Inclusivity

As teachers, we had quite a hectic schedule to adhere to. The new session had commenced. There were talks in the staff room about who would get the best class i.e., ‘Section-A’, where the students were quite bright. As usual, the conversation floated around the bright, dull and mediocre students and their performances. All hoped to get the best class. As it was in the hands of the management, I hardly gave it a thought. Whichever class was given to us, the expectation was that we would ideally give it our hundred percent effort. I got Section-B. The school was buzzing with activity. The tiny tots were crying for their parents as teachers tried to coax them into their classes. We all became alert as we saw aayaji  running to ring the bell; the assembly was about to start and all children gathered in the playground. 

            Just as I entered my new class to keep my files, I was shocked to see a thirteen-year-old boy strapped to a chair. He was smiling. I had not been informed about him. I tried to ask if he was comfortable, but no words came out of his mouth. Saliva was dripping from one side of his lips. Instead of joining in the assembly, I decided to sit in the class with him. After a while, as the noise and stomping of shoes grew louder, I knew the students were coming back. Before they settled in their seats, one boy got up  and took out a small, rough cotton cloth from the physically challenged boy's bag and wiped his mouth with it. Then he made him drink water from the water bottle.

            As the first period started I took the attendance and found out that his name was Rahul. As I took his name, he tried to nod as if registering his presence in the class.

            ‌Throughout the day, subject teachers came and went, but I noticed they hardly paid any attention to him. Neither was there any talk about this physically challenged child in the staffroom.

            Some time passed. My class had now been shifted to the third floor in the school building. One day I came early and saw  Rahul's mother carrying him in her arms, sweating profusely as she climbed the stairs and brought him up to the third floor. She told me all about Rahul, how he had undergone surgeries and that there was one last surgery to be performed, which involved high risk. If he survived, there was a possibility that he might be able to stand on his feet and speak clearly. She requested that the class be shifted to the ground floor, but the school had its own limitations. Her request went unheeded. I gathered all the information about him from his mother and other children. I came to know that he had a strange, sharp intelligence. Whatever was taught in the class got recorded in his mind. He could remember a hundred and fifty mobile numbers after having heard them just once.

            ‌I marvelled at the strong memory and retention power of his brain. Now I realised that it was good judgment on the part of the school administration to admit him with the other children, but it seemed that the school’s responsibility ended with that. He was actually being looked after by his classmates alone. ‌It was because of these sensitive, innocent souls that he was able to be there and be happy. 

            The educated and the knowledgeable neither had the time nor the inclination to even look twice at him. Eventually, the mother had to withdraw the physically challenged child from the school as she was unable to carry him to the third floor every day.

            ‌So many mainstream schools admit children with special needs with the intention to be inclusive but do they have the right tools and trained teachers for teaching specially abled children with some understanding of physical and mental impairments? Isolating and leaving them in their own world is not the solution. By not being equipped early at the school level, we shut many doors of opportunity, growth and potential, and this does not just stop with the school. It is when these students grow up and enter the world that they have to face an amplified stream of negative responses in society and the professional world. Only a child's parents can ultimately feel the pain of the treatment meted out to them, which unconsciously deters them from living with integrity and facing a society which tolerates nothing less than perfect.

            Finally, the responsibility falls on the parents to stand by their children proudly and give them an environment which is conducive to growth, to make them useful members of society where they are able to play a productive role, and ,themselves feel valued for their contributions.

            Most of us hardly realise our full potential though we are not challenged in any way. Acceptance and inclusivity are all we need. Disability Studies should be given a place as a subject in the school curriculum, so that, as adults, we become better informed and sensitive human beings who are able to make a positive impact on society. Children hardly discriminate while mingling with their classmates. It is we adults who interfere with their innocent choices.

            ‌Physically challenged children find themselves progressively more and more isolated, and in most cases, it has adverse effects. They don't need our pity; they need our acceptance, a change in our outlook, a friendly, kind smile, a shared space. Through rejections, derision, ridicule, and labels, we are consciously or unconsciously systematically pushing them to the periphery. Instead of valuing them for whatever attributes they have—like trust, love, commitment, honesty and simplicity— we are expecting from them what they lack or don't have!

            This is where the special schools step in and rise to the occasion, embracing these children in their comforting arms. They nourish, nurture and see that they grow and prosper like a tree. These special schools not only work as caregivers but also as role models. They provide an ideal society where children are the focus of all attention and care. It is this positive, constructive environment which gives them wings to fly, or act as a springboard to take the first dive.

            As the old proverb goes: ‘one swallow doesn't make a summer.’ The initiatives of these special schools are actually teamwork work, and it is their collective representation at various platforms that makes their voices reach the concerned people. 

            Time changes, societies change, and values also undergo changes. Today, in this highly competitive world where everyone is struggling to extract and create value for themselves, the concept of SRV plays an important role. Specially abled children consciously or unconsciously perform many roles which are useful in our daily lives. The only need is to tap into their potential and accept them as God has made them: as human beings.

            Apart from medical aid, we actually have to win their trust and love to bring out their hidden and suppressed talents. The present Indian government is also making efforts to ensure its representation in government offices and jobs. But this is not even a drop in the ocean. Because of the attitude and views of the mainstream society, the stigma remains.

            As in the case of Rahul, it was not a question of accessibility, where schools may provide lifts and ramps for the children, but rather a case of acceptance and consideration. Just a little bit of sensitivity may have saved the disappointment and harassment which his parents faced.  As such, it is a hard struggle for the parents to raise the child decently, let alone brave the rejections of society!

            In my teaching career, I have received many compliments from my students, and many of them have also referred to me as their favourite teacher. But the day Rahul pointed towards me with his fingers, when asked who his favourite teacher was, in front of my colleagues, it was different.  I truly felt that my life and my job had been worthwhile.

            The special and challenged children make a difference in our lives. It is perhaps just a lack of awareness and knowledge about autism that is the reason for our ignorance and attitudes. It is important to understand the severity of the case. An early diagnosis coupled with a sensitive and humane society can create limitless possibilities for specially abled children and their parents.

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About the Author:

Namita Rai is a dedicated and sincere teacher. In addition to her role as an educator, she is also a published bilingual poet and writer. Her work has found place in prestigious national and international magazines. She continues to contribute to the literary world through her writings.