Providing lifespan services to individuals with special needs...
Strides Newsletter Archives
Academy of Teaching Excellence
Happenings
CRE
This whole month had been a busy period preparing for the CRE-LD (Continuous Rehabilitation Education - Learning Disabilities)
There has been a consistent demand for this program, especially from professionals registered with the RCI. The program provides points required for the renewal of their 5-year registrations. We had already conducted two such programs in the past; one on "Inclusion of ASD" and the other on "Vocational Rehabilitation".
The response has exceeded expectations. We can only accommodate 40, and have closed registrations on 28th Feb 2015.
We have invited experts in this area from NIEPMD, as well as our own staff and other special educators to provide the best training to our participants.
Job Fair
We participated in a "Job Fair" organized by the Social Work Department of Stella Maris College. We put up a stall at the fair and were represented Mrs. Maria Josephine, who shared details about the ATE training programs and highlighted the need for volunteers. About 42 students have signed up to volunteer with us.
Maria also met with the students from DAV Vaishnav College of Social Work, and explained about our programs. She is also in talks with an organization called Komali Clown, which aims to bring joy, hope and healing through therapeutic clowning, laughter and humour to all in rural and urban India.
Inclusion by Abhividhi
Maria attended a meet at Ramachandra Hospital, Porur on Inclusion an initiative by Abhividhi Trust. Mrs. Mallika Ganapathy had started this to bring together all NGOs to bring about inclusion. She introduced the aims of Abhividhi:-
- It is a think tank that provides research, support to other disabilities, processes documentation, consolidates these processes, capacity building, resource development, core team formation, action plans, strategies and such.
- Mrs. Poornam Natarajan spoke on available resources. She said special schools should be the support system, for both the teachers and parents.
- In B.Ed., diversity should be included. To initiate inclusive culture both in minds of the regular school students and teachers. To address bullying in schools.
- Mr. Shashaank Awasthi from V-Shesh spoke on Employability .He said that all employers need data, on the individuals capacity and process. Teachers and individuals need detailed orientation to have a clear consensus about what changes we want to make. We have to learn from others. Both teachers and parents must work for the right employer.
- Mr. Nandakumar spoke that majority of the differently-abled need help in this process and procedure manual. Proof of concept is in "Why are we doing it?", and "How are we doing it?
- There was a group discussion.3 groups were formed and each group came up with action plans. Immediate plans are to implement seminars for parents, teacher trainings and documentation.
V-Excel can be part of the training programs which is our area of strength in this process of inclusion.
Counseling & Assessments
Happenings
This month we had two art workshops:
- Art Therapy workshop for Parents of our institution:
We had this workshop over 4 weeks and did a series of painting of sunrise to midnight. Also an exercise in copying the card and dissolving it to recreating something totally new out of the dissolved picture. It was done with chalk pastels and parents really enjoyed the whole exercise. It gave them the opportunity to look into themselves and find a moment of peace with colours. - Heal with Art:
A workshop for outsiders, to look into one's own patterns through art. Nine people attended it and it was well-received. We started with breathe-in breathe-out movements, followed by a series of activities ending with Mandala. The theme was finding oneself and nourishing oneself with one's own hidden potential.
Regular sessions
- Counselling Desk - Our regular counselling desk was full with 28 associates being met over the month. Many had been making efforts to have follow up sessions and referring their friends or colleagues.
- Group sessions of painting with trainees of YES and KLC children.
- Individual play therapy sessions and communication sessions continued with some irregularities as annual day practice is in full swing
- Adult sessions - Individual adult counselling for outsiders continued and between all our counsellors we had about 25 sessions
- Music therapy- Music therapy for 4 trainees of YES continued without interruption
- Annual day special - Two of our counsellors have been very active in the annual day practice and the script and music production. Its heart-warming to see how the various departments are being interwoven as one for the production.
Early Intervention
Happenings in EI
A very busy month with the commencement of parent observation followed by review meetings. Parent observation is organized once a term to enable a parent to view a child's sessions, understand the behaviour of the child, understand the development programme and training the child at home.
The parent observes and puts down the inputs, which are analysed by the team with guidance from the co-coordinator. This is followed up by review meetings and then a home programme covering all the areas of development is drawn.
A hands-on training is facilitated on a need basis. This is also done with shadow teachers working with children in regular schools. This forms an integral part of the Early Intervention programme and helps in enhancing generalization and development. Identification of children who are ready to be weaned off and children who are ready to join regular schools have commenced.
Parents are trying for admissions in various nursery and primary school. Attached is the photograph of the child who won a prize in a sloka recitation competition.
Kaleidoscope Learning Center
Preparing for Annual Day
The practice for the Annual Day has taken on new proportions as the school lives, breathes and performs different scenes with complicated tracks of music and narration. It seems to be a wonder how the student body who are in a special school with different labels and different challenges relate to this part of the curriculum, use the medium of drama to get into the roles as only one can who understands or seeps into a character completely. Another play could be entirely made or a paper entirely presented on how these two months changes the children for the better and how the adults around are being constantly surprised at the "ability" displayed. This year there has been another achievement that the annual day preparations has brought with it. The various units of V-Excel have always strived to come together on various occasions but this time has truly integrated the units as we now stand on the brink of the first truly V-Excel production.
Other News:
The walks in Guindy National Park have resumed and three Wednesdays have seen different groups of children, teachers and Mr. Poochi Venkat on their nature adventures. Our grateful thanks to him.
