Thursday, October 31, 2013

An inclusive parent cooperative providing jobwork to young adults with mental challenges


Working to make a difference

The Anchorage, a parent cooperative that provides jobwork for trained mentally challenged adults, is celebrating its 25th year

In a workshop housed in an office building along busy Mahalaxmi, a group of trained adults are packing and assembling itemsfor jobwork. They are all mentally challenged, in different waysand to varying degrees. 

These are people who have been schooled and vocationally trained at a special school, and are now channelling their skills productively.

This year is a very special 25th-year celebration at The Anchorage. When we heard the name, we wondered whether it was the same organisation that ran the scandal-plagued orphanage in South Mumbai. But the name is merely an unfortunate coincidence. This Anchorage is a sheltered workshop where mentally challenged adults can work and be productive, from 9.30am to 4pm every Monday to Friday.

Concern
The Anchorage was started in 1989 by a group of five parents and a special educator. Children of all the founder-members were in Sadhana School, a special school in South Mumbai. They would graduate at the age of 18, and the question uppermost for the parents was, “What next?” This concern, as well as a fear of their children’s regression, led the parents to look for viable options. So, with the help of a special educator, the idea of setting up a workshop was born. The main purpose was to provide vocational training and arrange for appropriate jobwork. Now, 25 years later, The Anchorage is a flourishing “parents’ cooperative”, providing holistic serves to 30 mentally challenged members, and is housed in its own office premises at Mahalaxmi. One of its staunch supporters is the actor Nandita Das, who attended the 25th anniversary celebrations and is involved regularly in the organisation’s activities.

Motivation
It has been a long and at times arduous journey, but the motivation was strong, and the parents’ zeal unflagging. Founder trustee Swarupa Modi recalls, “Ours was the first batch. My son had Down’s Syndrome, and there were other parents. Our major concern was that after graduation you can’t just keep them at home. They had schooling and vocational training which was carefully thought out by the school.”

The members first began taking in jobwork and using each others’ homes as a work base. But as Ms Modi says, “the atmosphere at home was not like a workplace”. The solution came from a former Sadhana School staffer, whose house had a garage in which the driver slept at night. By day, this became the Anchorage’s workshop, their first official workplace.

“By now we were a registered trust and society,” recalls Ms Modi. “The seed was sown and watered, and began to grow. We had two jobs — finishing of sequences where the plastic burr was clipped off, and toothbrush packing. Now they had a workplace to go to. They had to be on time, take their lunchbox, work and come back in the evening. Five parents and all of us had to devote a day to supervise the work and lay the folding tables and chairs.”

But hurdles of all sorts cropped up -- for example, when the first woman joined the workshop, there was no proper toilet for her use. The Anchorage then moved to a room with an attached toilet, in another building. Subsequently, in 2001, the Government of Japan made a donation that was large enough, along with contributions from individual parents and other donors, for The Anchorage to move into its own premises in a reputed corporate building at E Moses Road, Mahalaxmi. A few years later a second, smaller unit was opened in Colaba, donated by a trustee’s family.

Self-confidence
Ms Modi explains that the type of work done at The Anchorageaims to enhance the workers’ skills as well as produce goods. “A policy decision was taken to do only jobwork and not go into manufacturing,” she says. “The material we brought to the workshop was scrutinized and it was identified where over 30 per cent of the work would be done by our adults. This type of work not only enhanced their self-confidence but was therapeutic in their eye-hand coordination, and stimulating large and fine motor coordination.” She adds, “Quality control standards are stringent and we havea list of very satisfied clients, ensuring a regular monthly salaryfor all.”

The Workshop
The workshop functions Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 4pm, and the day’s schedule, besides jobwork, includes fruit and lunch breaks, physical exercise sessions and also individual training and stimulation activities. The environment at the workshop is vibrant and cheerful, and there is a strong adult-staff relationship. The workshop is clean and hygienically maintained, with colourful posters, wall hangings and paintings done by members on the walls. The workshop today has 30 adults, a staff of 10 and a volunteer strength of 15.

Work
Receiving and successfully completing job work contracts is the core task of the workshop. It comprises getting the raw material from the supplier and returning the finished product at a pre-determined price. Making and selling of products at exhibitions and sales is the ancillary activity. The 30 members, who come in every day, neat, clean and well groomed, perceive themselves as office-going individuals. They are trained to complete industrial job work efficiently and effectively.

