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It was
going to be a great day for the residents of Dar-ul-Sukun, who
were invited to attend a music concert. I was there to cover
the event.
“I love to sing,” Saba whispered in my ear, a tall,
smiling girl with cropped hair and the most vocal amongst the
lot. Although her biological age was 15, she had the mental
development of a 5 year-old. However, by the evening’s
end, I felt convinced there was a lot more to her than what
met the eye, as I watched her confidently join the performers
at the show. When I said as much to one of the caregivers, she
agreed, but said she is “a handful” otherwise. The
caregiver’s assessment did not signify Saba’s weakness,
but rather the tolerance level of the caregiver. I was led to
doubt similar judgments passed because of the shortcomings of
our society. |
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The United Nations’ World Programme of Action defines
handicap as “the loss or limitation of opportunities
to take part in the life of the community on an equal level
with others”. In Pakistan, we are certainly affirming
this, isolating the handicapped into oblivion, where families
and caregivers feel embarrassed and reluctant to take them
to social events. Those who live with them feel a burden they
are destined to bear.
“When we take
them (special people) out, they are stared at and followed,
which causes discomfort not to them, but to the accompanying
staff, more so the female staff members,” comments Sister
Ruth, in charge and one of the founder members of Dar-ul-Sukoon.
Special education centres are desolate and poorly kept, while
the state of the art facilities are outrageously expensive.
The genuine exceptions are too few to cater to the 10 per
cent of the disabled in our country. While in developed countries,
the most convenient car park areas are reserved for the disabled,
here it is for the who’s who. Do poverty and illiteracy
deaden the conscience?
Sumeta Syed, Psychologist and Music Therapist, (whom I had
talked with during an earlier assignment — see our Annual
Issue 2009, Spotlight section, ‘Prescription: Music’),
suggests ways in which talent can be brought out from within
special people.
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“Every
disability has an ability. We, as a society, lack motivation
and passion towards making ends meet. We should seek success,
not convenience, in providing the best care and education
for people who especially need them. Therefore, vocational
training is an important integration we should look into.
Discover
Talent, according to me, is ‘an ability of a child,
which is exceptionally better than similar age or mentally
grouped peers and where the child enjoys and tries hard to
improve. As a parent, caregiver, or teacher, we can prevent
our children from giving up their passions and from losing
interest in what they love to do, by accepting their failure
and encouraging them to keep trying, to be there to support
and encourage.
Encourage
When working with a special person to develop his talent,
you are, at the same time, building his/her character. If
they show interest in a particular area, do not just sit there
and stare as if it is magic, do something about it. If it
is interest in music, save up for music lessons. If it is
in art, buy some art supplies, do not discourage the mess.
What we are missing is creativity in our teaching structure,
hence creativity is missing in the learning structure.
Nurture
I worked with a special child whose parents could invest neither
money nor time, because they both worked night shifts. So
we planned play dates, where we got together with other children
who had similar interests. Encouraging creativity to promote
a person’s talent need not be expensive or time-consuming,
but it should be the investment of hard work on your part.
Also, schools should incorporate similar techniques, so learning
experiences can be fun for both typical and special children.”
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