Where hope dwells in abundance

There are mentally challenged children, those suffering from cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, hearing impaired, speech and language problems, slow learners and those with spinal anomalies. There are degrees of brain damage in each one and in a way each child deserves a separate class. It is here that the expertise of the principal and staff comes to play. Based on the medical report of doctors of different specialities, and the intelligence of the child observed over a period of time, an Individualised Educational Programme IEP is made for the child.

Since each child requires individual attention, the teacher student ratio is as high as 1:8. The school has six classes into which the children are divided on their intelligence and aptitude. The Infant Stimulation Group or the Early Intervention group is for children in the age group two to five. The children are mainly stimulated with music besides which physiotherapy sessions both active and passive take place. The parents of these children accompany them to the school and process of weaning from the mother also takes place here. The parents make a very strong group sharing their hopes, fears and anguish. Once the children start gaining confidence and stay away from their mothers, the ladies utilise the time learning sewing skills.

The next class is the Custodial Care Group of children, where the class is taught the basic colours, numbers, names with stress on verbal skills and social skills. A separate class is held for the hearing impaired. These children learn with the help of the group hearing aid and two trained teachers. Two children from this class have been integrated into mainstream academics. In the Foundation class, the students grasp pre-reading and pre-writing skills and activities to develop hand-eye coordination with stress on language as well. As the child catches up with less intensive or normal learning, he graduates to the Primary Educative class where a structured syllabus is followed.

The seniormost class is the Pre-Vocational group. These children learn skills that will give them the confidence to face the outside world. So the work traits they learn are as basic as setting the table for meals and cleaning up after meals, ironing clothes, cleaning and sorting vegetables and pulses, washing napkins, babysitting and goes on to teach them to use the stapler, the punching machine, the calculator, making cards, gift wrapping and learning the concepts of time, accounts and dates.

Various entertainment programmes are held in school and the annual function is a big event in which all students get a chance to go on stage. Picnics to nearby parks are held. Recently, the school has started multimedia classes. It is opening up new vistas of education for the children. Every two months, a PTA is organised and parents are encouraged to voice their problems. Young wives and pregnant mothers are also counselled on disabilities and prevention of multiple births of special children. Every three months, the progress made by parents on the child is reviewed, for it is essential to get cooperation from home as well.

The fact that the parents find it difficult to keep the students of Asha at home on holidays is the greatest reward that the teachers can get. These children, who are most of the time living in a world of their own with hardly any skills of communicating their hopes and agonies to another, find a window at Asha that gives them a glimpse of light and breath of fresh air.