Contracts undertaken by the Anchorage:
  • Assembling switches and sockets
  •  Packing of crayons
  • Packing medical kits
  • Packing hotel housekeeping products like dental kits, shaving kits, shower caps and combs
  • Packing a monthly women’s magazine
  • Making paper bags
  • Making paper national flags

How can you help?
Those wishing to help The Anchorage may do so with money, time, or by arranging job contracts. Donations are exempt under section 80G of the IT Act. Like-minded parent groups may also seek help from The Anchorage to start similar services for young adults.

Contact
Phone: +91 22 2493 6346, +91 77388 60420, +91 22 22824322
Website: www.attheanchorage.com
Email: theanchorage@gmail.com


An inclusive school in Mumbai

All schools can be special

Nergish Sunavala, TNN Oct 20, 2013, 05.35AM IST

While interviewing Usha and Rupesh Bhurke at their Goregaon home, I assumed that their seven-year-old son wasn't paying attention. After all Dev, diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder at age two, was spinning merrily around the room, playing with Lego, and urging his parents to switch on the TV. But the moment Rupesh mentioned the name Advait, Dev froze mid-spin and announced, "Advait was absent on Monday."

Both boys study at Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Vidyalaya, a mainstream school in Malad, Mumbai, and have known each other since junior kindergarten. Early on Advait, who has no special needs, was asked to monitor Dev's class work - a task he took so seriously that Dev was in danger of becoming helpless without him. Now, Advait waits for a go-ahead from the teacher before swooping in to help.

Besides bonding with Advait - a feat considering Dev's speech was delayed - there has also been a marked improvement in his vocabulary, sitting tolerance and a sharp decline in his hyperactivity. Dev's situation is remarkable but not unique. Parents, teachers and special educators have long realized that children, when sensitized from a young age, accept differently abled classmates - incorporating wheelchairs and even prosthetic limbs into their games. As for academics, tweaking the curriculum slightly - or in severe cases creating an individualized education plan - allows these children to flourish in a regular school.

Analyzing what works has taken on a new urgency in light of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, which makes it mandatory for schools to admit children with disabilities under the 25% quota for "disadvantaged groups". A 2012 amendment expanded the definition of disability to include autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation and multiple disabilities. Though the RTE Act came into effect in 2010, activist Ashok Agarwal from Delhi describes the implementation as "tardy" and "uneven". He regularly fields calls from frantic parents whose differently-abled children are being denied admission or ousted from government or private schools. (In 2012, the parents of an autistic boy took a Mumbai school to court because they asked that he be shifted to a special school. The case is still on.)

It's easy to understand why many schools - already flailing under the pressure of overcrowded classrooms, rigid curricula and a shortage of staff - are reluctant to take on children with special needs but that only makes the ones that have successfully embraced inclusion all the more remarkable. In Dev's case, for the first six months, he kept wandering around class but his teacher - despite having 40 other students - took it in her stride. "She never shouted at him," says Usha. Similarly, Jaya Palaparti's son Siddhanth, who has Asperger Syndrome, reached class 10 because his teachers at Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Vidyalaya in Borivali focused on his strengths (reading and mental math) and accommodated his hyper-sensitivity. He was allowed to wear sandals because socks exacerbated his sensory issues, and he wrote in print even after the rest of the class switched to cursive (kids with autism struggle with fine motor skills). Siddhanth scored 79% in his SSC boards with concessions like using a calculator and dropping a third language and is now completing class 12 through open schooling. "Siddhanth's success encouraged the school to admit more kids with autism," says Jaya.

Anecdotal evidence shows that it's not just high-functioning kids who can thrive in a regular school. Harsh Shardul, a nonverbal child in a wheelchair, who has cerebral palsy, attends an inclusive pre-primary school in Aurangabad. His mother's initial fears that he might feel ignored were soon allayed. "Once the other children got used to him, they started inventing games, they could play with Harsh like racing against his wheelchair," said his mother.

Such stories are the norm rather than the exception at Beacon High in Khar. For the last 13 years, the school, which has special educators, counselors, a physiotherapist, speech therapist and a psychiatrist on its rolls, has been admitting children with disabilities. "I'm blessed that I have never had a child feeling rebuffed, humiliated or left out," says principal KS Jamali, who has found that the "buddy system" - similar to the relationship Dev and Advait share -works marvelously even in senior classes.

If mainstreaming is implemented halfheartedly, a child can feel excluded. A mother of two autistic girls was forced to withdraw her elder daughter from a Mumbai school ten years ago. "She would laugh and talk to herself in class so the teacher wasn't keen to keep her," says the mother. Her younger daughter is now floundering in the secondary section of an IGCSE school. Small concessions like photocopied notes, regular breaks and fewer assignments would help but the school isn't always receptive to suggestions.

