A Special Alma Mater

Getting into a school and passing out with flying colors may seem pretty “normal” for a child, being good or at least average at sports is a given. These normal things are a little more than tough for some. These people are called “mentally challenged” or “mentally retarded”, but none of those terms are considered politically correct. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has replaced the previous terms with “intellect disability” or “intellectually disabled” and it’s being accepted by the psychiatry fraternity all over the world. A person with an IQ (intelligent quotient) less than 70 is considered intellectually disabled and such people may find simple day-to-day tasks very difficult to perform. It is important to note that such special kids are not unable to learn things, but just slower at grasping or retaining what they learn.

Mentally challenged schools for such people are a wonderful gift to the society. Needless to say these schools are completely non-profit oriented. Parents of these kids face a hard time as it is, but these schools have clearly eased their burden by providing professional help to such kids in learning things they need to. Patients, kindness, love and willingness to contribute in their development is what keeps such schools so very important in the lives of the parents and the special kids. There are a few Bollywood & Hollywood movies made on this sensitive topic which compels the audience give an emotional thought.

The government and a number of NGOs have taken an initiative in establishing such thoughtful institutions across India, and what makes these schools so special is that, there is no rigid syllabus to be followed because each of these kids require separate and personal attention in overcoming whatever obstacle comes their way. Personal one-to-one conversations and counseling is a great way in which the school helps its students. Today where ordinary schools encourage rat race, competition here is thrown out of the window. The students here are not hungry for good grades instead they thrive on appreciation and applause once in a while.

A school for mentally challenged or intellectually challenged appreciates the things these kids can do rather than picking on the things they can’t. Unlike the normal schools these schools do not teach you about how to make a living, but they teach you how to live your life to the fullest when you are deprived of basic agility.

School for the Acoustically Disabled

Life is not the same for everyone, but it is important to make people who are deaf to be at par with others and this is what the schools for deaf aim to achieve.

Life is both beautiful and cruel, it is both simple and tricky and both melodious and silent. Life will be full of fun or boring and monotonous, it just depends on how we perceive and react to the situations thrown down at us. But to enjoy the brighter side of life, one needs to be optimistic which requires knowledge. Knowledge is a divine source showered in schools, but most schools are designed to meet the needs of the general masses and it becomes difficult to get proper education for people who are in special need of special education and care, just like people who can’t hear. But now with the noble thought of some kind hearted persons, many special schools are getting developed for these special children of God. So let us enter their world and understand their requirements and special methods created for them.

When nothing in the world is equal, no man or no one's choice is equal it is quite understandable that the people with acoustic disorder need special education teacher and even more special schools. The teachers here need to be extremely patient and caring while they keep on doing the good job of empowering the under privileged group of individuals.

They need to own special sign languages to communicate with their students. They also need to be extremely happy about their work and must be having good knowledge of different subjects. These special education teacher also need to be aware of modern technologies to help their students. They need to turn their student's problems into their power.

Unlike the popular belief, school is not only a temple of knowledge, but also a nursery to create huge and strong foundations. This school for the deaf is an elegant way to turn the world into a place for equals ridding high over any discrepancy. It is a magnificent trial to enhance trust and enthusiasm in young, but deaf students. They most importantly need to know the way to deal with the world and should be filled with optimism to end the dark patches of inability on them. Here they are taught to not to lament on their fate, but to be dogged to change it.

Thus school for the deaf is not only a school to teach the acoustic disorder children, but it is the best way to transform them into one of the most eligible persons in this world.

Special Children Education is A Must for the Progress of A Nation

The schools for mentally challenged provide academic support and other related facilities for the mentally challenged children. A mentally challenged child has intellectual disabilities that affect his/her learning abilities with limitations in communication, expression of emotions and other restrictions associated with his/her ability of learning. Difficulty in memorizing and trouble in adapting social and problem solving skills are other areas of limitation in the general learning process of a child with mental disability. Special education is thus what is offered to the children with mental disabilities. The differently able children need individual attention and personal care, coupled with some special techniques and tools for their special learning process. The schools for mentally challenged or the special education schools, thus offer basic academic facilities for the mentally challenged children.

