The Power of One 
Latika Roy Foundation has always believed that every individual holds the power to make the world a better place. With a recent donation of "gait trainer," a piece of equipment used to help children learn how to walk, our belief in the power of the individual is reaffirmed.

Becky, a physiotherapist from the USA who volunteered at the Early Intervention Centre last January, saw that we had several children greatly in need of the aid of a gait trainer. Upon her return to the USA, Becky bought the innovative equipment and sent it back to us via her friend Barbara, who is also a volunteer at the EIC and has been for years. Now, thanks to the dedication and generosity of a single person, and the willingness of another to carry the bulky thing back to India, numerous children will benefit from the assistance of an apparatus that builds their leg muscles and mobility while allowing them to use their own balance. In short, Becky and Barbara gave these children a chance to walk.

On behalf of the children, their parents, and our foundation we offer Becky and Barbara our heartfelt thanks for their support and dedication. They have certainly made our world a better place.

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Happy kids with new Orthosis (July 24, 2008)

It's always a pleasure to have Mr Gulati, a Prosthetic Orthotic Engineer from AADI, visit the EIC. His sensitivity and practical inputs while providing special shoes, calipers, braces and other equipment are so valuable to our kids and parents alike. The last time he visited was in May 2008, when he assessed more than 15 children.

This time, he provided new  devices to 9 of the children who had already been assessed. For the "old-timers" - kids who'd been using  devices for some time, Mr Gulati ran an interactive session with the parents to make sure the children were comfortable wearing them. Both parents and kids were satisfied and more importantly, wearing them regularly.

Mr Gulati will come to the EIC in October, 2008 and judging from his previous visits we are certain that he will be awaited eagerly by our kids and their parents.

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Workshop at the Primary Health Care Centre,
Prem Nagar, Dehradun (July 18, 2008)

As a part of the ongoing efforts by the awareness team to reach out to the grass root level and spread awareness about disabilities and their management, a workshop was organized for the anganwadi workers and health workers at the primary health care centre, Premnagar, Dehradun. This was the first of the series of workshops planned for this target audience.

Pooja David, Rizwan and Sreedevi conducted the session. It was essentially an introductory session; a brief preview of the various future sessions planned for them. An overview of the foundation, its various projects, and the target age groups within these projects was summarized. The creative and activity based teaching through which the child is taught various skills were elaborated.

A short question and answer session followed, where the participants posed some interesting questions on disability, teaching methodology used in our various projects, difference between physical and mental disabilities etc. A few of them suggested that we start going into further remote areas in Uttarakhand as they find a lot of children with disabilities being neglected and isolated in such areas.

Snacks were served after the discussion. Handouts and booklets containing information about milestones in child development, concessions and disability certificate were distributed. Contact details of the various organizations in Dehradun working in the field of disability as well as our own different projects were also given out.

The enthusiasm and interest shown by the audience was conspicuous and we hope future sessions with them would be as rewarding.

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Laws do matter: A Workshop On Advocacy (July 3, 2008)

Most of our centres wear a deserted and sleepy look during the summer holidays. So it was a pleasant break to the monotony when we had Anjali Chaudhary, our advocacy coordinator who willingly conducted a workshop for all those poor souls of the foundation who work through the break.

Though advocacy, laws and the like usually keep people far away and happy to be oblivious of, Anjali’s workshop threw light on the importance of being aware of these very laws which many of us view as being draconian and outdated. She stressed on the importance of knowing the legal aspects involved in disability issues which equip one to be more assertive and not submissive when it comes to demanding (as she puts it) the rights of people with disabilities.

The workshop began with a brief explanation of the term “advocacy” and how an organization can advocate. Anjali explained the need for joining strong groups which are already working on issues which matter to us. She gave pointers on how we can start off doing our bit like each staff becoming aware of the “legal rights of children and adults with disabilities” and in turn passing it on effectively to parents and adults with special needs.

The other aspect covered in the workshop was a discussion on the Persons with Disability Act, 1995 and the National trust act for the welfare of persons with autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation and multiple disabilities, 1999. Anjali very skillfully pointed out at the various loopholes and glaring errors in these and other different legal provisions which leave a lot to be desired and amended. She also briefly talked about the Right to Information Act and the procedure to obtain information about disabilities using this Act.

By the end, all of us seemed to be a bit more aware of the legal provisions in the area of disability and our duties as people working in the field; to be informed and updated about legal aspects in this area. It is great that we are focusing on providing direct services but without the legal awareness and backing we cannot create a sounding board for the hard work that we put in.

The well condensed and clear handouts given out at the end were appreciated by all.

Anjali is leaving the foundation to do her masters in applied dramatics from Goldsmith College (University of London). It would be a specialization in theatre in education, community and social context. She hopes to get into scriptwriting and creating effective scripts for disability issues. Though we shall surely miss her lively presence, we do hope that she returns to the foundation and implements all that she learns during her sabbatical for the further development and enrichment of our foundation.

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A fresh perspective on helping skills:A course in Counseling (May 30, 2008)
Savita Thapliyal attended a course on basic counseling skills from 16th May- 30th May, 2008 at Bosco Psychological Services (BPS), Sumedha Centre for Psychology and Spirituality, Okhla, Delhi.

