"With courage you will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate and the wisdom to be humble. Courage is the foundation of integrity."
Keshavan Nair
V-Excel News
The Independence Day on 15th August was celebrated with much fanfare. Children were looking
their original pure selves in white dresses, excitedly waving out the national ‘tiranga’
(tricolour flag). Some children sang, some performed while others did a march past on this
very special occasion. We were lucky to have Mr. K. A. Varadhan (IAS-Retd.), a valued friend of
V-Excel, as our Chief Guest for the function. While he has held a number of significant positions
during his career, his most recent position was that of Chief Secretary, Govt. of Sikkim. His
aptly observed that, as adults, we tend to be disgruntled all the time and relentlessly pursue
happiness; we should effectively learn this attitude from our children around who find it so
easy to be happy.
At a recent award ceremony in Chennai, our teachers had an amazing glimpse of how the
masterpiece ‘Taare Zameen Par’ came about from the film’s creator, Mr. Aamir Khan.
His direct and sincere response to the questions posed by the parents of children with special
needs and practitioners from the Special Education field exhibited the immense thought, research,
and hard work that has gone into the making of this sensitive film. Thanks to him, the impact
of this movie has resulted in significantly raising social awareness about learning disabilities
such as Dyslexia as also emphasizing that parents and teachers must appreciate the uniqueness
of each child.
Kaleisdoscope Learning Centre
It’s been a busy month at KLC – some fun and a lot of community interaction. This has mainly happened in the
form of two camps: a Dental Camp organized by Dun and Bradstreet followed by an eye camp by Dr. Agarwal’s Eye
Hospital. So while the bodies of the children were carefully assessed, there was fun for the soul in the form
of a Water Day held on 31st July, 2008. The heat of Chennai was combated with splashing, squirting, pouring and
getting thoroughly wet. Teachers and students became one as water continued to create its fun. Water Day has
become so popular that, in fact, it has almost become a calendar event.
The children of KLC have been practicing eurythmy since the beginning of this term. They performed a simple
movement of rolling and then unfurling the tricolor flag on Independence Day. A solemn occasion in which the
entire school participated, and a few children dressed as national leaders completed the scene of Independence.
Detailed IEP’s (Individualized Education Plan) meetings with the parents of newly admitted children were held
this month. It was a good introduction to the families of our students as well as to the multi disciplinary
team at the school which will be working with the children.
The study of India continues and a bit of history in the form of a short stories on ‘civilizations’ and some
mythological stories were taught interestingly through craft, poetry, story, drama. The children have surprised
us with their assimilation styles and the concepts that they have internalized.
A unique concept designed by Mrs. Jayanthi Srinivasan, the Coordinator at KLC, was a day for the mothers to
come together, interact and learn to keep their hands busy, like the teachers of their children often recommend.
So the mothers of students of KLC did eurythmy, passed bean bags and for two hours used their hands to knit,
embroider and work with clay. Our gratitude to the resource persons Mrs. Surya Natrajan, Mrs. Margret Butch and
our school experts Vasanthi and Sardha. The event was well attended and enjoyed by all.
Bridges Learning Academy
Independence Day was celebrated on August 15th, and a large number of parents and guests witnessed a colorful
program put up by our students. The melodious rendering of 2 patriotic songs by the BLA children was appreciated
by one and all.
Some of our staff was privileged to attend a special screening of the award – winning film, ‘Taare Zameen Par’.
This was followed by a lively interactive session with Mr. Aamir Khan. Accolades were showered on the actor for
having spread awareness about Dyslexia.
Our children were taken to the Guindy National Park for a field trip. They had an enjoyable time watching the
multicolored birds in their cages and the other animals and mammals as well.
IEP meetings with the parents concluded on a positive note. The parents were appreciating the progress made
by their wards in the areas of reading, spelling, writing and mathematics.
Academy of Teacher Excellence
This month the trainees have been simultaneously involved in attending subject lectures while also helping
in the afternoon groups in our special school- KLC - twice a week. Mr. John Miller, the head of our Occupational
Therapy (OT) Department has started his lectures on Sensory Integration (SI). Most children with developmental
disabilities require OT and SI as specialized services.
Two movies 'Black' and 'Taare Zameen Par' were screened and the screenings were followed by lively debates
on the role of a special educator, 'parents and siblings' issues and inclusion. It was very interesting to hear
different viewpoints.
The batch is new and it is thus heartening to see the group is bonding well; birthdays and anniversaries are
celebrated and enjoyed jointly.
V-Excel Remedial Center
Independence Day was celebrated with eager participation from the children. VRC presented a movement based
on Eurythmy which was done in perfect harmony by the teachers and children. This was received by the audience
with rapt attention and pin drop silence. Following this was a speech on our national flag by little Raghuram
who faced the audience with immense courage overcoming his fears.
In-service teachers training kicked off this year with weekly workshops consisting of text study and child
study. The insights that are emerging during these meetings go a long way to guide the teachers to understand
the children better and better.