Red Tape in issuance of Disability Certificates not circumstances let them down in Pune

and here is the news from Pune City of Maharasthra State in India, where the applicants with disabilities who come for assessment and for issuance fo disability certificates are given appointments in 2015 thanks to the careless approach of the State Hospitals. Here is the news from Mid Day today!


31 October 2013, Pune

Hitting new lows of bureaucracy, Pune's government-run Sassoon General Hospital has been giving appointments to physically challenged people in need of a disability certificate for 2015.

Sassoon Hospital's cold-hearted response to physically disabled people so exasperated them that they turned out in hundreds to protest. Under fire, hospital said it would begin issuing certificates daily.

As though circumstances haven’t already slowed them down, red tape — perhaps burdened with sheer sloth on part of the authorities — has been forcing the disabled to put on hold their quest for a disability certificate for two years.

Hitting new lows of bureaucracy, government-run Sassoon General Hospital has been giving appointments to physically challenged people in need of a disability certificate for 2015. Without the crucial document, they can’t avail of the benefits reserved for them under various government schemes – such as commuting, medical discounts, employment opportunities and so on.

To protest the administration’s cold apathy afflicting applicants for the past few months, hundreds of them turned up at the dean’s office on Wednesday morning. At last, after a two-hour brouhaha, the dean made a statement assuring them that the facility would begin issuing certificates that very day.

Dilip Modak, who has been making rounds of the hospital for three months in the hope of getting a disability certificate, finally got a date, but for a day in November 2015. For formalities that shouldn’t take more than a day, he was asked to wait a couple of entire years.


Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Kolkata Teachers believe children with disabilities are careless, insincere, doubtful and rigid!

Teachers prejudiced against disabled kids, says Indian Statistical Institute study

Jayanta Gupta, TNN Oct 1, 2013, 04.35AM IST

KOLKATA: A study conducted among teachers in government- and government-aided schools in the city has revealed that most of them are prejudiced against pupils with disabilities.

According to the study, conducted by the Psychology Research Unit of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), a large number of teachers believe that children with disabilities are "careless", "insincere", "doubtful" and "rigid". So much for the government's initiative to promote inclusive education. A study conducted by the Psychology Research Unit of Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) in government and government-aided schools in Kolkata has revealed that a large number of teachers consider differently-abled children to be careless, insincere, doubtful and rigid.

The same teachers believe that children without special needs are "systematic", "confident", "sincere" and "responsive".

The research paper was presented at the Indian Science Congress with a view to impress upon the state government that our schools may still not be ready for inclusive education, which the government is trying to promote.

The study revealed some startling facts. "The most negative attitude towards children with disabililies was expressed by young teachers; those with postgraduate degrees; and those from high socio-economic backgrounds. Many of those who held this attitude have people with disabilities at home," said Sumana Dutta, a research scholar at ISI .

The institute collaborated with Bikashayan, an NGO, in carrying out the study.

To gauge the attitude of 1,472 teachers in Kolkata, researchers used what is known as a semantic differential scale. "In a semantic differential scale, respondents are asked to choose where his or her position lies, on a scale between two bipolar adjectives. This scale is used to measure opinions, attitudes and values," explained Dr Debdulal Dutta Roy, assistant professor of the Psychology Research Unit. In this case, some of the pairs of bipolar adjectives used were "careless and systematic", "insincere and sincere", "doubtful and confident" and "rigid and responsive". The questionnaire with 20 such bipolar adjectives was filled in by teachers, parents and administrative staff.

A complex statistical method known as "Principal Component Analysis with Varimax Rotation" was used to arrive at the results.

"We surveyed 1,829 people in all. While 1,472 were teachers, there were 262 parents and the remaining administrative staff. We noticed that the teachers had the most negative attitude. Teachers from north Kolkata had the worst attitude followed by those in the south and west," Dutta added.

According to Dutta Roy, who monitored the process, it was a surprise that some teachers who have children with disabilities also display this attitude. "This reveals that the teachers are not considering the limitations of a child with disabilities," said the executive council member of the International Association for Analytical Psychology. "The second part of the study revealed that most schools (government- and government-aided) don't have the infrastructure required for inclusive education. There is clearly a need for remedial teaching and psycho-educational teaching if inclusive education has to be successful. Maybe the teachers will need more training. For the moment, though, special schools can't be done away with."

