'Special children more sincere than normal people'

Awareness prog on opportunities for intellectually-challenged organised

Sincerity found in special children or mentally retarded is probably not found in the so-called ‘normal people’, opined professor in clinical psychology, All India Institute of Speech and Hearing (Aiish), S Venkatesan.  

He was speaking at ‘Samartha-2012’ organised by Rotary Mysore Midtown in order to improve awareness on employment opportunities for intellectually-challenged at SJCE here on Wednesday. Describing the advantages of hiring intellectually-challenged, Prof Venkatesan said that mentally-retarded people would make-up for the losses, for what is usually construed as their weakness. Punctuality is one of the qualities in a mentally retarded person.  

He said mental retardation should not be confused with mental illness.Mental retardation is a condition when a child has very slow development, but is capable of doing particular jobs if the environment is adjusted to suit them.  Citing an example, he spoke about the case of a mentally retarded person who had visited Aiish campus for counselling. He said, a man, who was running a bakery in Tamil Nadu, came with his son to Aiish for ‘treatment’.

 However, the man had refused to consider employing his son in his own bakery.  When he was told to identify sub-jobs, the baker recognised that his son could do at least 25 jobs without any assistance. Jobs as such placing cakes on a tray and arranging them for sale, were easily accomplished by the boy. Prof Venkatesan said that it is important to include mentally retarded children into society in order fare better in the mainstream.  Practises followed until now have tried to separate them from society due to which they suffer the most.

  Incentives 

He said there is a need to work out certain incentives for the benefit of mentally retarded persons. “We are sitting on an issue, which is a huge bomb and requires perspective change,” he added. Deputy commissioner P S Vastrad said a survey said customised equipment would be provided to 1000 persons, who were diagnosed as persons with disabilities. He said the district administration has planned to build ramps at a cost of Rs 1.4 crore in public offices across the district.  Rotary Mysore Midtown president R S Vishwanath, Samartha-2012 chairman N Narendra, secretary L M Manoj Kumar and director-vocational services Dr K A Prahlad were present.