In Nagaland, differently abled people suffer from stigma and other related social problems just like the rest of the country. Most of the time there is seclusion for these categories of people. They are either hidden or not taken out from their houses and their rights suppressed.
Of late, many organizations have come out for their cause and the Govt. has also made an attempt to reach out to them, but this is still in the nascent stage and there remains a lot of work to be done. When our first born son was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2½ yrs, my wife and I were propelled to a totally different world which we were not prepared to handle. The initial years were a lot of struggles and frustrations, sometimes overwhelmed with a sense of helplessness, but by God’s grace and the support of families and friends we slowly came to terms with it and decided that we will equip ourselves to help our son with information through books, medias and sharing with other affected parents. Looking around we saw that very few schools were taking special children (moderate to highly functional ones) and struggling to accommodate them, but at the same time encouraged to see that some of the schools were trying to create amiable environment for such students. That made us resolve to also open up an inclusive play school where even low functional ones can be given a chance to come and learn and so Jo Foundation was established in 2009.
Inclusion as per RTE is a new terminology which has caught the fancy of many schools. While appreciating the concept and the positive attitude of these schools for accepting children with special needs, others still need help to catch up with the word Inclusion. Till date, proper ramps and other facilities for differently abled people in public and government areas still remains a far cry.
However in spite of limitations and lack of facilities and infrastructure in our state, genuine and concerned individuals and organisations have succeeded in causing ripples of change and as such Enable an NGO which comprises of affected parents and educationist is one such organisation which has boldly taken the lead in this area. I consider myself fortunate to work with them as a consultant for taking up a proper research in the area of disability and as a follow up of the research findings, simple modules were developed for training teachers to understand and deal with special need children. I am proud to say that Enable is the first and only NGO in the field of disability who has struggled to raise funds to bring experts from abroad and mainland to conduct workshops for parents and teachers and assess children with special need. Till date in partnership with the Govt. of Nagaland they have conducted medical camps where assessment was done and disability certificates issued and in some cases giving out appliances like hearing aids, wheelchairs, spectacles, etc,. They are still sponsoring Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy for the economically weak children at Jo Foundation and Physiotherapy centre at Kezieke kohima.
As an initiative taken by Enable group of NGO more than 16 inclusive Schools have mushroomed in our state. Even in the capital reputed Schools like St. Joseph, Mt. Hermont, G. Rio, , etc. to name a few has inclusion. I am really proud to say that Children with Special needs have begun to make their presence felt and that they are accepted and not rejected.
Recently Nagaland Parents Association for the Disabled (NAPAD) was formed and it has been trying its best to create awareness with assistance from the National Trust New Delhi, Govt. of Nagaland and host of well wishers, the “Badthe Kadam” programme took off and has touched all the districts of Nagaland. Going further towards the interior Nagaland where ignorance prevail People living with Disability represents a pathetic picture. As the Vice President of this organisation I will ensure that NAPAD is not biased towards any organisation but remains neutral as now NAPAD is the State Nodal Agency to the National Trust, New Delhi.
As a parent I am proud to say that my autistic son is now 8 yrs old and he is able to walk and run, show affection say a word or two and points to indicate most of his needs. Where before he was terrified of going to public places and dislikes any unfamiliar faces and places, now he is the first to go to receive visitors at the sound of the calling bell, loves going to school because there are lots of children around him, and loves to go out for a ride in the car to see new places. What a total turnabout it has been. Today our Jo Foundation school has 6 children with special needs some of whom are severely affected amongst 23 other normal children and though our effort is like a drop of water in the ocean, we are not deterred. We can see improvement, however slow and gradual, we see hope and we see smiles on their faces as they look forward to come and spend another day in the school with their friends and teachers and this gives us the strength and encouragement to carry on. At Jo Foundation we give free textbooks and free uniforms and Children with Special needs are given fee concession too, since this play school was basically established for them. I pray that some day we will be able to provide the best experience which our children deserve.
I had an opportunity to interact with one gentleman who runs a play school in Mokokchung and he strongly believes that special children should not mingle with normal children as it creates a negative impact. I would like to appeal to one and all that, if the teachers of any school is trained or at least know something about educational psychology, you don’t have to fear that the presence of a special child will create a negative impact rather be glad that the presence of the special child will help normal children to develop empathy skill and value education which is not taught inside the classroom.
Our environment is not Disabled friendly be it Govt. Offices, Institution, or other public places. Hence, the stake holders in this area should put our heads together to make it a better place to live so that we as parents will not worry as to what will happen to our differently abled children when we are gone, since in our very presence certain unscrupulous society has started to take root by taking the name of disability. However in general our people are good , and has proved time and again that they can be trusted.
There is a change in attitude of many NGOs towards Disability and now we can see that the different institutions and organised body are making an attempt to perform their part. I would like to appreciate the Churches and related organisations for the effort they are taking now, as we can see that through their effort the general public no longer view disability as a curse from God but an opportunity to glorify God.
NGOs have motivated the children to enrol in inclusive schools and encouraged educated youth to take up careers in this field. I am proud to say that we have now people specialising in these field such as Special Education, Psychology, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Speech Therapy, etc. They will guide and help the special need children along with their parents and teachers in our own state.
Martin Luther King said and I quote “If a man hasn’t discovered something he will die for, he isn’t fit to live” unquote. I have suffered from bone TB in my primary school days for two years and used crutches to move around and I know how it feels to be differently abled. I now strongly believe that my mission is to take up the cause of the differently abled and this cause is worth dying for. I pray for God’s Blessing on one and all who has come today.
On behalf of all the NGO present here I would like to express our profound gratitude to His Excellency Shri Nikhil Kumar, Governor of Nagaland, for giving us this platform to come together to show case our existence.
Thank you.
Mr. Daniel Thong, Chairman, Jo Foundation 354, Middle Mediezie( Agri-Forest Colony), Kohima, Nagaland. E-mail: ntdaniel@rediffmail.com
Mobile: 09436000597
