Jyoti from Coorg, India
‘Jyoti is studying well and enjoys co-curricular activities. She is a member of the child’s club and she participates in singing, drawing competitions, games, etc.’ These are the words of Jyoti’s teacher in Coorg, India. But things were very different for Jyoti a couple of years ago.
Although Jyoti started preschool, she stayed in the same class for two years and school authorities were considering asking her to leave since she was not making progress. Even her parents were reluctant to send her to school because they thought her disability would prevent her from studying. This is, unfortunately, a familiar pattern for many children with disabilities, who risk missing out on education because they cannot get the support they need from their school communities.
From experience with other children and in other schools, however, Leonard Cheshire Disability believed that changing the school environment would help Jyoti achieve academically. Project staff started working with Jyoti’s parents to encourage them to support their daughter. They also helped the school understand Jyoti’s needs.
Project staff gave Jyoti physiotherapy at regular intervals to improve her mobility and trained her parents in how to help her with the exercises, which they do twice a day. Since Jyoti cannot write with her right hand, she began to write with her left. Staff also gave her extra classes so she could catch up with her peers and gradually Jyoti’s studies improved.
A year later Leonard Cheshire Disability supported Jyoti to get admitted to a local primary school where her teacher was very helpful and encouraged Jyoti to take part in extra-curricular activities. A child club called ‘Prajwal’ (meaning strong light) was formed with seven children with disabilities and 20 non-disabled children who play and learn together. The project also trained the teachers and taught them how to develop teaching and learning materials for children with different learning needs.
Now a happy schoolgirl who will be able to complete her primary education, Jyoti’s friend says of her: ‘I like her very much. I play with her and we are good friends. I help her whenever she needs anything. We study together. Our teacher helps us in most things we do.’
Inclusive Education Across Three Countries
Including children with disabilities in mainstream schools is a priority work area for Leonard Cheshire Disability’s South Asia Regional Office. This is particularly important in South Asia; in India, for example, 64% of children are enrolled in school but only 4% of children with disabilities take part in education.
We now run inclusive education programmes with our partners in three South Asian countries – Bangladesh, Pakistan and India – to create examples to spread inclusive education throughout the region. To start with, the programme ensures that disabled children have access to pre-school and primary education. Teachers, parents, community leaders and government officials also learn how to include children with disabilities in education and make their schools and education systems accessible.
We have chosen to include a special focus on girls in these projects because South Asia has the highest number of out-of-school girls in the world.
