ADAPT for a better tomorrow

There are beautiful paintings adorning the walls of a classroom. One looking at the paintings, and you would think it is a work of art produced by a fully able child. But what amazes is the combined effort put in by children with cerebral palsy. 

Are they capable of creating such masterpieces? Are they capable of reading and writing like normal children? And what’s more, can one impart education to them? These seeds of doubt are dispelled and all pre-conceived notions put to rest as one takes a walk down the classrooms at Able Disabled All People Together(ADAPT) in Bandra Reclamation. Here children with all kinds of disabilities study alongside ‘normal’ children.

“This inclusive set-up for the first time includes normal or non-disabled children studying with disabled children. It’s a myth that teachers will not be able to cope and normal children will be affected if they study with the disabled. These myths should be abolished. Disabled children can paint, do art and craft, drama and participate in sports. It’s always a question of one’s own mindset,” says Dr Mithu Alur, founder chairperson, ADAPT.

In one of the classrooms, there are normal children from under-privileged backgrounds teaching maths to children who are mentally challenged. “It’s all about creating a generation without prejudice. To create a sense of belonging and oneness in children facing barriers regardless of gender, race, ability, religion or class,” says Alur.

When queried about how the set-up is beneficial for both disabled and normal children, Alur said, “A disabled child starts emulating how a normal child reacts by observing. A non-disabled child learns even more, in terms of values not taught otherwise, like kindness and compassion.” She adds: “NGO’s have perpetrated the myth that disabled kids need special schools. Now we are looking at good quality education for them.”

To see the teachers at work is like seeing them following a religion of their own. “We can never say we have ‘arrived’ as we haven’t, as new paradigms are being included every time. It is not just about disability but about acknowledging everyone as an equal,” says teacher.

The set-up has been replicated in schools across Mumbai. But there are some schools like Beacon High School and Learners’ Academy who are independently inclusive.

For ADAPT, the real achievement is when disabled children get included in regular mainstream schools.