers where they may become the subject of stares and comments. As a single parent of a spastic boy, I have faced such behaviour on a number of occasions. Questions like 8220;Why doesn8217;t he walk as yet? Why don8217;t you take him to a good doctor?8221; are regularly directed at me. Parents have to walk an emotional tightrope because some people hold them responsible for their child8217;s condition.

Another crying need is that of trained teachers at special schools. We find that many of those who teach these children stop short of forming an emotional bond with them.

What role does the MMP play in this scenario?
Registration of the MMP as a trust and getting wider membership has taken up the better half of a year. But since the MMP8217;s inception, we have held meetings and seminars to discuss the issue. Through these informal meetings, we have tried to determine our problems. At one such residential camp held last year, where siblings of mentally disabled children were invited, many hitherto-not-discussed matters came to light.

Siblings of such children felt that their parents were protective about the affected sibling and they were neglected. They also had to face parental pressure to excel in whatever they did to make up for their mentally disabled sibling. They faced awkwardness when introducing their sibling to friends. Another issue that weighed heavy on their minds was that of marriage. Many of them had to face questions like whether their sibling8217;s disability was hereditary, and even their own capability was questioned. This meeting helped clear the air and make them look for a solution.

Through seminars, we have tried to spread awareness about the needs of these special children. The MMP will soon actively launch its other plans.

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And what are the plans?
Many parents feel handicapped due to lack of complete information about their child8217;s condition. The MMP will shortly set up a free information and counselling centre. We also plan to start a day-care centre and a workshop where these children can be kept gainfully employed.

The question of who will take care of the child when they are unable to do so also dogs most parents. We hope to set up a residential school for such children. We will begin implementing training and counselling on a regular basis from January onwards. Other projects could also have started right away but lack of funds are an obstacle. The MMP is trying to gather money through fund-raising drives and membership.