Puneet SUPA Report

8/3/2019 Puneet SUPA Report

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

A sensitive and socially inclined project of this nature not only demands for dedication

towards the work at hand and love for humanity but also calls for encouragement, support andthoughtful help and insights from various quarters.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Professor J. Philip, President of XIME,

with a special note of thanks to Dr. Stephan Mathews, for showing me the value and meaning in

undertaking this project. I would also like to extend my gratitude to Professor S.D. Tyagaraj,

Dean of XIME for his support and guidance.

I would also like to thank Dr.Bijaya Pati, for giving me the opportunity to work as a

volunteer at Chetana Institute For The Mentally Handicapped.

In particular I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude and profusely thank Ms.Savita

for her invaluable insights, constant support and guidance which really helped in understanding

the nuances of dealing with mentally handicapped children and without whose help the

successful completion of this project wouldnt have been possible.

Last, but not the least I wish to extend my special thanks to all the children at the

institute who have shaped my understanding of the mentally handicapped person and my

experience with them will be cherished by me forever.


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PREFACE

Socially Useful Productive Activity or SUPA is not only a value addition to the

curriculum at Xavier Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship, Bangalore, but is also a

platform that allows the students studying here to contribute their bit towards making a better

future for the world we live in.

The programme allows students to venture out in the real world, with the aim of

developing an attitude of social responsibility and an unflinching commitment to the purpose of

development of social causes. Being stakeholders in the society, our role goes beyond being

mute spectators of the problems and challenges that engulf it and SUPA is a novel channel for us

to implement our managerial skills and humane facet for the betterment of our society.

The work done under the SUPA programme encompasses a plethora of activities and it

could be anything from helping the impoverished or underprivileged sections of the society to

helping stray animals and saving paper and hence preventing deforestation. The bottom line is

that we are expected to help make a better future for all of us.

We are expected to work with an organization committed towards a social cause and in

doing so we should be able to add value to that noble cause. Being future managers we are also

expected to develop a holistic outlook on growth of an entity, which goes beyond profits andencompasses social welfare too.

The programme is one of a kind in contemporary B-schools and surely is the best foot

forward in the development of humanizing management education.


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INDEX

Sr. No. Topic Page No.

1. Executive Summary

2. Introduction to Chetana Institute for the Mentally Handicapped

3. Organization Structure

4. Areas of Work

6. A brief introduction to Mental Retardation and its importance inthe Indian context

7. A day at CIMH

8. My Body of Work

9. Skill Training

10 Case of Somnath Barik (PAR format-Problem, action, result)

11. Conclusion

12. References


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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

SUPA was a great opportunity for me to contribute my bit to the society in both ways

tangible and intangible. I realized the importance of helping the society I claim to be an integral

part of, and experienced the joy of giving. Being future managers not only calls for sharp

business acumen but also requires that we as managers are humane. SUPA acted like the perfect

tool that took me away from my comfort zone and provided me the chance to learn to unlearn

and contribute my two cents to the society.

We all know that everybody has a gift and that few are more gifted than others. Mentally

handicapped children are just those who fall in the latter category. Mentally retarded children

are not mad, they are differently able. Unable to comprehend the vagaries of these children or

simply disappointed because of unfulfilled expectations the society proclaims them as outcastsand it is here that each and every one of us has a moral responsibility in changing that outlook

and supporting these children. How does one contribute to improve the quality of life of these

gems is a question that pops up in the minds of people with noble intentions and the answer is

provided when people with a scientific outlook and altruism in their hearts set up an organization

dedicated to answer that critical question. Chetana Institute For The Mentally Handicapped is

just one such organization.

As a part of my SUPA, I worked with Chetana Institute For The Mentally Handicapped,

also known as CIMH. Its an NGO, and comes under the parent organization - Jewels

International.

I worked with CIMH from the 27th

of Dec2010 to the 15th

of Jan2011 and was involved

in skill training of the mentally handicapped children and behavioral assessment a single child

apart from helping them in domestic activities and participating in their little joys.