Meant particularly for providing all kinds of essential educational support to the special children who have their own set of learning disabilities, including mental and physical disabilities also, a special education school strives with every possible effort and dedication to help the special children in joining the mainstream. Special education is meant for the special students who have their particular disabilities in learning and also in other areas of life, such as communication, physical activities, emotions and expressions. Some of them also lack normal physical and intellectual growth. A special education school offers learning facilities to the special children with special personalized teaching aids, particular surroundings, specific teaching methods and other educational conveniences.

At a special education school each child is observed individually and according to his/her specific needs, he/she is provided with all kinds of educational and often, vocational support too, on completion of education. Non-profit making non-governmental organizations supported by charitable and administrative funds mostly looks after the operations of a special school in India. Other than educational, vocational and healthcare facilities, the special schools provide residential and financial support to the special children belonging to the underprivileged class of our society. Likewise, a school for the mentally challenged children also usually offers residential facilities to the students apart from the essential learning supports.

Basic needs of the students with mental disabilities are met sufficiently in a special school along with appropriate learning facilities to help them develop their life skills and vocational proficiency. Healthcare facilities including medical workshops at regular intervals are organized for the special children to monitor their growth by a team of professional healthcare consultants and experienced volunteers. Vocational training at special schools for the mentally challenged children helps them to become financially independent.

Special Education for Children with Disabilities

The child has the ability to learn a wide variety of information during the first year of its life. The brain is malleable and can form important connections. It any child is suffering from any injury, illness or some disease that results disability, then it will surely affect their ability to absorb information. Therefore, schools for mentally challenged children have been set up.

Special education help children’s disabilities and they learn in a way tailored to their requirements. In 1975, U S government concentrates on the special education schools under the education for All Handicapped Children Act. This combined both mentally and physically handicapped children. The act declared all schools to enclose program introduced specially for needy children. 

In the year, 1990 EHA is renamed as Individual with Disabilities Education. The lesson plans created by EHA was developed with the help of the parents. Normal education is provided with the help of their parents to the disabled children. Later in the year 2004, the call to amend IDEA was recognized by the government. It meets the requirements of disabled children and schooling. Individuals with disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) was brought at the end 2014. On the whole, special schools for mentally challenged children have set up in a first-rate manner by the government. 

Further, for the better education the federal government’s IDEIA altered the law by allowing the states to apply for financial aid to assist them to improve special education programs in schools. Additionally, these funds help in developing special education school by training those teachers and improving technology required to help children. Here there are few disabilities that child undergoes and it is detailed under IDEIA. 

• Emotional disorders

• Mental retardation

• Orthopedic impairments

• Autism 

• Sensory disorder that influence hearing, speech capabilities or vision

• Developmental disorders

All schools must follow the Individual with Disabilities Education Act to educating children with disabilities. The main benefits of this special education include both students and the disabled that are brought into the same environment. As a result, every child will learn the difference between them and it creates a way for new and friendly relationships. Every student learns how to mingle with other students, support staff and teachers. The law states that disabled students have complete right to attend regular classes. More importantly, parents can actively participate in their child’s education. These types of education can promote socialization and create a cooperative learning environment.

Special education school - School for mentally and physically challenged

Both a mentally challenged child and a physically challenged student need special care and guidance for learning and education. Special children have their individual set of needs and hence when it comes to education they are needed to be given proper support. The mentally challenged children face some basic challenges of learning like behavioral disorders, emotional disorders, developmental and communication disabilities. These children need special help and they are thus provided with more than a conventional classroom education.

This type of special education is imparted to the mentally challenged children by special educators in a school for mentally challenged students by means of special teaching methods and various objects and equipments, modified mainly to meet the separate set of special needs of these special children. Love, care and individual attention are what these children need.