The course is an effort to respond to the growing need for more effective relational and helping skills. The emphasis of this intensive training programme is the theory and practice of counseling. Participants had to actively participate in the training exercise and labs.  The theoretical understanding and the practical skills gained deepened their interest and competence in counseling.

32 people from all over India attended. Savita had agreed to do the course but as the time approached, she did not feel very enthusiastic and even considered rethinking her decision to go.  In retrospect, however, she is very happy to have attended. She gained insight, knowledge and practical skills - all of which, she believes, will be of great benefit in her work.
                  
The BPS staff were extremely friendly and generous with their support and hospitality.  Savita particularly appreciated Fr Jose Parapully, the trainer, whose efforts throughout the course were amazing; starting from providing information and clarifying doubts before the course commenced, to his immense involvement and genuine interest in each participant during it. She was particularly impressed with the meticulous arrangements, the pre-planning and the impeccable care and systematic way in which the entire event was organized. She also liked the idea of starting every day’s session with 15-20 minutes of silent contemplation and turning inward to analyze one’s expectations from the course and plans for implementing what one had gained.

The training programme covered:

1. Personality of the counselor
2. Counseling process
3. Counseling techniques
4. Ethical issues in counseling
5. Process notes and record keeping
6. Challenges of beginning counseling

Basic counseling skills like attending, listening, rephrasing etc. to slightly more complex skills like interpretation and challenging were well explained; practical sessions were conducted for enabling participants to try out these skills in different roles (counselor, client and observer). The use of a tape recorder was also helpful for review and re-evaluation.

The three basic stages involved in counseling -exploration, insight and action -were very well elaborated and each stage was once again practiced using roleplays and other interactive group activities. Participants also had to use the Reader which had excerpts of carefully chosen articles that provided theoretical and practical understanding of the counseling process and then do response sheets on its basis.

Savita says that though she deals with young adults at the Centre for Vocational Training, besides the staff and parents, what she has learnt is how important it is to understand others’ perspective towards any issue. She says that a lot of patience and sensitivity is required in dealing with parents of children with disabilities since they face unique problems at every stage. To give suggestions and solutions is often the easiest thing to do, but to listen non-judgmentally to their problems and find ways to empower them is what is required. Often, it is someone to talk to without being judged that parents want. In this regard, it is valuable to use open ended questions which address the parents’ feelings and help them identify the main issues which they need to resolve before taking on other issues which might not be as important, yet time consuming. 

The entire training programme was both fruitful and practical and Savita has returned with effective and ingenious counseling methods which she is eager to start practicing with parents of the children in her centre and equally enthusiastic to share with the staff. We are sure that the skills and techniques she has learnt will be valuable to all of us - staff, kids and parents.

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Communicating without words: Course on Sign Language (May 23, 2008)
When an announcement was made on how many staff wanted to enroll themselves in a sign language course which would be held at the Training centre, most hands went up. The excitement and interest at learning a new language was evident.

Since there were so many people interested and the limit suggested was not more than 20 people per session, it was decided to split the staff into two groups. The first group had the course from the 19th-23rd May 2008. Resource persons were from “The Deaf Way” organization. This organization is composed of a group of committed young people working for the betterment of the hearing impaired in India for over a decade now. It was started by Arun and Christina Rao, parents of a girl with hearing impairment.

Uma and Uday, a couple, both hearing impaired were our instructors. On the first day of class, all of us were a bit skeptical about how they would teach us and how far we would be able to communicate with them. All our doubts were put at ease the moment they began; a true reminder of how it is often the words that are unspoken that are louder and clearer.

They used the white board for written language but made sure that whatever they wrote was translated into sign language as well. In addition, we had Nirmala Kukshal in our group. Since she already knew a bit of sign language, she played the role of interpreter whenever we had difficulties in conveying something to them.

Sign language (also signed language) is a language which uses finger and hand movements, body language, facial expressions and lip patterns instead of sound to convey meaning. Sign language grammar is markedly different from spoken language grammar.

Five days, twenty five hours of communication using sign language, eight units to complete, intensive and interactive practice sessions, but all of that was filled with so much fun, laughter and liveliness than none of us were complaining! Their method was simple; give each student enough practice, give them no option but to communicate using whatever little they are learning and maintain good humour throughout.



On the final day of the course, our instructors wanted us to say jokes using signing! Initially, most of us thought it would be impossible to express all those nuances that humour and jokes require, but with guidance and insistence on their part all of us managed to tickle the funny bones of everyone by signing the jokes.

As a token of appreciation for the efforts they put in, a skit was performed using sign language. Sign language uses the visual medium. A whole scene can be created at once. So in many ways sign language is a lot more expressive and creative way of communicating and we realised this even more clearly while enacting the skit. We knew we had learnt well when throughout the skit our instructors were smiling and at the end they applauded the performance!

Thank you Uma and Uday for teaching us the art of signing and helping us explore a whole new way of expressing ourselves.

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Amway free dental checkup camp (May 21, 2008)
A free dental checkup camp was organized by Amway on May 21st, 2008 for the Karuna Vihar school students and also for the staff kids. The venue for the camp was Amway Enterprises, 9EC Road, Opposite to S K memorial hospital, Dehradun.