Some snippets from our classroom:
Manu, who vocalizes all the thoughts and ideas entering her head, showed remarkable ability to catch t
he mood of the group when she spontaneously commented ‘everybody is happy’ during one of our morning movement.
Chinmay has a song for everybody, every place he visits and every occasion. His song for VRC is ‘engeyum
eppodum sangeetham sandosham…’, a 1980’s movie song depicting music and joy.
Srivats who was learning to blow using bubbles using soap solution, spontaneously blew on the wind chime
and clapped his hands in glee to use the skill he learnt just minutes earlier to produce a sweet sound.
Rural Outreach Program
Under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) program, we conducted a medical assessment camp in the 10 blocks of Villupuram
district. Each block took us a day where nearly 300 children underwent examination. We would like to sincerely
thank all our Special Educators who patiently ensured successful implementation of the entire program.
Counseling & Assessment Unit
It was a month of changes, with entries and exits. We welcome the three new members who joined our team -
Mrs. Dorothy Joseph as the Coordinator, Ms. Liji Mathew and Ms. Junie as Special Educators. We had to bid
farewell to Mrs. Chandrika and Mrs. Geetha Srikant, two of our dedicated staff members. Presently, along with
the volunteers, we have an excellent team to greet our new batch of prevocational and vocational students.
Devyani Kaushik is gradually easing into the role of a student, with an increase in her tolerance, from
two hours, twice a week to much longer period 3 to 4 times a week. It is an extremely encouraging development
for her as well as for us.
Given that most of our students are young adults, age ranging from 16–18 years, we work on age-appropriate
life-skills programs with them. This year, Mrs. Prema Gnanavoli, an experienced and talented vocational trainer,
will train the students and the staff to work as a team in a structured, disciplined fashion in a simulated
formal work environment for a week every month. This involves a lot of awareness of micro-details, which are
so important if our students have to fit into the world outside. We have learnt just begun the first step,
and look forward to implementing this excellent program.
We had two events this month, an outing to Guindy Park - a time filled with fun and learning, and a medical
camp at our Mandaveli Centre for Eye and Dental check-up. Both the programs were well received by the respective
beneficiaries.
An exciting event is coming up on September 14th - a Carnival which is expected to be full of fun and frolic!
The whole unit is involved in its preparation as there will be various stalls with products made by the
children on display. We indeed have a hectic time ahead.
Contact Info :: India:
V-Excel Educational Trust
#1 Norton 2nd Street
Mandaveli Chennai 600 028
Tel: 91 - 44 - 24620243
91 - 44 – 24956373 E-mail us or visit us at www.v-excel.org
Contact Info :: USA:
Academic Concepts, Inc.
1403 Merrywood Drive
Edison, NJ 08817
Tel: (732) 572-3748
Tax ID: 22-3632715 E-mail us
Volunteer Info:
Volunteers are an integral part of our success. Our most pressing needs are in the areas of occupational and speech therapies, and
as teacher aides. We also require assistance in library management.
If you have any of these and are interested in volunteering at V-Excel, please contact us.
India Autism: Trying Tradition
In India, old ideas are giving new options to treating autism. Liz Neisloss reports on that country's approach.
What is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)?
A person with CFS feels completely worn-out and overtired. This extreme tiredness makes it hard to do the daily tasks that most of us do without
thinking — like dressing, bathing, or eating. Sleep or rest does not make the tiredness go away. It can be made worse by moving, exercising,
or even thinking.
What causes CFS?
No one knows for sure what causes CFS. Many people with CFS say it started after an infection, such as a cold or stomach bug. It also can follow a
bout of infectious mononucleosis (mono), the “kissing disease” that drains your energy. Some people with CFS say it started after a time of great stress,
such as the loss of a loved one or major surgery.
What are the signs of CFS?
The signs of CFS can come and go or they can stay with a person. At first, you may feel like you have the flu. As well as extreme tiredness and weakness,
CFS symptoms include:
* forgetting things or having a hard time focusing
* feeling tired even after sleeping
* muscle pain or aches
* pain or aches in joints without swelling or redness
* feeling discomfort or "out-of-sorts" for more than 24 hours after being active
* headaches of a new type, pattern, or strength
* tender lymph nodes in the neck or under the arm
* sore throat
How would my doctor know if I have CFS?
It can be hard for your doctor to diagnose CFS because there is no lab test for it. And many signs of CFS are also signs of other illnesses or medical treatments.
If you think you may have CFS, see your doctor. Your doctor will:
* ask you about your physical and mental health
* do a physical exam
* order urine and blood tests, which will tell your doctor if something other than CFS might be causing your symptoms
* order more tests, if your urine and blood tests do not show a cause for your symptoms
* classify you as having CFS if:
1. you have been extremely tired for 6 months or more and tests do not show a cause for your symptoms AND
2. you have 4 or more of the signs listed above.
How is CFS treated?
Right now, there is no cure for CFS. But there are things you can do to feel better. Talk to your doctor about ways to ease your symptoms and deal with your tiredness.