In the second part of the survey, 293 schools were surveyed. It was found that 42% of these schools don't have their own drinking water facility. Resource rooms - remedial classrooms where students with special needs are given specialized assistanceare - absent in 95% of these schools. It was also found that 98% schools have no resource teachers.

"Though 98% schools consider a resource person beneficial, in more than 44% schools, such teachers pay just a single visit in a month. In 53% schools, the visit is just for an hour. More than 85% schools have untrained teachers. If there is a problem, how will these teachers react? The problem lies with the non-manipulative nature of our pedagogy. Things will have to be more manipulative if children are to receive proper education," Dutta Roy added.


Wednesday, October 16, 2013

3000 Crore outlay for disability under 12th 5 year plan is useless if not spent


RS 3,000 CR FOR NEW DISABILITY PROJECTS AGAIN

Monday, 30 September 2013 | Jaya Shroff Bhalla | New Delhi

While projects worth Rs 1800-crore in the 11th Five-Year Plan meant for the welfare of the physically challenged have not been started yet, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (SJE) has yet again earmarked Rs 3000-crore for new disability projects.

SJE Minister Kumari Selja who reviewed the implementation of the People with Disabilities Act with State Commissioners earlier this year, admitted to the delays. “The Twelfth Five-Year Plan, which earmarks a total allocation to the tune of Rs 3,000 crore, will see a number of ambitious initiatives being implemented. These include setting up of a National Centre for Universal Design, Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC) and Braille printing presses across India,” said Selja addressing a meeting of State Disabilities Commissioners.

“We will also harmonise all the relevant domestic laws (including mainstream laws) and policies with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD),” she said. However, the ground situation remains rather grim. Most of these incomplete projects — like the Right to Education for the disabled, which has been a long-standing demand of the physically challenged community — still remain in limbo.

The task force constituted by the Ministry in 2010, to work out the details for the establishment of the proposed National Centre for Universal Design - to make the physical and academic environment disabled-friendly. Headed by Samir K. Brahmachari, Director General, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, taskforce submitted its report in 2011, but the Ministry did not act in three years. The partnership project of MSJE and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) of setting up Indian Sign Language Research and Training Center (ISLRTC) in 2011 has also been shelved.

 A project worth Rs 44-crore could have helped at least 2500 deaf persons in opting for professional studies. In two years, except for laying the foundation stone, there has been no progress. The Ministry took up the matter with IGNOU authorities in April, but to no avail. Most Braille printing presses across the State are also dying a slow death because of outdated machinery and technology. An example being: the Malakpet Press - the only Braille printing press in Andhra Pradesh set-up in 1986 for producing textual learning material for the visually impaired — hasn’t been upgraded. The visually-challenged workers — who are facing job losses launched an online campaign called the savebraillepress.blogspot.com. While the Centre is promising to create new Braille presses, some like Malakpet are dying for want of moderisation.

“We know that there has been a delay and that is why this department of disability was carved out by MSJE in July 2012 to look into the gaps,” said a senior official from MSJE.

“While the concept note for Institute of Universal Design is ready and we are waiting to give it a physical shape, the other projects will take some time to take off,” said the official. The official who was speaking to The Pioneer exclusively said that due to troubled waters with the IGNOU VC, the ISLRTC, the institute for the deaf and mute has almost been scrapped. “We had given the Rs 16 crore as an initial payment for the project, which we are trying to retract. There after, the Ministry is planning to open an independent institute.”

“After much noise by the disabled activists, funds were sanctioned by the Ministry in the 11th plan but in five years nothing came up. The Sign Language Centre was also mostly eye washed,” said Javed Abidi, convenor, Disabled Rights Group. “We have been hearing of the Universal Design Centre coming up every year but nothing much has moved,” he said.

“Money to the tune of several hundred crores was sanctioned for projects but has remained unutilised. This is in blatant violation of the disabled persons Right to Education,” said Anjlee Agarwal, director, NGO Samarthyam, who was also part of the task force for Universal Design Centre.

“Right to quality education is every person’s prerogative. Under the RTE, disabled should be included with the mainstream, but without Braille language books for the blind, and sign language interpreters for the deaf, quality education remains elusive to the challenged,” she said. Agarwal said that the Government should act soon if it does not want another generation of disabled to remain unemployed, socially aloof and academically handicapped. Even Sminu Jindal, from Swayam, an NGO working for disabled said, “While enhanced reservations in education and jobs are welcome but unless the Government makes physical and academic infrastructure accessible, all this seems a farce.”

http://www.dailypioneer.com/nation/rs-3000-cr-for-new-disability-projects-again.html