Summarizing this series on voices for inclusion. Thanks so much to everyone who are a part of this series. Paramita Mazumdar -. Parents must understand that the family support is the backbone of any intervention. Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is crucial, and caring for your child comes first. Preeti Siwach - Sensitization in the workplace, structure, predictability and written communication goes a long way in abetting workplace transition and inclusion. Anima Nair - Neurodiversity is an organisational asset; the key lies in adopting an inclusive mindset and lending support to one another. The big question is how do we bring a change in attitude? Vineet Saraiwala - A single-minded focus on talents and strengths of the individual, can help build a personal monopoly for them in the space they chose to work. And a fair remuneration for the work delivered will pave the path for inclusion. Indrani Basu - There is a dire need for parents' involvement ...
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A resource room in a government school in a municipality, mostly because of the work by two parents, Jennifer and Indu. A laudable parents’ initiative. More on it.. The narrative started when an MLA-funded reconstruction of a government school building under the Thrikkakara corporation took place. Parents then requested for a resource room in the same building. Subsequently, it was made into a special care centre. Speaking of the described journey, Indu and Jennifer, the initiative's parents, said that convincing the authorities required a lot of persuasion and tireless work. What, however, turned the tide in their favour was a new management committee headed by Mr. Asharaf, a new Headmaster Deepa and the help of counsellor, Mrs. Hassena. Haseena, a parent and advocate by profession offered them a sympathetic ear. Being in a position of authority in the corporation, Haseena’s support was invaluable. Mr. Asharaf, also saw the value of...
Rohan Dixit - Part-2 1) Congratulations! Rohan on completing a year of blogging. How enjoyable was the ride? Thank you. It has been great and I have been enjoying it completely. I love writing about supercars, especially the ones I have seen or photographed myself. I also enjoy researching and finding information about the supercars I write about as it helps me get to know them better. Every individual supercar is interesting to me and it is my mission to document as many of them as I can and tell the stories behind them if possible. I just recently spotted a Ferrari so that was pretty amazing. 2) You have been home-schooled. What according to you are the pros and cons? Homeschooling has been a good thing for me. Not only I could learn the normal subjects but I also had the time to focus on having other experiences in my life like going out to different places and so on and then of course getting the time to focus on my interest in supercars. I don’t think there ...
Preeti was diagnosed with autism at 45. She is the cofounder of C.A.R.E and currently works as a content editor at Nayi Disha. Mother of Rohan, who is also autistic, the two of them are a terrific team when advocating for autism. Sharing the interview in two parts. They both responded to a written questionnaire. Preeti dixit- Part 1 How old were you when you were diagnosed? How do you think seeking a diagnosis helped you? I was diagnosed with autism at the age of 45. I sought an autism diagnosis after seeing a lot of myself in my son and spending a lifetime feeling different from everyone around me and wondering why I was the way I was. The autism diagnosis finally gave me clarity about myself and my life experiences. My whole life started making sense after finding out that I was autistic. It also brought me a great sense of relief because it made me realize that it wasn’t my fault that I found certain things hard which others found easy. It gav...
10 doable things when you have a newly diagnosed child Just Start: To begin with, there is an overwhelming amount of information for a parent with a newly diagnosed child. Start with something simple, as simple as 20 min of playtime with the child a day. But take it seriously. This is something practices such as the floor time method/sonrise program advocate. Be consistent and persistent. Show up every day and stick to doing 2-3 things every time, with your child. Repetition works wonders, for instance, saying the word water every time you give the child water. Work on communication, be it gestures, pictures, writing, typing, rather than insisting on talking. Continue to communicate even when the child does not respond. Place fewer demands, and focus on meaningful, joyful interactions. When interacting with the child, the 3 E's—Energy, Excitement, and Enthusiasm—must constantly be at the back of your mind. Say concrete things such as good writing rather than a g...
The Big Picture #voicesforinclusion-9 The Dey Family- Part 2. In conversation with Bratati, Malay and Aratrik. 1) What are your views on inclusion? Bratati : Inclusion means to have access to services. We want our children to have access to mainstream education services, health care systems, and facilities like gyms, swimming pools, clubs. At large, inclusion in the society. In a broader sense, inclusion, for me, is a mindset. People are not inclusive by nature, and we are quick to judge people. If we see a large gathering of people, you shall see conflicts of interest. Since exclusion comes naturally to us, inclusion must be actively practised for it to occur. Acceptance is very important. When our children grow up and become young people, things differ greatly from what they were for us. We as adults are members of many organisations and travel to various locations. I am speaking from my personal experience. When you mention disability, then even gaining a mem...
The Big Picture #voicesforinclusion-9 Meet our youngest respondent, Aratrik Dey, for this series Voices For Inclusion. Additionally, this is the account of a family who continue to make an effort to make their son's world inclusive, in their sphere of influence. This family believes giving Aratrik a "normal" life filled with friends, relationships and outings is the most important thing. The first part of the interview is with Aratrik, who responded to a questionnaire. The second part is an interview with the Dey family. Aratrik’s interview- Part 1 1) People have always felt the need to belong. Earlier it was with tribes and later with religions, sects, or states. But if one looks at history, for people the world over, inclusion in many situations has been a challenge. What are your views on inclusion? Why is it important? ...
“Inclusion does not happen just by having some systems and processes in place. It requires a great deal of empathy and one to one connect between two individuals.” Perceptions of ‘dis”-ability create barriers to true inclusion. Instead of viewing inclusion as something that must be implemented. Dr.Mitu De approaches it from a human perspective and emphasises how inclusion can only occur via social acceptance. She also speaks about the challenges faced in higher education in India and YAAR- a social club. Meet Dr. Mitu De, an Associate Professor by profession at the Department of Botany, Gurudas College, Kolkata, a parent of an autistic teenager and the present Secretary of Autism Society West Bengal (ASWB), a parent initiated not-for-profit organization. 1) As an Associate Professor, who has been teaching for many years now, what are the problems that ...