A wide number of NGOs, supported by funds and donations, run school for mentally challenged children and emphasize mostly on perception and sensory training. Apart from education, care is taken to involve them in small tasks that they can perform on their own. Many of these NGOs run vocational centers for the mentally challenged adults and youngsters where they are trained to make various handmade decorative objects like paper bags, handmade papers, candles, greeting cards, toys and many more. These items are sold to the visitors and also at open exhibitions. These organizations also provide employment to mentally challenged adults who have completed their vocational training. Many of these special education schools also offer day care facilities for the special children.

Generally both mentally challenged and physically challenged children do not go to the same special education school. A school for physically challenged child has a different set of services to offer, which is not the same to that provided to a mentally challenged child. But there are many schools that take care of both the mentally challenged and physically challenged students.

A school for physically challenged children looks after children with physical disabilities like Cerebral Palsy, Autism, Poliomyelitis, genetic deformities, deafness, impairment of speech, blindness, amputated conditions and burns. The school supports these children with physical and psychological treatment, medical assistance, hearing aids, orthotic workshops, equipments for free movement and special educational and vocational guidance, apart from the residential facilities that they offer. Free education and separate residential facilities for boys and girls are provided to these physically challenged students, as many of them have weak financial background. Charitable funds and donation from various sources support these special education schools for the physically challenged students. 

Helping Hands Everywhere

India happens to be the country with the second largest population. The fact that we are a rapidly developing country does nothing to change the fact that we are still developing. We also have one of the largest working forces in the world. However we also have a fair share of people and children who are not as lucky as most of us and suffer from problems that last a life time.

Being the second largest population also makes the number of physically and mentally challenged people slightly more than other parts of the world. However the sad fact is that not everyone is given the proper care that they deserve simply because we do not have the required infrastructure to do so.

However this is the land which has seen the birth of many great souls and even had some other great people who have been remembered for their deeds and great services to humanity. We do what we can with the help of numerous governments and NGO’s in order to improve their status and quality of life.

There are many schools for mentally challenged established in our country. Many institutions like the national institute for the mentally handicapped, with a few famous and well known ones. Certain organizations take care of children who are both mentally or physically handicapped.

There are also a handful of very good and well acknowledged school for physically handicapped children is also present. These institutions are mostly non-profit and can provide a better life for these children and in case of physically handicapped students can give them a much better future as they understand exactly what these children need, what problems they face and will teach them how to overcome their respective obstacles.

These places cater especially for mentally and physically handicapped children. They take care of both orphans and also many families who understand that their child needs special care and also choose to educate them.

Education is truly the only salvation as no matter how your condition may be and especially for mentally challenged children who wish to be educated like the rest. These institutions are saviours to such children providing them with a safe and nurturing environment and raising them with love and care to the utmost best.

Life In Itself is a Challenge

A great man once said that life is a dream and we are all the voyagers in such a dream. The number of rising suicide rates in our country is just because of the stress that we impose on others. Some think that they are not lucky or gifted, most of us feel envy, we feel the need to be special we feel that life is unfair. We do all this because we happen to be smart. Our mind is our last sanctuary. What would you do if that itself was stolen from you. We do not appreciate the things that we have. But do any of us take the time to think about those who are not as fortunate as ourselves? Our country thanks to its population has one of the highest rates of mentally disabled people.

There are tens of thousands of children who are born in India with mental disorders and mental retardation. It is pure chance which causes such problems. A number of wrong combinations in the genetic code which finally leads to one single anomaly can cause such severe problems.

Most people do not have the expertise to deal with these children as they have need for special care. A number of NGO’s have taken it upon themselves to establish a school for the mentally challenged people.

Our government has also understood the need for a special school and have also built a number of schools with boarding and lodging along with other facilities and expert care. This school for the mentally challenged not only accepts children but also accepts mentally disabled persons of all ages.

There have also been collaborations of NGO’s with the government to increase the quality of living for these people. It is our duty to take care of these children and a number of people have accepted their role in reality and strive for the betterment for our brothers and sisters who happen to have such chronic problems.

The goals of these institutions is to give the children a new meaning to their life and integrate them into a safe and friendly environment and also into a positive society where they can also help the society in small ways and can learn to support themselves. All we have to do is respect them as individuals and help them in any small way that we can.