UDAAN
Our special school for challenged children, appropriately named UDAAN, meaning taking FLIGHT, was inaugurated on 1st August, 2013 on the ground floor of our Jan Seva premises. Udaan brings succor to those families with disabled children who have no means to care for them.
Our major objective is to serve the community to bring these children into mainstream society. Most of these children live under the most difficult circumstances and have never received any form of medical intervention. Fortunately for them they have found their way to our Centre where they are provided with free education, nutrition, medical facilities, physiotherapy, prosthetics and counselling. With our free services we try to ensure the development of individual skills of each child according to their capability.
We feel privileged to have the Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy partner us in the Bi-monthly Disability Clinic inaugurated on 7th May, 2013. As part of their Sangam Project bringing about community awareness, special needs children from the local community are identified and assessed for their individual problems. With IICP’s professional support and input we provide services to people with disabilities in the Community, focussing on the issues of identification of persons with disability, inclusive education, need-based intervention at home, vocational rehabilitation and health care. We work towards empowering persons with disabilities and their families, using local resources within the community and establish links for referral services at our Clinic.
Children from the neighbouring slums have been identified with several disabilities such as Cerebral Palsy, slow learners, speech impairment, severely delayed mental milestones, Down’s Syndrome and Hearing Impairment and others. After the professional assessment appropriate Intervention is advised to the parents. Free physiotherapy along with prosthetics is provided and special furniture is made to order for each child as per his or her needs. Children diagnosed with hearing impairment are assessed by Resound and free sophisticated hearing aids are provided to the children.
Awareness programmes are also conducted for the community as well as our staff about persons with disabilities and their needs. The focus has been on addressing specific issues of disability, rehabilitation and rights of disabled people and on strategies to include such people in community development programmes.
In a short span of just over two years Udaan has touched several lives! Our success stories speak for themselves.
“Touch Some Hearts” says Dr. Zarin Dadina, Chairperson Emeritus SICW. A heartfelt message, seeking your kindness.
FLYING HIGH
We thank IICP and our sponsors for providing such opportunity to the needy and the have-nots of our society who are specially challenged. But despite all challenges many of them have success stories to tell us which are elucidated below.
Initially Deep Majhi was admitted to the Creche section of Janseva . He was a very shy boy. He did not interact and talk much with his peer group. He lacked in socialization. He is a slow learner.
He was then sent to UDAAN for individual care and to overcome his difficulty in communication and socialization. He is attending classes in UDAAN since February, 2017. Deep has improved greatly in socialization. He is participating in all events of the classroom.
He is a very friendly and jovial boy. He is very cordial with his peer group. He is very attentive in his class. He follows all instructions. He has improved greatly in academics also. He can recite rhymes. He participated in the cultural program on stage in Jan Seva. He loves playing cricket and football.
Deep with his Mother at Jan Seva Udaan
Initially when he joined the ‘Udaan Creche’ in ‘Jan Seva’ for special children, he had no speech and lacked communication skill. After attending our special school he learnt to perform all his daily activities independently. He showed remarkable improvement in developed speech and communication. He also performed well in academics. He learnt to recite rhymes and poems, counting, writing, arithmetic, drawing. He has great interest in games and sports.
Observing his overall development and progress, his parents were advised to introduce the him to an integrated formal school. He appeared in the admission exam in ‘Chittaranjan Higher Secondary School’ and was successful! Hence, got admission in the school for the academic year 2018-19 and is now attending regular classes there.
Sajid with his Mother at Jan Seva Udaan
Initially Debangshu used to speak in a gurgling manner and his speech was unclear. His desire to communicate through speech is very moving. He can now speak much clearly. He eats everything. He plays with his brother and likes to go for jolly rides. He knows Bengali alphabets. He can count numbers in Bengali and English and can recite Bengali poems and English rhymes,too. He has been provided with a special cut chair in 'Udaan' special school and is very responsive and attentive in class. Debangshu has been provided with a pair of BK shoes and can even stand for some time. He can pick up small bits of biscuits and put them in his mouth independently.
At present he is attending an integrated school, known as ‘Sarada Vidyapith’ twice a week for his formal education.
Debangshu has an indomitable interest and persistence to do all activities. This attempt of the little boy is praise worthy and appreciable.