JOIN USOnline classes hard for students with disability
The challenges of e-learning for children with disability are greater, and lack of access to online tools can put an end to their education.
Early in June, a Kerala school girl committed suicide as she was unable to attend classes for want of broadband.
Kantharaju, program manager, education training, Association of People with Disability, Lingarajapuram, explains: “We need to make many adaptations and modifications. For example, when we teach hearing-impaired children, we need a teacher and a sign language specialist to work together. Such resources are not easily available and nor are they affordable.”
Lack of access
Chandrashekar K N, vertical head, Livelihood Resource Centre, Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled, JP Nagar , has been conducting training for people with disability between 18 and 35 in order to help them find employment.
“Many are from the rural areas and went home when the pandemic began. Some have no smartphones or Internet connectivity,” he says.
Those handling a smartphone or computer for the first time would need someone to support them during an online class, which is a luxury not many enjoy, he says. Students are expected to help their families out in the field or at work, now that they are at home, and that cuts into their study time.
At the moment, Samarthanam is conducting sessions of two kinds — phone and audio conference calls and video calls on platforms such as Google Meet, Zoom and WhatsApp.
“The latter are more effective as you have room to include sign language, presentations, video clips and other mediums. The learning level is significantly low for students who have to rely just on the audio method,” he says.
Anita Roy, principal, Shradhanjali Integrated School, Lingarajapuram, echoes the sentiment. “In a class of 25 students, maybe five have access to phones and the Internet,” she says. Her school has been conducting Zoom classes, but largely relies on WhatsApp to share worksheets. As most students are children of daily wage workers, asking parents to sit with them and teach them is not an option.
Eye-contact helps
Jenny (name changed), an educator who works with hearing-impaired children, says the pandemic has been especially hard on her students. “Most have poor memory so it is important to ensure that what they learnt so far remains fresh in their minds,” she says.
Most students come from economically disadvantaged families. They don’t own smartphones and some who do have no data, she says.
Even if these issues were resolved, online education may not be the best way forward. “Eye contact is extremely important to keep our students from being distracted. This can be difficult in video classes,” she adds.
A subtitle system for video classes would make things easier, however such software does not exist.
Anitha Roy plans a survey of parents to understand what would be the best way forward if classes resume in July. “We have three options in front of us — a shift system, alternating days or increasing the classroom space,” she says. However, if the online mode of education were to continue, they would have to review their testing and examination processes. “But what happens to sports and other activities?” she wonders.
One:one student:teacher ratio
For a few, online education has been game-changing. It allows them to progress at their own pace, without the additional social pressures of a classroom. Sharda Rangarajan, founder of Anugrah Siksha Kendra Trust (ASK), a learning centre for children with special needs has been conducting online classes for her students during the lockdown. Individual attention has been a factor she has never compromised on for her students. The move online has only helped with maintaining the one:one ratio of students and teachers, she says. “We conduct one-hour classes tailor made to suit the needs of a student. When a student first comes to us we are focused on remedial therapy — to bridge the gap between what the child knows and what the school expects them to know — after which, we work towards integration so the child can apply our method to the school system,” she explains.
Their hour is divided into 10-12 activities of 10-15 minutes each. “Even with its advantages, it takes a while to adjust to virtual classes. So, we made a point to keep our classes informal and cheerful so the students feel like putting an effort. If they don’t show interest in a particular activity, the teacher will move on to the next one and revisit this later,” she shares.
Manjula Das, parents of one of the students at ASK, says that she hopes that the online classes continue. “Children are able to save time on travel, which gives them the opportunity to explore other things,” she shares. While many have concerns with allowing young children access to the Internet, she says, provided parents or someone is able to monitor their usage, the increased screen time should not be concerning.
Future worries
Using masks in class is additionally challenging for children with hearing impairment.
“They need to be able to read our lips. Even masks that have a transparent covering around the mouth don’t allow children sitting six feet away to see very clearly,” says educator Jenny.
In the long run, easing the syllabus and changing the format of exams for 10th and 11th standard children would ensure that they are not left behind, she says.
Rachel Mathew, who works with young children, says social distancing is not possible. “Since they are so young, physical contact is almost always constant. For children who have speech issues, I have to place their hands on my mouth so they understand how I make sounds,” she says.
Schools for the disabled
Anugrah Siksha Kendra Trust (ASK), 96204 15700
Shradhanjali Integrated School, Lingarajapuram, 2547 5165
ASHA School (Centre for Differently Abled Children), Shivaji Nagar, ashaschoolblr@gmail.com
Deepika School, Basavanagudi, 2661 9844
J S S Sahana Integrated & Special School, Jayanagar, 2297 0104
Fame India, Jayanagar, 2244 6622