The school bus took most of the children to the camp location and the remaining kids were escorted by their parents. Rama Bhandari, Monica Agarwal, Poonam, Raju and Mahavir accompanied the children who went by bus. Twenty three children including thirteen staff children went for the dental checkup. The dentist Dr. Nilish Kamboj examined the kids and found that fifteen out of twenty three were suffering from cavity problems. He recommended brushing twice a day and also suggested mouth wash for preventing further decay. Twenty bottles of mouth wash will be provided free of cost for the tooth decay problems.

Refreshments were also provided. Contrary to the usual fear and apprehension involved in a dental checkup, the kids had a ball of a time and the medical trip ended up as an enjoyable outing for the children!

We are very thankful to Mr. Prashant Panthari and Mr. Kamlesh Chaturvedi from Amway for organizing this free dental checkup camp not only because it helped identify dental problems in our children and gain valuable advise for the same, but also for showing us that medical checkups can be made fun!

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Aruna Roy delivers a thought-provoking and inspiring lecture
(May 18, 2008)

We were honoured to have Aruna Roy, a well-known political and social activist to deliver a lecture for our fifth lecture of the Sir Ratan Tata Distinguished lecture series. However, nothing prepared us for the fiery passion, intellectual wrath and extreme sensitivity that she brought to her lecture and subsequent discussions.

 
Jo talked briefly about the tragedy of the break-down of our community which is becoming the basis for exclusion and self-centeredness in people. She remarked that more and more people are thinking about themselves and less and less about society. However, the basis of life is co-operation and this is what we are aiming for. We are constantly being reminded to link with the larger “whole”, something that is bigger than ourselves. Jo emphasized that Aruna Roy is a wonderful example of how that works. She talked about how Aruna Roy left her seven years of service in the IAS to work for the Social Work and Research Centre in Tillonia, Rajasthan. Jo gave a brief background of the work she was involved in (NREGA, RTI act etc.). She remarked that all of us here and all around the country owe a tremendous debt to Aruna Roy and her team. Aruna Roy is known worldwide for the work she has done for the underprivileged but what she reminds us is that the lessons she has learnt about inclusion are the lessons she has learnt from people who are excluded.

The lecture was based on education and inclusion and was titled “Learning to change”. Manju Singhania gave a brief overview of the foundation, its philosophy and its various projects to the audience.

Aruna Roy was point blank when she talked about the educational system in India and particularly Dehradun, by expressing that she finds it is extremely skewed. She humourously talked about a saying: “Paise wale khoob padenge jake Dehradun, baki wale bhains chalao”.  She said that on one hand we have such privileged schools in Dehradun and on the other hand we have children who can’t even go to school, who can’t afford tuitions…

The illustrations she used during her lecture were very real, personal and thought-provoking. She talked about her experience at a work site in Rajasthan and her realization that never would she ever label the people who do this work as “unskilled”. She remarked that it is so heavy to even lift the tools used let alone actually use it in making a pit. She spoke of the whole experience as humbling.

Clippings from the movie “Taare Zameen Par” were shown to illustrate the callousness, lack of awareness and insensitivity among teachers and parents to real problems facing students. Aamir Khan plays a teacher who cared to make an effort to understand Ishaan and even make his parents realize that it’s the learning disability and not lethargy that is Ishaan’s problem at school. Though most of the audience must have seen the movie, it was a gentle reminder of the importance of helping children like Ishaan as being the first step towards making the world more inclusive.

Questions and comments followed. Some parents and students were called to the podium to ask questions to Aruna Roy. The doubts were varied and interesting. They ranged from incompetent teachers to health issues to mainstreaming a child with a disability.

Kaavya, a student at Ann Mary School asked about dealing with partiality shown by teachers. Aruna Roy replied that if there is no fairness there can be no learning. If a teacher goes to class and deviates from truth, then she can’t teach the child to be fair and truthful. She illustrated with an incident where students from a rural area in Ajmer district came up to her and expressed that they felt they were dull, and that they could never pass the IAS exams. This made Aruna Roy ask a friend who was in the Rajasthan administrative services to design a quiz. There were 5 groups. Four groups only formed of rural children and one group in which there was an ex- IAS, ex-Harvard and similar highly ‘intellectual’ people.  They were asked to answer a few questions like “How do you deal with a Khariff crop”, “What to do if the goat gets ill…”, “What to do if your buffalo get indigestion…” etc. The students from good/ elite universities scored one point and students from villages scored 20 points. This shows that it all depends on the kind of exposure a child has to knowledge in any form that determines how well he/she will do and what is important to learn is not fixed, it is circumstantial. So we must teach our students respect for others learning, for other kinds of interpretations. She drew parallels to the film clipping on Ishaan’s interpretation of the poem in a much more philosophical way than the teacher wants him to.

Replying to Jitender, a father of a child with cerebral palsy who asked why children with mild disabilities cannot be mainstreamed, she said that it’s not only children with handicaps who are not accepted in society but it begins with exclusion of girls, dark children and so on and so forth. But inclusion is good for building up compassion among teachers and children to accept children with disabilities. She expressed that we should have occasions for compassion. Inclusion of children with disabilities should not be taken as a problem, but as a fantastic opportunity to bring about positive qualities in children. To have a child with a disability in class would mean making adjustments, becoming more aware and sensitive, qualities that are often ignored but are significantly human!

