World Disability Day, celebrated on December 3 every year, is an effort to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities at every level of society and development, and to raise awareness of their situation in all aspects of political, social, economic, and cultural life. This year, its theme is ‘Transformative solutions for inclusive development: the role of innovation in fuelling an accessible and equitable world’.
In India, about three fourths of disabled children aged five don’t attend school. The new National Education Policy (NEP), with its emphasis on access, equity, quality, and accountability promises to change that. We’re keeping pace with our Inclusive Education programme, rooted in the conviction that it’s possible to create a world where schools welcome diversity and no child is denied admission because of their learning needs. Through Tarang, which offers remedial education to children with learning difficulties, and Gnyandeep, our work with anganwadi staff and children, we seek to promote and strengthen inclusive education in Goa. The overarching aim of the latter is to enable teachers to provide supportive, context-appropriate conditions that enrich learning for every child.
We conducted a workshop for 250 pre-primary and primary school teachers in North and South Goa in collaboration with Samagra Shiksha. The workshop was led by our Director and developmental and behavioural paediatrician, Dr Nandita de Souza, and Anusha Doshi, Inclusive Education Coordinator and special educator. Special educators Shubhra Misra and Jerlyn Menezes helped prepare the material. The response from the teachers was heartening. “It was a very interesting learning experience that I was thrilled to be part of,” said a teacher from North Goa. “It helped me understand how to address my students’ issues,” said another from the South.