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40<br />
CHANGING MINDSETS<br />
AND PARADIGMS<br />
Including the differently-abled<br />
Mentally or physically challenged children<br />
often face social stigma and ostracism. If<br />
they are poor the problem gets compounded.<br />
<strong>Deepalaya</strong> strives hard to change<br />
this.<br />
‘Mainstreaming the Differently-Abled’<br />
came to be one of our five thrust areas at<br />
this stage. Since real change can happen<br />
only with change in thinking, <strong>Deepalaya</strong><br />
aims to develop positive attitudes among<br />
parents and communities towards:<br />
• a paradigm shift from perceiving these<br />
children not as ‘disabled’ or ‘handicapped’<br />
but rather as children with<br />
special-needs and ‘differently-abled’.<br />
• mainstreaming them into the general<br />
education and healthcare system.<br />
• providing special education/developmental<br />
therapy.<br />
How this programme got integrated into<br />
<strong>Deepalaya</strong>’s other programmes is an interesting<br />
anecdote that needs to be told in<br />
this context:<br />
En ‘abling’ to empower - Safal, a differently-abled boy<br />
learning computers<br />
Kiran, going miles with a smile<br />
During one of his visits to the slums, the<br />
Chief Executive Mr.Mathew came across<br />
a man sitting in the midst of some<br />
women/girls who were assembled around<br />
the water tap. The CE was struck with<br />
the thought as to why this person was sitting<br />
amidst the women and whether this<br />
man could be utilised to make these<br />
women literate. When the subject was<br />
broached by the CE, the women replied
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