Preeti voiced the problem of an intense competitive spirit (negative) in schools today. She said that if a child is good in drawing, or having good social skills, but does not fare very well in exams, the latter is what is highlighted and his/her positive qualities are overlooked. In short, what he/she can do is not as important as what he cannot do. This makes children loose confidence and lowers self-esteem. Roy remarked that we need to fight against irrational competition and that the talk about excellence as a gateway to heaven is questionable. She said that if we had not done well in exams there was space for us 10-15 years ago, but now it is shrinking. Competitiveness is good when it is controlled by ethics, but the kind we have today is destructive. She mentioned that awards fall in the same category. She questioned “What are they (awards) perpetuating?” and she voiced that they are perpetuating a myth that one person can change society, but one person cannot change society, ever. She remarked that maybe one mathematician can, maybe one physicist can. But even that one mathematician and that one physicist builds the knowledge from all those generations and generations of mathematicians and physicists who have led him to this point to discover something. Aruna Roy talks about the obsession with individuals to compete and how it goes against nature and equality. She spoke about schools which do not have any prizes or awards for coming first. Students are told that “its great you have come first, now help the others in class”. There are schools in Rajasthan in which class awards are given and not individual awards. This implicates that everyone has tried though someone may have done better in the class. All this helps in creating group bonding and discourages intense and unhealthy competition. She says that we have to fight competition and the way we applaud competition.  She quotes a famous Uruguayan writer, Eduardo Galeano who says that in what we call democracy of today one of the worst things is that we have put up this cardboard paste leader who excels either by competition or by vote gathering and when his turn is over we burn this and put up another cardboard and then we think democracy is to blame, voting pattern is to be blamed….She illustrated how the writer talks about a flock of birds in the sky. There is always a bird which leads the flock; this bird is the “super duck” who is at the head of the formation and the rest are “sub ducks”. However, after a while when the super duck gets tired, he goes behind and it is one from the sub ducks to lead the flock. This cycle goes on. This is the ideal concept of leadership and equality; everyone should have a turn. Roy then concluded that the child who will do very well can paint very well, the child who will do well, can sing very well and communicate, child who will do well could have fantastic ethics etc.

The point is that the child who does very well is not judged solely by marks in exams.

Aruna Roy’s team's sustained effforts were instrumental in the passage of the Right to Information Act (RIA), and the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) in 2005.

She elaborated on the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), which is a rights-based employment programme. She explained that it guarantees 100 days of paid work. More importantly, it is when a person needs work not when government wants work from him/her. The program entitles the worker crèche facilities, shade at the worksite and transparency. She said that for the first time high level committees have been set up looking at real issues. For the first time, tools used 10,000 years ago have been looked at. She articulated that we have developed so many high tech gadgets, people are exploring outer space, softwares are being created everyday to make life easier…but tools used by the poor farmers and labourers are never looked at.

However, everything now concentrates on a large group of Indians who were never taken seriously. For the first time, voices from the unorganized sector are being heard, of those people who were never on the map of India. She emphasized that this will make a huge change in the way India will run. She talks of them as being a practical, wise group of Indians whose wisdom will make a huge difference to Indian economy. She said that we should realize the importance and power of these people and says that this is the first step towards an inclusive society!

Aruna Roy, a true activist. In 2000, Ms Roy was awarded the Ramon Magsasay Award for Community leadership which she insisted belongs to the entire Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan and which she accepted on their behalf. What could have been a better gesture of inclusiveness and genuine leadership!

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Orthosis workshop at EIC (May 14, 2008)
As part of the continuing Parents empowerment workshop, we invited Mr Gulati a Prosthetic, Orthotic Engineer from AADI, New Delhi, to EIC. This was to assess the children who require new orthosis. All our physiotherapists had assessed the children at various centres before hand and informed the parents to bring their children to EIC on the 14th of May for his advise and also for measurements of the orthosis.

More than 15 children were assessed that day, a few others had heard of his 35 years of experience and were eager to meet him anyway .The last time he came was a year ago. He did a re check of the children for whom he had already provided orthosis. The parents were satisfied and there were no complaints. The children were using the orthosis given to them. Mr Gulati was also happy with the results.

Mr Gulati’s speciality lies in his considerate nature and looking at things from the children’s and parents point of view by not giving any bulky or extra aids. For some children where no change was required he did not advise it and stressed the importance of exercises.

He will visit again in July 2008 with the new orthosis.

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Workshop on dental care at Early Intervention Centre (April 29, 2008)
In children, good oral care is important every day. In case of children with special needs, it becomes critical, since they face slightly more dental problems than typical children. It is often said that dental care is the most prevalent unmet health need among children. Oral problems can impact self-esteem for children and lead to problems in eating, speaking and attending to learning. When these problems are not caught early and treated, they can develop into more severe problems and cause unnecessary suffering. However, much of the time, oral problems are avoidable problems.

To create awareness on the importance of dental hygiene and the ways to deal with related problems, a dental care workshop was held at the Early Intervention Centre on the 29th April, 2008. Around fifty parents and the staff at EIC attended it. Nirmala Kuksal gave a brief introduction about the organization to those present.
Dr. Mrinalini, a root canal specialist was the resource person for the workshop. She talked about the different types of dental diseases prevalent in children with special needs. A discussion followed, where parents talked about the dental problems faced by their children and Dr Mrinalini suggested possible solutions and ways to deal with the same. Details on general dental hygiene and how to take care of teeth, so as to avoid carries and decay were also discussed.