One of the most important lessons for me during this entire course was how differently

these kids view the world around them from what we see it as and after my experience at CIMH

I have come to believe that the world we live in is a world of perceptions and the beauty of it is

that it always holds something unique for everybody. Spending time with these children,

teaching and playing with them, understanding them and participating with them in their joys

and sorrows has given me a clearer perspective of my role in the society and a higher sense of

appreciation for all creation.


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INTRODUCTION TO CHETANA INSTITUTE FOR THE MENTALLY

HANDICAPPED

A Voluntary Organization named as Jewels International was established atBhubaneswar in the year 1977 to perform Social Service and conduct Mass Education Programmes.

The Organization was registered under the Societies Registration Act. No. XXI of 1860, by the

Registrar of Societies, Cuttack, on 27th July, 1977. In the year 1985, the Organization decided to

work for the welfare of the Mentally Handicapped Children. The same resulted in the

establishment of an Institution named Chetana Institute For The Mentally Handicapped (CIMH)

in June, 1986.

CIMH pursues the principle of inclusivity. Children who are looked upon as outcasts by

the society to parents who view them as a burden, CIMH satisfies not only their basic

physiological needs but also groom them to be employable and independent as far as possible.

The calm and serene atmosphere of the campus is perfect for fostering an environment of care

and nurturing the idea of creating something for everyone. The institute has a dedicated team of


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teachers, doctors, psychiatrists, trainees and associated staff who are committed to the single

minded cause of making tomorrow a better day for these little stars.

The Bhubaneswar Branch of CIMH provides Day Care facility and Hostel facility to

Mentally Retarded Children. There are 98 students who are enrolled in the Residential

Programme. For the purpose of education and training, the students are grouped into five classes

based on their age, functional ability and the level of Mental Retardation. The following Table

shows the breakup of the students in different classes.

Class wise Distribution of Students, Bhubaneswar Branch

Class Day care Hosteller Total

Male Female Male Female

Pre-Primary - - 08 02 10

Primary - - 20 06 26

Secondary - - 23 05 28

Pre-Vocational - - 30 04 34

Total - - 81 17 98

The institute has the following objectives:-

1) To promote the establishment of institutions for the education, training and rehabilitation

of the mentally handicapped and other categories of disabled persons.

2)

To conduct health programmes for the disabled people of the State.

3) To promote research on mental handicap and allied subjects.

4) To establish collaboration with other Voluntary Organizations having similar objectives.

5) To conduct developmental programmes for the all round development of rural, tribal and

slum population; women and children.

Mission Statement

To establish and support establishment of Special Schools, Vocational Training Centres

and Sheltered Workshops for the Mentally Handicapped in the State of Orissa


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Legal Status

Jewels International is registered under:

1. Society Registration Act No. XXI of 1860,

Registration No. 11634/480 of 1977-78.2. Section 12-A of Income Tax Act. 1961

Registration No. Adm. (GL) 27/12-A/85-86

3. U/s.80G (5) (vi) of Income Tax Act. 1961,

Registration No. ITO(Tech.)/ 80G-93/ 05-06/2006-07/1781, dated 12th July, 2006.

4. Foreign Contribution Regulation Act. 1976

Registration No. 105020046 of 1987

5. Persons with Disability Act., 1995

Registration No. 18/Women & Child Development Department, Govt. of Orissa, 2004

6. National Trust Act., 1999

Registration No. 1812/CP-MR/2002

7. Certificate of ImporterExporter Code (IEC) - 2301000389/2001

8. District Industries Registration No. 1917 / 05/04/2003


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ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE

CIMH was the brain child of Dr. Narayan Chandra Pati, a psychiatrist and a reputed

professor of psychology at Utkal University. The institute is governed by an executive committee

in accordance with the provisions of the Bye-Law of Jewels International. The executive body is

elected by the General Body once in every three years.

LIST OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

SlNo.

