"Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.”
Joseph Addison
V-Excel News
A cultural program was held by Sharan Inc., under the auspices of Rotary Club, on 3rd May. Renowned singers and celebrities participated in the event.
As a part of their social commitment plan, they felicitated V-Excel Educational Trust and applauded its work in the area of disabilities. Dr. Vasudha Prakash
spoke at the occasion and briefed the audience regarding the wide range of services offered by us for this segment.
Workshops have been conducted for over 250 children and 150 teachers at one of the leading schools in Udupi. The focus of children’s workshop was Personality
Development while the emphasis was on Soft Skill Development for teachers. Both the programs were very well-received by the respective groups.
‘May’ being the school holiday month, many of our Units were on a vacation break. We used this time effectively to complete all pending repair and maintenance
work at both the Centers so that the resulting ruckus does not disturb the children when the school reopens in June.
Academy of Teacher Excellence
The trainees are very busy preparing for their final exams conducted by Manipal University. The exams are to begin from the last week of May ’08.
The One Year Diploma course in Special Education (ASD), recognized by the Rehabilitation Council of India (a Central Government body, under the Ministry
of Social Justice and Empowerment), is scheduled to commence from July 2nd ‘08. The application from for the course is being issued now. From the
next Academic Year this course is proposed to become a two-year course.
The Academy is planning to conduct short term courses on Learning Disabilities and Behavior Management of children with special needs. Watch this
space for the program schedule.
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)
Our team of rural Special Educators undertook a very elaborate exercise of identification of children with special needs through house-to-house visits.
Wherever they found children requiring special services, family members were taken into confidence and explained about the need for specialized education.
They also detailed the resulting benefits of intervention. Our objective was to motivate them so that their children are sent to suitable schools for due
remediation. Information about the child and the associated developmental lags were noted. These children will receive personal care and attention when
the schools reopen in the following month.
V-Excel Remedial Center (VRC) News
VRC coordinated the V-Excel Summer Camp ’08 between 12th May and 23rd May. 23 children registered for the program. The age range of the enrolled students
was 4 to 22 years. Persons with conditions such as Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Hearing Impaired, Visual Impaired, Emotionally Disturbed, ADD, ADHD, and other
Developmental Delays formed the population. Eight teachers, contributing in various roles, conducted the Summer Camp.
The program consisted of movement based on Eurhythmy, knowing oneself and others, safety, science experiments, indoor and outdoor games, kitchen work, art
and craft, music and dance, story time and wet-on-wet painting. The Camp ended on 23rd with an exhibition of children’s learnings and work done during the Camp.
Some snippets from the camp:
Ananthu was the naughty brain in the Camp, forever working with Sanjei, Lakshman and Raghu to plan and execute some prank or the other.
Audithya showed tremendous restraint (bladder control) during his field trips in response to his promise.
Aishwarya, a student, became the teacher-aid by choice. She had a way to mind the others in her class with her non-verbal gestures and verbal sounds.
Ali taught us a few things with his non-verbal communication about getting his will and his way.
Keshaav progressed most and blossomed during this period. He started with the maximum disadvantage of nil communication, physical disability of cerebral
palsy and with least comprehension of group instructions. The movement session everyday was the catalyst in his progress, just as it was in case of most
other children and adults.
On the whole, the Camp was a wonderful application of what we had recently learnt about the sensitive child-centric approach with taught in Lakshmi
and Michael’s workshop.
Counseling & Assessment Unit
The film ‘Taare Zameen Par’ has, to some extent, brought to fore the complexities faced by dyslexic children. It has helped increase awareness about
the genuine problems faced by such children and emphasized looking at the complete individual rather than merely his/her limitations. Incidentally, holistic
development of a child with special needs has always been the driving force behind all V-Excel ventures. Hence, our new unique project, a Support Program
for persons with Learning Disabilities, has also evolved from the same philosophy and focuses on bringing out the best in the child.
V-Excel’s Support Group for persons with Learning Disabilities will be that platform where these children can share their issues, concerns, achievements,
and triumphs with children facing similar issues. They will benefit from each other by gathering the necessary skill sets to enhance their learning, gaining
positive energy and taking pride in their accomplishments.
Our aim is to facilitate this process through a moderator who is a trained, empathetic, non-judgmental Psychologist. This program is sure to bring out
the potential of children with learning disabilities in an enriching and enjoyable environment.
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.
V-Excel invites applications for the following openings at our Chennai centres
1. Psychotherapists: Post-graduates in Psychology. 2-3 years experience in Counseling and Psychotherapy
2. Occupational Therapists / Physiotherapists: Fresh graduates or professionals with 1-2 years of experience in working with children with developmental delays
3. Special Educators: Graduates in Special Education
4. Social Workers: Smart young graduates in Sociology with experience in an NGO setup. Good communication skills and computer experience required.
5. Systems Administrator: DCA or B.Sc. (Computer Science) with 2-3 years of experience.
Please send resumes to our Chennai address or call us for details.