The parents had a number of questions on when to start brushing their child’s teeth. Some were anxious about how to go to the dentist as their child cannot sit on or hold his head. Dr. Mrinalini elaborated on the situations in which it becomes important to take the child immediately to a dentist. She explained the need to speak to the dentist about the child’s difficulty or a specific disability that the child has so as help the dentist device the treatment accordingly. She also stressed on the need for brushing the child’s teeth twice a day.

With all those valuable inputs, we can be sure that we shall see children with brighter smiles and stronger teeth!

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Workshop on Story book reading (April 26, 2008)
Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, 'and what is the use of a book,' thought Alice 'without pictures or conversation?' (Excerpt from Alice in Wonderland)

I don’t remember the exact number of times that my dad has read me this book when I was a little girl, but every time he started with this first line from the book, I used to prepare myself for another journey through the fascinating pages filled with adventure, myrid and captivating characters, magical potions and hilarious dialogues. As a young girl, no matter how many ever times he read it to me, I still felt the same level of eagerness to listen to him. And this book was just one example amongst the scores of books he used for his story telling sessions.

I often wondered why I used to be so entralled, so absorbed and why I wanted him to repeat the same story for the hundreth time without getting a bit bored. I found the answers to my questions in Anne’s workshop on the 26th April, 2008.

Anne started the workshop very cleverly by asking us to form pairs and choose one book from the bundle of books she brought with her. Each pair had to take turns to narrate the story in the book. Many of us were skeptical whether the cramped space in the school hall would be ideal for story telling and we suggested if we could spread out to other rooms. Anne felt it would not make a difference…
And so we began the story telling. It was only when Anne reminded that time was up that we realised that we had been so engrossed in the activity that neither the noise nor the cramped space had curbed our delight and enthusiasm in story telling!!
Anne asked us why we read stories to kids. Her view was that reading stories develops concentration and attention span in the child. It encourages imitation, labelling, expansion of vocabulary and language structure. It helps the child to take turns and by rereading, to reinforce newly learned words. Lastly, but most importantly it helps in enjoying and sharing experiences, any time, any place!

Anne emphasised on the importance of story telling to widen experience and encouraging imagination in the child. She gave some very useful tips for making the experience of story telling more pleasurable and effective:

• Emphasise the rhythm, the rhymes and the words
• Be enthusiastic about the story
• Take on different voices for different characters
• If the story uses repetition, make the most of it
• Pause in familiar places, and wait for the children to join
• Take your time; don't rush
• Be a Performer!

Anne suggested that we should let the child choose the book of his/her choice. Using own experiences and simple props helps a lot. Stopping and wondering aloud what will happen next adds mystery and intrigue to the story. If the child is familiar with the story, encourage him/her to join in. Simple things like being aware of the child’s reactions and making up the story if the pictures are good but text is high level are often forgotten but Anne reminded us of the same. More importantly, she also stressed on making sure that non-verbal children get a chance to answer even though in our enthusiasm its possible to focus on the more verbal and energetic kids in the group.

Often disregarded is the seating position of the adult and kids to whom the story is told to; it does make a huge difference. Anne shows us just how to do it using teddy bears!. According to Anne, the most important thing about reading any story is “To Enjoy It Yourself” and not to worry about reading the child’s favourite story over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, again! We could not agree more!
“I believe that the easiest thing in the world is to tell a story and the hardest to be a fine story-teller”
– Ruth Swayer (in The Way of the Storyteller).

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THE LORD GIVETH AND THE LORD TAKETH AWAY  (April 16, 2008)
It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of Shubham Topwal, a student of Karuna Vihar and a dearly loved son and brother in the Topwal family. Shubham had Cerebral Palsy and had been ill for some time. He died on April 16th at the CMI hospital in Dehradun.
Shubham was a bright and talkative child and a lively participant in Morning Assembly at KV. He always had  interesting comments and questions and was eager to learn new things at school each day. Many of the staff went to Shubham's home to pay their condolences to the family. His two sisters were devastated at the loss and his mother could barely speak. Shubham's father spoke movingly of his son's love for him: "Shubham was so attached to me. Till the day he passed away, he would refuse to eat his dinner until I came home. Even when I was late, he would wait stubbornly for me to arrive before eating."
The entire Foundation family joins the Topwals in their grief at the loss of this lovely child. Karuna Vihar remained closed on April 17th as a mark of respect.

Pediatric rehabilitation course(April 11, 2008)

The orientation for the course was held on the 31st March 2008 at the Training Centre. Participants were mostly students from different Para-medical colleges and a couple of lecturers in such institutions. Prem and Rajnish the two new physiotherapists from our own organization were also enrolled in the course.

About the Course: It is very hard to find good therapists for children with special needs. The progress of most of these children is very gradual and requires unique skills, considerable patience and determination on the part of the therapist

Our main aim for doing this course was to improve these very important yet often over-looked skills of the therapists, thereby contributing to successful therapy. A good therapist will tailor to the child’s interests and unique skills. By skillful use of therapy one can restore, maintain and improve the mental, physical and emotional health of the child.

The topics covered were:

1. Providing experience in handling, assessment and management of children with neurological problems.
2. Neurological assessment of children with a focus on getting a complete picture of the child.
3. Introduction to speech and language therapy as well as addressing difficulties in feeding and eating in children
4. Autism spectrum disorders and the role of sensory processing. Activity ideas for dealing with sensory processing issues.
5. Bobath approach to treatment was also discussed and how to help the child unlearn the reflex pattern which set in.
6. Case discussions with a focus on various types of disabilities and how to handle them therapeutically. Discussion also involved measures to improve coordination, strength, balance and thereby function. Sensory problems which also lead to delayed milestones were emphasized and techniques to counter them were discussed.

