An alumnus of Upper Tibetan Children Village, Dharamsala, I did my graduation in B.Sc. in Biomedical and Biotechnology from Bangalore University. Later, I moved to pursue my postgraduate study, a dual master’s degree in Medical Biochemistry and Medical Lab Technology from Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University and the University of Madras respectively.
My mother is my key driving force in life. She never had the opportunity to attend scho
ol herself but ensured that her children get the best and quality education possible. She inspires and encourages me to fulfil my individual commitments and also to give back to the community that has made my education possible in the first place.
With the education that I received and my own natural inclination of helping people, I have felt that something in the field of health, I could contribute. And so while volunteering at an NGO-run school in Dharamsala, I applied for the short-term course in the field of special education “Community Initiatives in Inclusion” (CII) at ADAPT, Mumbai when the announcement was made by ENVISION on their FB page. Able Disable All People Together (ADAPT) is a non-government organisation working for children with developmental disorders and also towards creating an inclusive, caring and disability-friendly nation for over the last 4 decades.
After I cleared the selection at ENVISION and the interview by ADAPT, I was invited to join the course in January 2017. (You could read more about this process in my previous blog). The Envision team ensured everything was taken care of till I was in the ADAPT campus in Mumbai, safe and sound. ENVISION not only got me there but also encouraged and motivated me to make the most of my stay there, while learning and experiencing the best. Very grateful to the team for their support all through my time at ADAPT.
My journey with the CII course started on 8 January at ADAPT, Mumbai. This year the batch had 22 participants from different parts of Asia, especially Asia Pacific regions. CII is 6 months course conducted in two phases. The first three months are taught sessions, practical work and fieldwork based in Mumbai. The second three months are the implementation phase based on the participant’s place of work. This is an opportunity for the participants to put into practice what they have learnt during the first three months.
During the course of first three months, I had the opportunity to visit various institutions that were leading Initiatives in INCLUSION in and around Mumbai. Few of the institutions we visited were National Centre for the Blind, the Dharavi Centre, Lotus Eye Care Hospital, Centre for the Mentally Challenged and school for Hearing Impaired, tribal school and inclusive government schools at Pehlar and so on. We also had an opportunity to attend great workshops by Mr. Richard Rieser, a disabled teacher for over 30 years and leading the training and consultancy of World of Inclusion.
The famous quote “The things you take for granted, someone else is praying for it”, I experienced it while doing one of my classroom activities, ‘dot painting’. That activity was so simple and easy that I found saying to myself ‘why we are learning this’. But later I learned that I was to do that activity with my partner who has cerebral palsy, one who is struggling to connect the dots to form an image of fish. We both finished the activity together, connecting the dots. It was overwhelming. I still have t
hat painting with me.
Then, end of February, we started working on our project as part of the theory course. Initially, we had to do research on the contextual background of our own community/country, in my case the Tibetan community. We then moved into analysing the status of disability and barriers to inclusion in our community. Accordingly, we framed possible solution to these barriers and put this to 3 months action plan to be implemented in the next three months of field activity.
Unlike the previous batch, from this year onwards, we have to make video bytes of the workshop and submit the action plan for the targeted group and also follow-up report on the implementation after six months.
For my three-month action plan implementation, I am planning to work with TCV Chauntra School as my area of focus and also as a target group. I would be conducting inclusive puppet making workshop for students consisting of both abled and differently abled, while also conducting learning and intellectual disabilities workshop for teachers of TCV Chauntra. I also plan to arrange a workshop on disability sensitization for Tibetan youth at Tibetan Youth Hostel, New Delhi. I wish to document the story of one of the differently abled person and to get it published on a public platform.
During my time in ADAPT and now preparing for my field work, my perspective and approach to children with special needs totally have totally changed. Instead of seeing the children with disability that need to be addressed by medical or other treatments, I started focusing on reducing and removing the barrier people with disability face. I want to work together with them and support them in achieving their goals and aspirations. I have come out as a more mature, understanding and rational person, one who will look for the right approach, not just the right solution.
If the education is meant to make one a better person then yes I received the best education through this course. I am not just happy but content and feel empowered with the learning at ADAPT and I am looking forward to doing the best I can in bringing about a difference in the community/target group I choose to work with. ‘Community Initiatives in Inclusion’ in our society I hope is not just reduced to a slogan but one that becomes a living example and I am hoping to be a part of that making. I am committed to building one for the differently abled, an inclusive Tibetan society!