We have changed the place of work for farming from Kesavaperumalpuram Park to M.R.C. Nagar Park, as there were some problems with the earlier one. Ms. Shobha Menon, from Nizhal, has been working in getting us the approval to work in the latter park also.
Teacher meeting happened with closing of Child Study in its third week. The counselling department came up with a new way of closing the study by requesting the teachers to draw a picture of themselves depicting where they were stuck in life and how to overcome it.
Dr. Swapna, our school doctor, visited the school on 17and 18th of February. Old cases were reviewed and new consultations were done.
Grade 5 completed their block on ancient Persia by celebrating a day in Persia. Costumes, food, and accessories made the experience culturally come alive for them.
V-Excel Educational Trust
VEGAM is an athletic Meet for the differently-abled. As part of their commitment towards differently-abled student's participation in extracurricular events, Chennai Social Service (CSS) has been organizing competitive sports events since 2009. They take pride in encouraging differently-abled students to express their sportsmanship on the field and also to experience the mingling of athletes with other school competitors.
Tarang in Chennai
Some comments to share from Sri Aiyah Viswanathier on Dr. Sriram Parasuram's concert last Thursday.
He writes, "Dr.Sriram Parasuram & Party entertained the special children of V-Excel Educational Trust-with a wonderful concert at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan on 26th February . The children were quite calm and attentive and some children even maintained 'Taalam". When he took up an 'Abhang', he made the children to sing with him!"
Occupational Therapy
Visual-Motor Integration
A child from a mainstream school came for therapy. He constantly blinked his eyes throughout the day and his mother suspected some impairment in his eyes. This issue had been present for more than a year. He was given 2 sessions of visual-motor integration in the SI room and the blinking was completely stopped. He now cooperates for all activities without blinking and mother felt happy and satisfied.
Regulars:
- Four new assessments were done.
- After the recruitment of a new therapist, the intake of KLC & VRC children for therapy has increased.
- Therapy given for 16 KLC and 13 VRC children
V-Excel Remedial Center
Happenings in VRC
One of our teachers has started doing remedial work at Sishya School OMR. The school has identified three students for whom we have started remedial after informal assessment. Of course there are several teething problems but we hope to overcome them and continue with this work and reach out to many more children.
We completed three assessments during this month and handed over reports. We held meetings with these parents and planned future course of action.
We held meeting with all teachers to plan goals for next three months and also discuss progress. We utilised this opportunity to learn and practise several action songs finger rhymes and verses with exercises.
We met four parents for review. At the request of some of the parents, we also have been in touch with the teacher/coordinators of a few schools to monitor progress.
Mrs. Meena Devarajan, who had been earlier working with us, has come back to join us as a part-time teacher.
Satellite Centers
Happenings at our Satellite Centres
Nashik
During the first week of February the IEP for the special school children that has to be implemented during the last 3 months of the academic year, were prepared. The class teachers, therapist and Psychologist met the parents individually and then formulated the IEP.
We have 3 new admissions in the center for OT and remedial work.
On 1st Feb 2015, the therapists and teachers of our center attended a seminar on "Vasa Concept for Cerebral Palsy" at Guruji Hospital in Nashik. The seminar was conducted by Dr. Rajul Vasa, a Physical therapist from Switzerland. Following this seminar three members of our Therapy department, Dr. Swati, Dr. Ashwini and Dr. Snehal, i.e., physiotherapists attended a training program on Vasa concept in Mumbai. After the training program, Vasa therapy is being given to three of our CP children Aishwarya, Parth and Jayesh.
Our search for a bigger building to accommodate both school and center continues...
Vocational Training / Youth Empowerment Services
The highlight of February has been the special task given to the VTU as a part of the annual day celebrations.
The past month has been very active and eventful. All the interns at Sreyes have been actively involved in the making of the props for the Annual Day. They did everything from pasting to pinning, shaping, colouring, and drying with great interest. It was good to see them come in, wear their aprons and get the place ready. They learnt to sit in work formation and wait for that day's instructions to be given. It all looked so methodical and professional. Thereafter, each one got down to work. The communication and willing assistance among the peer group was beautiful to witness. They took turns in cleaning up and putting away things after work.
There have been regular days when things lie around and we call for them to be picked up and put in order. But during this month, there has been good discipline and work code followed.
Apart from this they had a good time during their visit to Dakshin Chitra, a cultural village. The experience was enriching.
Mrs. Usha Rajagopal Visited our Solapur centre and had interactive sessions with the teachers as well as the parent group. She also visited Jihwala, a residential farm, which houses nearly 100 special persons who are engaged in all activities from farming to dairy, laundry, and power generation. It was an inspiring model!
At Sreyes , we are trying to look afresh at product lines that can be developed with the existing skill-sets. There have been a couple of meetings towards this end and we plan to implement them in the next academic year.
From YES
Chandramouli Ramanathan, our trainee, was hired as a Front Office Assistant in Square Network Solutions, Chennai.
In a meeting with Dr. and Mrs. Sudhir Krishnamurthi, a reorientation of staff proportional to academic and vocational activities was suggested. They proposed that one skill-building and one product-oriented training be given to each trainee. These must be related to each other.
Ms. Thilaga, from "Koothu Pattarai" now visits every Wednesday and provides training in the art of Koothu, our traditional folk dance.
Our trainees, along with interns from Sre-Yes, visited Dakshin Chitra, a heritage village. It was a great learning experience for them.