The course stressed on the need for cooperation and active participation of the child. The applicability of traditional methods of improving range of motion (ROM), increasing strength and building endurance maybe limited in infants and pre-school aged children. Therefore, therapy needs to be activity based. This was the point that all the speakers stressed on and we hope that they take put the same to practice at their respective workplaces. Farewell for the participants was held on the 11th April, 2008; a tea party was arranged for the same. A highly interactive and fun game towards the end made it memorable and enjoyable for both the trainers and trainees alike!

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Training program for caregivers(April 11, 2008)
Trained care-givers are hard to find, in spite of being needed in so many different situations. Often people with physical disabilities can work and maintain independent lives provided they receive certain basic services – for some it might be help with bathing or dressing, for others it could be mobility related issues.
 In addition to people with disability, they are also required for newborns, stroke victims, elderly people, and people who have had accidents or operations. Usually what happens is a person is found and trained for the care of one specific individual. While this is acceptable, it is neither the best nor the most efficient method.

Keeping all the above things in mind, the Latika Roy Foundation Training centre came up with a 6 week intensive training program for people who are presently caregivers or would like to take up jobs involving care giving.

The orientation program was held on 22nd February, 2008. A basic overview was provided to the audience about the different projects of the foundation as well as what they can expect from the course. It was a lucky day for us as Jo got Maj. Gen.(Retd.) Ian Cardozo to make an appearance at the orientation. He provided the audience with a very inspiring story of his struggle through life and how he toiled hard for the education he got. This coming from the Chairman of RCI (Rehabilitation Council of India) made everyone sit up and take notice. A couple of them who had not confirmed their participation, did so after hearing him speak. This shows how sharing personal experiences and advice at the right times encourage people to give it their best shot!

Time surely flies, now it has been 6 successful weeks and 11th April, 2008 was the farewell of these enthusiastic participants. They have gained a lot! The course covered:

• Qualities and traits of an efficient and good caregiver
• Normal Development
• An understanding of all the basic disabilities and how to provide basic support in each case (Cerebral Palsy, Autism, ADHD, Visual Impairment, Speech and Language Impairment, Downs Syndrome, Mental Retardation, Polio and Spina Bifida)
• Behaviour Management
• Overview of the different therapies (Occupational therapy, Physiotherapy, Speech Therapy)
• Hands-on, practical lessons on positioning, lifting and transfer techniques
• Emergency and First-aid care
• Taking vitals.
• Care for paralytic/stroke patients and those undergoing bed-rest
• Nutritional needs
• Things to keep in mind about medications and their administration
• Providing heat and cold compresses
• Family Dynamics, problem-solving and emotional management
• Helping with ADLs (Activities of Daily Living)
• Care for fractures
• Fulfilling the educational needs of the child/adult
• Speech difficulties and their management. Use of alternative and augmentative communication systems.
• Eating, feeding and drinking difficulties and management of the same

Besides all this we also screened a couple of movies, short films and video clippings to make learning fun. The participants were involved in group activities, practical sessions, games and presentations throughout the course. All this benefited them greatly as they were learning BY DOING!

A visit to Cheshire home made the participants aware of the immense and irreplaceable role of a caregiver, especially when it comes to adults with mental and physical disabilities. This lady was a true “model”, willing to give smiles and poses for the camera. She guided us along with Ms Mamta Gupta, the superintendent to the different rooms of the institution.

 This photograph shows Naina, winning the affection of a few kids at Cheshire home, with her animated song session.

All good things come to an end and so did this course. A warm farewell was organized for the participants at the Training Centre. Music, dance and good food were the highlights. Most participants unanimously wanted an extension in the course duration. As for us, we could not have asked for a better compliment!

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Our stall at the health mela(April 6, 2008)

A Health Mela was organized by the Indian Medical Association on April 6, 2008 at Ranger’s College ground. Our awareness team put up a stall of the foundation at the mela.

Dr. Alok Semwal, one of the organizers of the mela had sent an invitation letter to our Early Intervention Centre (EIC). He wanted our organization to disseminate information on disability, importance of early intervention and our work in general. The organizers offered us the stall for free and we counted it as a blessing to be approached to spread the word about the work we are doing and that too without having to entail any expenses! It was a golden opportunity for us to reach out to hundreds of people.

His letter was forwarded to the awareness staff as this falls under the domain of awareness generation. So the team started working towards its coordination. Staff from all the projects was approached to man the stall in different slots of time from 10 am to 5 pm. Everyone agreed to volunteer enthusiastically despite it being on a sunday.

The awareness team reached there early morning and set up the stall with the entire publicity material well in place. Lots of materials developed at the foundation over the years were displayed at the stall. Pamphlets, handouts and other information booklets were kept as take away for people.

 It was a fabulous job! The passion and efficiency shown by the staff in dealing with the queries coming up at the stall was palpable.  It was great to see the representatives from all the projects of the foundation coming under one roof  and making a genuine effort at explaining about the work we do and any other specific doubts.
 