Name PositionQualification &

Occupation

01. Dr. Ajay Kumar Mishra President

M.S. (Surgery)

Retd. Govt.

servant

02. Dr. Basant Kumar DasVice-

President

M.A., Ph.D.

Retd. Govt.

servant

03. Dr. N.C. PatiGeneral

Secretary

M.A., Ph.D.

Universityservice

04. Sri Mrityunjaya PaniJoint

SecretaryM.Com. Service

05. Dr. Chintamani Mishra Treasurer

M.A., Ph.D.

University

service

06. Dr. Bijaya PatiPrincipal

(CIMH)M.D.(Psychiatry)

07. Dr. Tarapad Ray Member M.D.(Psychiatry)


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08.Er. Bhabani Sankar

MohantyMember

B.E. (Electrical)

Govt. service

09. Dr. Prasanta Kr. Mishra MemberM.A., Ph.D.

Govt. service

10. Sri Lalatendu Patnaik MemberM.A., L.L.B.

Advocate

11. Sri Kailash Ch. Mishra MemberI.A. CESCO

Service

12.Sri D.S. Appa Rao

Member

B.Com (Hons.),

L.L.B. BankService


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AREAS OF WORK

The following services are being offered by CIMH:-

1)

Special education and skill training2) Vocational training programme

3) Community based rehabilitation programme

4) Self-help programme

5) Early intervention programme

Special education and skill training

As mentally handicapped children have needs which are different from the others,

these needs have to be addressed in different ways too. The need could be quite basic like

buttoning up a shirt or even pouring water in a glass or complicated like listening, recognizing

and acting on a particular external stimulus. These children could be challenged in any sphere

that could range from communicating efficiently to behaving as per social norms or even


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performing domestic activities. CIMH has a comprehensive and structured curriculum to address

these needs and this is what constitutes its special education and skill training services.

Basically, the children are put in different classes based on their age and ability-the

two most important criteria for this classification. The following descriptions of various levels of

training will give us a better idea on the structure of training.

1) Pre-primaryChildren aged between 3 and 6 years are kept in these classes. It is evident that these

children require basic needs to be fulfilled than going up the ladder on higher needs like

being able to communicate or participate in group activities. Children in this category

require more personal attention.

2) Primary-1At each level there are few tests conducted at regular time intervals, to see how the child

is responding to what he has been taught and gauge his overall development. Children

getting a minimum of 80% at the pre-primary level and approximately 7 years of age are

promoted to this level. i.e. Primary-1. The focus here is more on developing their mental

faculties as they have already proved that they are capable of performing basic activities

like drinking water without spilling, not swallowing solids and the like. Children at this

level are taught basic numbering concepts and alphabets.

3) Primary-2Those who arent able to achieve the 80% target at the pre-primary level even after 8

years are put in primary-2 classes. Since these children have shown low functional

abilities they are trained from scratch and are given more time in assimilating information

and responding to them. Children are kept in this class till a maximum age of 14 years

before they enter the secondary level.


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4) SecondaryThis is a mixed group, having children from both primary-1 and primary-2 levels.

Children at this level are taught more advance concepts of money and time and various

reinforcement techniques are used to boost their confidence about which I will explain in

greater detail later on in my report. Children in this class are generally in the age group of

11 to 14 years.

Vocational training programme

The special education centre of CIMH offers vocational training to mentally retarded

children with a futuristic view of vocational placement. The institute gives intensive training on

making candles, envelopes, paper-packets, mosquito nets, phenyl, gardening, diary, tailoring,

cover files and note books. The institute has also opened up a grocery shop since 2003 for

vocational training and placement of adults with mental disabilities.

Community based rehabilitation(CBR) programme

The main objective of the CBR Programme is to provide service to the disabled people at

their door step. The Special Educators appointed under this project visit the homes of people

with disability on a regular basis and help the parents conduct home based special education and

vocational training programme. The project activities include awareness generation on disability,publication of literature on disability in the regional language, parental counseling, and home

based special education programme. Vocational training and placement of people with

disabilities in locally available vocations is one of the major activities under the project. The

institute has also implemented a project on Community Based Rehabilitation of People with

Disability with a focus on Intellectual Disability in collaboration with Lebenshilfe, Germany, and

the Ministry of Economic Co-operation & Development, Govt. of Germany. The project was

implemented in 16 Community Development Blocks of Orissa spread over 12 Districts. The

project also included infrastructure development in Bhubaneswar and Balakati branches of the

institute.

