Ray of hope for the disabled

 And one such institution which is striving its best in this regard is JSS  Sahana  Integrated Education for the  Disabled (JSS SIED) school, in Sararwathipuram.
Started by Shivaratri Deshikendra  Swami  in 1987,  it has been one of the oldest schools in this regard. It started with just five children and one teacher and today this institution is having around 100 students with the teaching faculty around 10.

The school basically trains children who cannot hear, speak, are mentally retarded and physically disabled, and also with other drawbacks like dyslexia and other related problems. Shivbasappa, the principal, says, “Our aim is to provide education and make them into  good citizens.”

“This school is different from the rest because here we admit those individuals who clear certain  psychological tests before admission. We have  teaching staff who are specially trained for this particular curriculum,” he said.

Here the students are basically trained in different aspects such as basic course like rhymes, alphabetical identification, colour identification, living skills, social skills and communication skills. The division of batches are done keeping in view the mental growth of each individual students says Sheela, one of the trainers in the institution
“Here the students are being treated well and special activities like speech therapy, cultural activity are being imparted to make them self-reliant, ” she said.

The curriculum of the school includes activities like ring arrangements , beads  counting and few basic exercises.

 “One of the plus point here is the teachers are friendly enough to train these section of children who need special care and attention. As my son is a student here I have noticed improvement in his day-to-day activities to a certain extent,” said Rekha, one of the parents heaping praise on the school.The students who get trained here are competent enough to participate in various activities in their categories. Arun  Kumar a student with mental disability has been a national-level champion in various sports. He is the best example of this institution’s student-friendly dedication.

 Apart from this  regular training is also being provided in dance, songs, drawing, sports and so on. Hence, if ever  you come across individuals with such disabilities who want to be self-reliant, you know where to head now…. Lets make a better place  for them to live a dignified life.