This picture shows Hema Thapa with a man who has no use of his legs. His girth was formidable and he made an effort to go to each stall at the mela by dragging himself on the ground. He wanted to know about how to procure a disability certificate. Hema, explained the procedure to him very clearly and very patiently clarified all his doubts. We knew we had made a difference then and there!
The Mela also gave us an opportunity to know about the latest developments in the medical sector in Dehradun. We also got to interact with few more NGOs working in the field of disability and learn something new from them.

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Think or sink - Inaccessible India (March 11, 2008)
India is a rapidly developing nation growing at break-neck speed and if you’ve managed to save your neck so far and are tired of keeping pace then you have the option of slowing down with a broken arm or leg. India will of course race on right past you spearheading a revolutionary new concept where infrastructure and agriculture have been strategically merged. A brilliant, eco-friendly and sustainable alliance – sure to get us top marks in the global economy rat race. Our country’s infrastructure giants are busy innovating new forms of intensive agriculture for her teaming majority – the farmer population. The latest cash-crop is the mushroom and the holy cash-cows are the jungles. Mushrooming high-rises in concrete jungles – jaago and reap on!

How many times have you crossed a busy street with your heart in your mouth? Can you go jogging on the newly made pavement in your neighbourhood? Have you ever traveled by train from a big station like New Delhi, did you enjoy going up and down stairs carrying your new state-of-art baggage with user friendly wheels? And were you one of those lucky ones to reach the platform only to find out that there’s been a last minute change and the new platform is at the other end of the station? I’m sure you’ve felt relieved the last time you used a public toilet – relieved that God gave you two feet to be able to balance in a claustrophobic space and make a swift exit.

So what’s the point here? Should we not develop infrastructure? Should there be no roads? Should we have no railways, no transport? Should we have no public utilities? Do we have a choice? The answer is yes we do have a choice. We can have it all, if only we follow a simple rule – when you plan a new building, a new road, a new train coach, a new bus, a new facility or your new home –make it accessible. Plan for children, plan for old people, plan for the disabled and you automatically plan for everyone.

Today Subhash Vashishth, program coordinator and Kavita Agrawal, assistant manager  Svayam,  conducted a full-day workshop on accessibility for us here in Dehradun. The awareness and advocacy team did a marvelous job of organizing it and the most satisfying part by far was the active participation of the invitees. A group of 21 eminent professionals from the government including Mrs. Snehlata Agarwal (Additional Secretary, Social Welfare and Commissioner Disabilities, Government of Uttarakhand) an architect, a high court lawyer and other eminent persons from the civil and public works sector were present along with our dearest friend Divya who added both charm and meaning to the workshop. Divya is physically challenged from birth and refuses to be confined to a wheelchair. A true woman of substance – she has a great job at the ONGC; is fully mobile inside any building (she uses her arms to get around); rides her own scooter around town and very recently has adopted a beautiful baby girl – all on her own.

The discussion succinctly covered all aspects of access – from sensitization, to policy framework and finally strategies for implementation. Subhash and Kavita used the activity based approach and drove home the importance of accessibility auditing by actually making participants sit in a wheel chair and enter the narrow door to the conference hall and attempt to use the toilet. The simulation exercise drove home a very clear message – a disability does not disable a person; the inaccessible environment does.

The policy frame-work covered all the various legal provisions related to disability laws and the strategy component gave us an insight into what we can achieve in Uttarakhand if all present work together as a group. The focus was on forming a Core Group comprising of the participants to enable the NGO sector to join hands with the government in the implementation of policies. The common purpose being to make our state ‘accessible’ using the simple guiding principle of - Every citizen must be able to Reach all places, Enter all places and Use all facilities.

Svayam you did get through to us! A truly heartening message from the government at the end Mrs. Snehlata Agarwal said, “Give us a specific design and we will ensure it!”

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Concessions Mela- different strokes(February 29, 2008)

How difficult can this be? The Awareness and Advocacy team organized a Concessions Mela at Latika Vihar for parents on the 29th of February. The stalls had delicacies of a different kind – a rare combination of very hard-to-get doctors and officials from the government; a willing lawyer; a helpful bank officer and very easy-to-get physician, counselor, volunteers and awareness staff from the Foundation.The parents were served generous portions of information regarding legal matters and financial schemes for people with disabilities. The bitter game of standing in long queues for months playing ‘patience’ to fill in forms was sweetened by swift hands-on assistance at the games stall. The main course consisted of on the spot check-ups and verification by various specialists and finally the dessert was served– a delectable disability certificate.

A very satisfying and scrumptious meal indeed! Thank you chefs.

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Pitara- The Fun Mela (February 17, 2008)
The wait finally over, it was time for the ‘Pitara’ to reveal all! ‘Pitara’ – the magical box of mystique and wonder was here at last, and on the 17th of February 2008, promises were delivered. Latika Vihar was up and buzzing at 9 a.m. the staff worked super-fast; stalls installed, eats and seats organized and the stage was set. Opening time at noon heralded the first lot of sparkling eyes – children tugging at restraining arms of parents who seemed to stroll in too slowly – a skip here, a prance there, laughter and giggles; so many happy children what a treat! The peak hours were definitely 2.30 to 5 pm when 31 bright and chirpy girls from the Hopetown School came in and swamped the compound.