A total number of 7125 persons with disability are under the CBR programme. Most of

these people are below the poverty line and require intensive long duration service.


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Self-help programme

As a part of the self-help programme the institute has helped forming 50 Self-Help

Groups (SHGs) by the disabled people and their family members in 16 CBR Units. Each SHG

was given an amount of Rs. 10,000/- as revolving fund. Each member of the SHG also

contributed Rs. 10/- to Rs. 30/- per month to the common fund of the SHG. The members of the

self help groups take small loans from the common fund of the SHG and use the money for small

businesses, animal husbandry, and agricultural activities.

. Early intervention programme

CIMH also provides Early Intervention and Home Based Training Services for children

with intellectual disability, delayed development, autism, and multiple disabilities, who are

unable to avail either day care or residential services due to various reasons. The experts of

CIMH either visit the homes of these children or invite parents of the children to the Centre, and

train them with the skills to manage their children in a home environment. The centre also

provides Early Intervention Services for children with developmental disabilities from birth to

six years of age.

The institute has also conducted a large number of training programmes on Mental

Retardation and Disability in the year gone by. The abstract of the training programmes is given

in the following Table.

Seminars, Workshops, and Short-Term Training Programmes

conducted in collaboration with Lebenshilfe, Germany

Funding Agency Name of the Programme Duration No. ofcourses in theProgrammes

No. ofParticipants

Lebenshilfe &Govt. of Germany

Parent TrainingProgrammes

5 days 16 1327


Follow Up ParentTraining Programmes

1 day 59 1456


Village Level VolunteersTraining Programme

10 days 16 400


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A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO MENTAL RETARDATION AND ITS

IMPORTANCE IN THE INDIAN CONTEXT

Before I get into the details of my experience at CIMH and my role therein I would like

to throw some light on some facts and figures which I think are important for us to understand

the behavior of these children. Firstly, I would reiterate my statement about these children not

being mad, which is a widely held misconception. This notion has absolutely no credibility and

contemporary science refutes it vehemently. As per Merriam-Webster dictionary, mental

retardation is defined as follows:-

sub average intellectual ability equivalent to or less than an IQ of 70 that is accompanied

by significant deficits in abilities (as in communication or self-care) necessary for

independent daily functioning, is present from birth or infancy, and is manifested

especially by delayed or abnormal development, by learning difficulties, and by problems

in social adjustment.


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Supporting the definition and empirically based on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence

Scale (WAIS) the following data will show us the ranges that are used in classifying varying

degrees of mental retardation.

Class IQ

Profound mental retardation Below 20

Severe mental retardation 20-34

Moderate mental retardation 35-49

Mild mental retardation 50-69

Borderline mental retardation 70-79

As per a recent report prepared by the World Bankin collaboration with the ministry of

social justice and empowerment the following statistics hold good for India.

14 % of the disabled population amounts to approximately 8.4 million mentally

handicapped people in India! This is a huge figure and we should realize that we have an

opportunity to do something good for these children rather than castigating them. At the moment

there are four laws namely,

- The Disability Law of 1995

48%

28%

14%

10%

Disabled People

Visually Impaired

Movement Impaired

Mentally disabled

Hearing and Speech

diabilities
http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Wechsler_Adult_Intelligence_Scalehttp://www.wordiq.com/definition/Wechsler_Adult_Intelligence_Scalehttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/World-Bankhttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/World-Bankhttp://www.wordiq.com/definition/Wechsler_Adult_Intelligence_Scalehttp://www.wordiq.com/definition/Wechsler_Adult_Intelligence_Scale


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- The National Trust Act

- The Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) Act and

- The Mental Health Act

that cover all disabilities in India and even though these four overlook the activities and

formulate norms of the organizations helping disabled people apart from giving them their

legal status, their policies hardly result in assuring any form of employment of these people.

