The age of COVID-19 has got us locked in our homes not just as a nation but as a global community. We are all experiencing the threat of the pandemic, but at different levels and varying degrees. For some, it’s a feeling of constant anxiety, for others, a complete loss of daily routine, and maybe even a need of spiritual respite!
Whatever the level of mayhem wreaking havoc in lives of all of us globally, there is one group of vulnerable and underprivileged in our society that has been under represented and hidden amongst the throngs of the pandemic. Children with special needs and special abilities.
This group of children are an extremely marginalized group. If you are not familiar with how or why that is, I hope this helps raise awareness and help shine light on these beautiful souls.
India has been in the news as a major developing country taking stringent measures to control and prevent the spread of Covid-19, such as the nationwide lockdown. To a certain degree, in parts of the country it has worked. But social distancing is something unthinkable to people from low economic backgrounds, which has been a major factor for the rampant spread in other parts of the country. Children with disabilities who are also from low socio-economic backgrounds are a large part of our target demographic here at Handimachal.
With the nation under lockdown, locked in together in the same room, let alone house, can be very suffocating and put families at risk where going out for essentials is a necessity. Children in our areas have multiple disabilities, leaving them extra vulnerable to any kind of illness. The access to even basic healthcare is a huge issue due to the difficult terrain and geographical placement of homes in the mountains. And the complete absence of local transportation, courtesy the government issued lockdown, leaves them even more isolated and helpless.
Many of the children come from homes where parents work for minimum wage, and the economic anxiety alone, takes priority over the therapeutic and healthcare needs of these children with special needs. All these factors and many more combined, many of the parents of these children have reported a regression in developmental progress and an unhealthy substantial increase in screen time. This rise in screen time was a result of the inability to go outdoors and explore the world outside, which is the natural way growing children and their bright minds must develop!
Which is why, our team at Handimachal has not been complacent. Over the past months of lockdown, we have been planning and working from home on a strategy to best help our children under the current circumstances.
Thanks to the recent relaxation of transportation and movement restrictions, our team has been able to meet at our home base center, collaborate and work on multiple initiatives which will help bridge the gap between our children and the services they require and have a right to!
One such initiative is TELEHEALTH SESSIONS. With the coordinated efforts of the team, the parents and of course the children themselves, we have been able to schedule and resume therapy for most of our children via video call. Though we are all still learning and it is in its beginning stages, this shows much promise, and has gotten good reviews from the parents who participated.
The second, is an online weekly Caregiver Support Group for parents of children with similar needs. This is to enable them to come together as a group support each other, learn from each other, and also with our therapists as group facilitators to help answer questions they may have regarding their children. Not only that, but it gives the parents a common platform to stand, unite and fight for the same cause.
The third initiative is our Staff Development Classes, which have been taking place online and in person at the office. These classes help the team share knowledge, information, therapy techniques and evidence-based practice with each other, in order to maximize our capacities to help the children in our care.
It may seem difficult, but a little progress each day adds up to a whole lot! And we could all use some good news these days. The good news is, it’s working!
These may seem like baby steps, but they are definitely stepping in the right direction. Our children’s smiles and infectious laughter keep us going, and we hope and fight for them, we march on, so that this uncertain world never dims their light!
Grace Muppidi,
Occupational Therapist, Handimachal