The game stalls were packed with children eagerly trying their luck at winning a prize. I couldn’t help but notice that the games were so creative and the sheer simplicity of the concept was very impressive. There were no video games, no bumper cars, no giant wheels – no electronic or electrical gadgetry at all; an unthinkable setting for our modern jet-set whiz kids to enjoy – but guess what? Not only did the kids enjoy themselves thoroughly, adults joined in too and that really made it special for the kids. Reverse inclusion! Games like digging into a rice filled jar to find all 20 of the hidden chick peas within a minute and eating every last morsel of popcorn doggy-bowl style from a paper plate within 30 seconds were super-hits.

The puppet show and the young Rajasthani lad swirling around the crowd on his steed added colour and vibrancy to the buzz. Homemade cakes, jal jeera, bhel puri, chaat, Pakoras and Chai stalls staffed by volunteers from each of our projects were a big draw. Nothing cost more than 5 rupees a plate and everything was served in style – Nalin, our physiotherapist made a great channa walla and had so much fun that he is thinking of putting up a channa stall outside the EIC in the evenings!

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Fundraising -sharing knowledge and building relationships(Feb 9, 2008)

We played host to a fundraising workshop over the 9th and 10th of February. Jo had just finished attending a 10 weekend long fundraising course run by the Resource Alliance in Delhi (with Tara and I joining her for a few sessions) when Rati from Resource Alliance asked us to organize a two day condensed version here in Doon. The aim was to bring together non-profit organizations from in and around Dehradun to discuss issues that impact their development, effectiveness and ability to generate sufficient funds.

The positive response we got from the NGOs we invited was encouraging and our excitement soared. Invitations were sent out, acceptances received, hotels booked, food ordered and by ‘D’ day we were all set and ready to roll!

Day one – 22 participants trooped in eager to learn what fundraising is all about and figure out how it’s done. Jerry Almeida from ICONGO was our speaker that day. His six-foot-something frame and great sense of humor instantly captured the attention of all the participants. He began by defining the concept and ethics of fundraising and shared his experiences with us while elaborating on some tried and tested fundraising methods. Jerry taught us to think big and even showed us some advertisements and a short movie clip that he and his team at ICONGO have made. Amazing stuff this ‘Fundraising’! Who would have believed at the start of this workshop that one could even sell the concept of God? At the end of the day we learnt that fundraising isn’t only about money, it is much more than that and as Ken McCrae from the Doon Youth Centre  put it; it’s all about building relationships and getting like minded people to work together for a cause they believe in.

Day two –Rati briefly re-capped Jerry’s presentation and gave us a general overview of fundraising with particular emphasis on the fundraising cycle and donor attitudes. She stressed the importance of saying ‘thank you’ and maintaining a constant rapport with the donors. Cultivating long term relationships and safeguarding donor investments are key factors which must be built into any fundraising strategy.

Our 2nd speaker for the day was Amita from Child Rights and You. She is the main strategist and developer of the fundraising program for CRY and we were looking forward to getting some insight and tips on fundraising from her; she certainly gave us plenty and in very useful detail. She focused on fundraising from individuals and the corporate sector - the different approaches, methods, techniques and tools that can be used effectively. Plenty of food for thought for us!

Last but not the least Jo, Tara and I made a presentation on ‘communication skills’ post lunch. After a brief overview by me about the importance of good communication, Jo made a thought provoking presentation on improving presentation skills (it goes without saying that hers was the perfect example of a good presentation!) She also gave us some useful and interesting tips on writing skills and photography, suggesting that we could always use volunteers to do some of these things.
Tara analyzed communication materials like pamphlets, brochures and websites. She focused on paying attention to small details which are often ignored while producing print materials and putting up websites. Something as small as using the wrong font sizes, colour schemes and visuals reduces impact. ‘Know your target audience before printing’, was the message.

Speaking of messages; a penny saved is a penny earned. Check out Ken leaving the workshop to go home to Dalanwala halfway across town – surely one of us got this one right!

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Fun on the Streets!(February 8, 2008)

Life seemed to be normal at Anurag Chowk, Vasant Vihar on Friday the 8th of February. It’s a fairly busy cross-road and people were hurrying around as usual to get to someplace else. Some of the shopkeepers around the corner were either busy with customers or socializing with neighbours. Others looked bored or were simply relaxing – I couldn’t figure out the difference.

The scene changed dramatically at 4 p.m. A bright yellow school bus had driven up and parked near the row of shops. A couple of shopkeepers glanced up. The bus door opened and out streamed our gaily dressed children from Latika Vihar holding banners and wearing paper sashes with messages on them followed by Hema and Rizwan carrying a mike and a ‘Dholak’. All the shopkeepers stopped whatever they were doing and looked really curious. Passers by stopped to ask what was going on. Then the drum began to roll, Hema’s expertise with the Dholak coupled with rhythmic chants of “Natak Dekho, Natak Dekho, Natak Dekho Bhai” by Rizwan and our other Hema, drew a fair sized crowd.

The children happily pranced around and settled down in small circles creatively portraying the activities at Latika Vihar. They looked totally absorbing with little Saumya softly drumming the dholak in the ‘music class’ with amazing confidence, while both the Hemas play-acted a short skit about the importance of play encouraging people to send their kids to Latika Vihar. All this time our staff was busy distributing flyers.

The grand finale was a song sung by the children and then they hopped swiftly back into the bus and were gone. The ‘Nukkad Natak’ had ended – the message had gone out.