As per the laws there should be 3 percent reservation for disabled people in government jobs

but the public sector employs just 0.5 per cent and the situation is even worse in the private

sector where only 0.2 percent of disabled people are employed. The overall employment rate

is less than 0.4 percent of the disabled people for the mentally handicapped and the policies

surely do not hold much promise for these people to be absorbed in mainstream jobs.

It is very easy for one to cite the example of a disabled person in a neighbors house, but

it is as difficult as or even tougher than that to accept the fact that there is one in our own

home. The mindset of our people has to change. Feeling of shame and inferiority has to be

done away with and public awareness on mentally handicapped people has to penetrate the

larger strata of our society. There is a need for policy reforms to make a positive impact on

the life of the mentally handicapped and to stop discrimination against them, at and outside

the workplace. India is a developing country and has a lot of challenges lying ahead on itspath of progress. It should not leave anyone behind in this wave of development and let us

not forget that they too are one among us.

Let us remember the famous words of Hubert H. Humphrey, a famous advocate of civil

rights and the Vice President of the U.S (1965-1969)

The moral test of a government is how it treats those who are in the dawn of life . . .

the children; those who are in the twilight of life . . . the elderly; and those who are in

the shadow of life . . . the sick . . . the needy . . . and the disabled."


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A DAY AT CIMH

It has been cold this winter in Bhubaneswar with temperatures dipping to single digits but

the warmth with which the children greet me has never diminished. On a crisp morning as I enter

the institute, I can hear voices calling me Sir..Sir youll teach us today?(in the local language)

with the same enthusiasm in their voices as the day before, while they scratch their heads and

hug me with joy and expectations.

A typical day at CIMH starts as early as 6 A.M. and the children start performing their

daily chores, but quite unlike what we would do. Some of them would require external assistance

even in being led to the bathrooms or toilets. The helpers and people in charge of the hostel are

by now used to this grind and are well aware of the abilities of most of the children. Once done

with their morning routine, its time for breakfast and one can see a lot of amusing antics by

these movers and shakers. They are not only energetic but are quite naughty too. These children

seem to be in their own world, oblivious to the fact the teacher is telling them to form a circle,

and its then that one realizes the gravity of the situation. Moving on to a lighter note, food and

food it is, that can probably bring the broadest of smiles on their faces.

After stuffing their bellies the children are now ready for some small drills or rhymes to

start up their day. You can hear the words all jumbled up but the tune being maintained when

they sing If youre happy and you know it, clap your hands... By the time they are done withtheir rhymes it is around 10 A.M. and it is time to do some brain crunching. The children enter

their respective classrooms guided by their teachers and are smiling as always.


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Once inside, it is both a test and a new experience for every teacher day in and day out.

All the teachers are qualified with B.Ed degrees in special education with years of experience

under their belt, but every child out there is different from the other and with that comes an

opportunity knocking everyday at the teachers door to help the child grow. There are children in

groups of five to seven and even then there can be everything, but silence in a classroom. Some

children might be rocking on the chair back and forth, while some maybe least interested in what

the teacher is saying and looking all over the classroom while the teacher is trying to teach them

and as a result, more often than not, the teacher stops every few seconds, not even minutes to get

back the diverted childs attention. Quite a challenge I must say, keeping in my mind that I too

was going to do that on a particular level.

Sessions of half an hour to an hour are conducted wherein the children are taught new

skills or are just engaged in some form of productive activity. The teachers try to involve the

children as much as possible by giving them tasks which could be varied or similar in nature and

most of it is done in groups. This continues till exactly one oclock in the afternoon, when thebell rings for quite a long time and the children know that its time for lunch and I can see those

smiles back on their faces. They are very curious about the menu for lunch since morning and on

being told that theres an egg ora chicken preparation, the excitement on their faces is a sight to

behold. The lunch break is for an hour and after two in the afternoon the children get back to do

some practical activities like stitching, making boxes of cardboard and some even paint. They


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seem to be more interested in creating images or making something more visual than just

sitting and learning or probably listening because it keeps them more engaged and the results of

their efforts are more tangible in nature which gives them great satisfaction.

