Final Field Program - University of Virginia

CHE33 SERVICE VISIT: SANKALP – A SPECIAL NEEDS
SCHOOL (0700-1300 Tuesday, 26 October) Minimum 10/
Maximum 30 (PRICE: $19)
In 1999, three women involved in special education decided to start
a special school on their own. When Lakshmi Krishna Kumar,
Sulata Ajit and Subhashini Rao starting conceptualizing this
school, they wanted to include holistic care as they believed this
would improve the children’s ability to learn while helping them
succeed in their pursuits. They called their project Sankalp.
Located in a little corner of 6 th Avenue in Anna Nagar, Sankalp
opened as the first special needs facility in the area. Soon, Sankalp expanded to include a center where the staff
could take care of all of the children. Ms. Rao, one of the program’s founders, serves as the Director at Sankalp
who oversees the administration of the program. The program assists two distinct types of learning disabilities in
separate facilities – dyslexia at the Open School and Autism Spectrum Disorder at the Learning Centre.
The Open School has one teacher for seven or eight children. “Sometimes, this can also be two for seven or eight
children in a group. The groups are not homogeneous in terms of age or class, but rather even in terms of ability
of children,” Ms. Krishna Kumar, Director of Learning Disabilities, explained. The syllabus is an amalgam drawn
from different boards of education; Sankalp adds an additional approach. Children are trained through multisensory
teaching and are periodically evaluated for their skill levels. They appear for examinations under the
National Open School Programme, and so far, three groups of students have passed and 14 children have gone on
to enter mainstream colleges. Under the direction of Ms. Ajit, the Learning Centre provides intervention for
children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, from early identification to speech therapy and occupational therapy,
which is apart from the academic curriculum. Both facilities emphasize reading/spelling, writing and
comprehension, study skills, thinking and reasoning. A substantial component of the curriculum includes extracurricular
activities.
Travel to Sankalp and meet with school leaders before getting a tour of the facilities. Enjoy meeting and
interacting with the children. You will be provided with coloring books, picture books, or other materials to aid
in your interaction. The price of this practicum includes a donation to Sankalp.
CHE34 SOCIOECONOMIC PROBLEMS IN CHENNAI – GROUP A (0830-1230 Tuesday, 26 October)
Minimum 15/Maximum 30 (PRICE: $32)
We will travel by bus to the edge of one of the poorest sections of Chennai, then break into small groups to explore
the area on foot. We will meet some of the residents and will observe how the poor of India actually live, including
their housing, clothing, food, and health conditions. These observations will help translate the ecological principles
studied in the classroom into the realities of everyday living experienced by the poor of a developing country. Please
note: Participants should not carry photo/video cameras for the visit, as the local families wish not to be
filmed.
CHE35 COLLEGE VISIT & INDIAN HOME VISIT (0830-1730 Tuesday, 26 October) Minimum
20/Maximum 30 (PRICE: $56)
Your visit to Easwari Engineering College will begin with a welcome by faculty and students and a brief overview
of the college. You will be divided into small groups, each with one or more student guides, for a tour of the
campus. The college will host a typical South Indian lunch, where you will be joined by local students. The students
will explain the menu selections and help you learn about the cuisine and dining customs of South India. After
lunch, depart with your hosts, in groups of ten, for a home visit and the chance for interaction and discussion of
Indian culture and customs. You will be treated to some South Indian snacks and then return to the ship by bus.
India Field Program – page 14