By four in the evening it is time for some gardening (the picture above is of the garden at

CIMH) and they have a natural inclination to water and the wet mud as far as I have noticed. Its

a fantastic experience in the shaded garden to plant saplings and in the meantime develop

friendly rapports with these children. By five o clock in the evening, its time for the gates to

close and the teachers leave for their homes and the children can be seen playing games with the

helpers and some full timers who stay at the hostel itself or they just wander in the campus doing

things they find interesting. Yeah, they do watch a little bit of T.V as a part of their recreation

and mostly in the local language and are very happy on seeing some cartoon network channels.

Probably the funny faces and exciting sounds seem to tickle their funny bone to a good extent.

Finally, they have their dinner by eight and jump on to their beds to cuddle up under a

blanket bracing themselves for another chilly winter night. It has been a long day, filled with a

lot of fun, activity and a new set of experiences and now it is time to rest, as I start my bike and

head out thundering into the darkness.


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MY BODY OF WORK

I was involved directly in the skill training of the mentally handicapped children who

were at the secondary level. I was instructed on the first three days of how the process would be

and the things that I would have to take care of at a personal level, especially on not losing my

temper and to keep encouraging them. At the end of one week I had to conduct a behavioral

assessment on any one child stating his problem in certain areas after checking his actions

against a list of behavioral checklists and recommending specific actions for the child to cope

with that problem. I was given a list of expected problem behaviors by the teachers and I was

free to add new ones too if I noticed anything that wasnt already there. To be precise, my

recommendation was not to be an out-of-the-book solution but was to be more of an activity or

an innovative idea that could be implemented. In the forthcoming week I was to have anotherround of teaching sessions with that kid in which I would be implementing my recommendations

and submitting my observations to the teacher in charge. The picture below is of me with

Somnath and Tushar, two children from CIMH.


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SKILL TRAINING

Concept of Money and Time

The concepts of money and time are of practical importance to these children as it comes

very handy in their day to day functioning and also prepares them for vocational jobs. I spoke

about the denominations of coins currently in circulation and how to make use of the other

denominations in exchange of one. I should have realized that the old adage of action speaks

louder than words couldnt have had a truermeaning than in this context. I had to get back to

my drawing basics and I drew a few charts on both the money concept and a made a clock to

explain to them the concept of time. The following charts will give an exact idea of my briefing

on the money concept wherein they had to match coins too so that they could recognize a coin

with its value with a similar one. Associating the value with real coins is important because they

need to develop mental images for a particular value and breaking it down into lower

denominations gives them a clearer picture of various possible transactions for a particular value.

I had to get a very important thing right for teaching the concept of time. All the charts

that I had seen present in the classrooms had every hour drawn unto them and there was no scope

for the child to experiment. Keeping that in mind I made a basic clock with movable hands


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which helped me get the idea of time across to them in a more efficient way as they could also

participate actively by moving the hands of the clock and more importantly, it grabbed their

attention that got them excited about learning how to use it.

Concept of Days and Months

Apart from these 2 concepts I also taught them about days and months. It was important

for me that I do not go too fast or jump steps thinking they would understand, because at the end

of the day I knew their abilities and it was me who had to adapt to the situation. I followed the

process of drawing and making the experience more visual to increase the effectiveness of my

teaching them these concepts. The following picture drawn by me helps them relate the days in a

month with respect to the height of the mountains. The higher mountains represent months

having more than 30/28 or 29 days and the smaller ones represent months having days lesser

than 31. Seasons added here give a more realistic impression of what they are learning and helps

them remember information more effectively.


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The man in the picture above is actually juggling balls with the days of the week written on them

and the child would have to match the days of the week on either side. This will involve the child

in being able to recognize the letters of the week and his cognitive abilities would require him to

identify a similar one on the other side.

I also taught them about the cyclical concept of the days of a week. As these children

learn faster by doing things than just sitting, I made them stand in a circle with each day of a

week assigned to one child and they went around the circle till they got a feel of what was

happening and the rhythm of Monday,Tuesday,,Sunday,Monday.. settled in their minds.

One important aspect of teaching these children that I realized and implemented while I was

teaching them was that, they pay more attention to musical sounds. For example if I said , One

Two Three., they were less inclined to listen to me than when I said One, Two buckle my

shoe.. in a rhythmic tone. Rhythm accompanied with actions plays an important part in any

mode of communication with these children, and especially while trying to teach them something

new.

By the end of the week the children were more comfortable with these concepts and were

able to answer some of the questions asked by me. In short, they picked up the cues and were

having the foundations laid clearly in their minds. It was a joyous moment for me to see the

children being able to answer simple questions on time, money and days-of-the-week concepts.

It was a week that got me closer to these children and got me acquainted to some of their

habits. By now I had a rough idea of the mental abilities of each child and I had to choose any

one child for his behavioral assessment. I took up the case of Somnath Barik, a 12 year old

mentally handicapped child.


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CASE OF SOMNATH BARIK

Behavioral Assessment (Problem Identification)

To assess Somnath I had to check his activities against a checklist of a behavioral scale

which broadly had 18 categories and each category had 10 checkpoints. The following statistics

of the assessment gave me an idea of the weak areas of Somnath and guided me to focus on

those areas for development.

My observation of these results led to me to the fact that Somnath was still scoring less

on the Reading and Social Interaction fields. He was scoring less in Community

Orientation and Vocational Skills too, but that could be taken up at a later stage for

development. One was a fundamental area of self development and the other required greater

interaction with the world around him. Both of these problems had completely different contexts

and hence demanded different solutions. I communicated these observations to Ms. Savita, my

guide and mentor during the entire process.

Checking up on Somnaths file she told me that he has a very short attention span and is

acutely restless. His case file also revealed that his mother was malnourished at the time of his

birth and his father too was mentally handicapped.

0123456

789

10

Checkp

oints

Behavioral Fields


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Solution (Action)

Firstly, coming to the Social Interaction component of the behavioral scale meant more

than just talking or interacting with others. Social interaction also meant the following things in

brief:-

a) Waiting for his turn in groups

b) Taking the role of a leader in group activities

c) Asking for help when bullied or manages the situation by himself

d) Says words like Please, Thank You and Sorry and shows other social courtesies.

Somnath lacked all of the above. I had to decide a way by which he could inculcate these

habits through experience. After a good amount of thought, I came up with a simple and feasible

idea-playing carom. A carom board was present at the institute catching dust, and it caught my

eye.

Playing carom daily for an hour with Somnath and two more children (both were at pre-

vocational levels) was a great experience. Liza and Tushar were very co-operative. Carom, as we

all know is a group game and requires patience from each of the players to play his turn. It also

involves requesting for the striker from a co-player when its beyond the reach of the person and

involves setting up of the coins and starting the game too, apart from directing a team mate to pot

in the most easily available coin. There is a possibility of a tiff too, when somebody breaks the

rules, especially when one is playing with children. Basically, it encompasses all of the above

points and was a great practical guide for Somnath to develop himself in those areas.

Secondly, coming to the Reading field on the behavioral scale. Just like social interaction

didnt just mean communicating, reading didnt just mean pronouncing words. It also meant

sorting objects of different shapes and matching pictures with objects.

This time around I used a board as shown in the following page. I drew a figure on a piece of

paper and wrote what the object was and Somnath had to choose the exact object from the board

whose figure I had drawn on the paper. This made him learn the name of the object and he got

the physical feel of the object too. The board is a hollow cavity wherein different shapes of wood


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are placed. I even emptied all these shapes of wood together and left it to Somnath to fill up the

board placing the right shape in the right cavity while I timed him on the activity.

Results (Observations)

It had been a week since I started working with Somnath on his problem areas and it was

time for me to give my observations on the recent developments. I would say Somnath as a child

is an introvert and it is his natural inclination to shy away from a crowd, leave alone addressing

somebody with social courtesies. But there was a sign of hope, on the day I got chocolates for all

the children at the institute and Somnath walked up to me and said that he wanted to distribute

the chocolates to everybody. This according to me was the first step in the right direction. He

clearly showed willingness in performing an activity that involved everybody. Let us not forget

that inculcating a habit, is not a weeks job or even a months. It requires constant involvement

of the child with his peers and people who drive and support him and provide him with

verbal reinforcements of praise and good-work.


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A picture of Somanth- the leader with chocolate boxes.

As for his reading skills in terms of matching and sorting objects I gave the results of his clocked

timings to Ms.Savita. Somnath started with a clock time of 58 seconds to place the 10 pieces in

right cavities and hovered around it for a few days before the clock times gradually came down

to 25 seconds at the end of the week. This was a decent improvement in his ability to match

figures and he became more efficient in identifying vegetables and stationery items too.

It is important to note here that both these results are definitive indicators of the

possibility of improvement in developmental behavior of Somnath if sustained over a long

period of time. Somnath showed signs of improvement in both individual and social arenas of

development and the future surely holds a lot of promise for this special child. Though

Somnaths IQ levels still remain below 70, he has learnt new and important concepts that will

keep him in good stead all his life.


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CONCLUSION

I have come to the end of my report but I am still at the beginning of my journey at

CIMH and in the upliftment of the mentally handicapped people in a broader sense. The two odd

weeks spent working as a volunteer at CIMH not only brought me face to face with this

neglected and discriminated section of our society but also helped me understand the challenges

faced by the teachers at the institute.

During the course of my project, I got hands on experience of working with the faculty at

CIMH and also learned about their difficulties in terms of shortages in the workforce. Coming to

think of it, the demand for teachers in Special Education is approximately five times than the

current supply as per recent statistics. This shows that there is clear dearth of resources in this

field and this gap can only be plugged after policy reforms are implemented in this sector. After

all, they need to be treated at par if not above teachers who teach normal children because their

jobs are more strenuous and even tougher than their counterparts in normal schools. The photo

below is that of Ms.Savita, who has about 25 years of experience in Special Education, and was

my mentor and guide in the entire process. The boy with her is, Tushar, and hes almost ready

for vocational jobs.

Mental disability is not a disease. It is not a curse. My experience at CIMH was a true eye

opener for me. These children just like others have a future and we have a part to play to improve


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their future. While I volunteered to teach at CIMH, I was surprised that I too learnt a couple of

things from the children. Firstly, never to allow the smile fade off my face and secondly to retain

the innocence of a child as far as I can and to not limit my thoughts to just what Ive learnt. Both

these things are a way of life for these children. It is because we are so educated that we forget or

even fail to look at things from a different perspective and stick to the conformity of the

structures and patterns we have learned so rigidly. The minds of these children are like open

boxes and they explore it to the utmost level. They fail because they cannot associate it with the

context at hand. Mentally handicapped children need constant appraisals and these could be

satisfying their basic physiological needs by providing food or liquids or it could be something

more verbal like Very Good or Great Job. Whatever it may be, it just goes on to show that

these little things matter the most and go a long way in shaping and developing a differently

abled child.

It was an enriching experience for me to help those who needed it most and my

association with CIMH and the cause of helping these children will continue long after my

SUPA project is completed. Let us all remember as a society and as a nation, the crux of

disability wrapped in just one line in the words of Scott Hamilton.

The only disability in life is a bad attitude.


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REFERNCES

1) http://www.disabilitynewsasia.com

2) http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health
http://www.disabilitynewsasia.com/http://www.disabilitynewsasia.com/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/healthhttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/healthhttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/healthhttp://www.disabilitynewsasia.com/

Documents

Puneet SUPA Report