Inauguration of the Centre for Paediatric Development at the Manipal Hospital on August 5, 2023: Seen here (L to R) are Dr Jessica Pinto (paediatric consultant), Surendra Prasad (hospital director, Manipal Hospitals, Goa), Dr Murthy (ENT, consultant surgeon), Minister for Social Welfare, River Navigation, Archives & Archaeology Subhash Phaldessai, State Commissioner for Person with Disability, Govt of Goa, Guruprasad Pawaskar, father of disability rights activist Krunal Thakur (on wheelchair), Dr Shekhar Salkar (Chief of Oncology, Manipal Hospitals), Dr Parul Dubey (consultant, neurology), Hari Prasad (Head of Sales, Marketing Department).

By Our Special Correspondent

CALL them children with disabilities or children with special abilities. You will be surprised how a child with a disability may have an ability which is quite remarkable and which no normal (normal as we normally perceive it)! Several parents shared some interesting details at the special awareness program organized at the Manipal Hospital’s newly initiated Centre for Paediatric Development, for the parents of children with disabilities on August 5, 2003.
Some autistic children have a photographic memory while others may be brilliant in maths or fixing broken things; one parent said his son remembers cars and their number plates brilliantly while another shared that “when we go out he knows directions better than I do and reminds me more effectively about something I have forgotten but he hasn’t…” All this and much more. The parents were speaking to an interaction between them and disability rights activist Krunal Thakur (himself in a wheelchair) and Dr Jessica Pinto, Consultant at the Centre for Paediatric Development at Manipal Hospital.
It does look like a silent revolution is taking place for children with special abilities or at least one hopes so with Minister for Social Welfare Subhash Phaldessai, present earlier at the inaugural function, promising to do whatever he could for the children. He was sympathetic to their cause and said Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant is conscious about the need to empower children with disabilities so that they may eventually grow up in a more tolerant and inclusive society. He admitted that speaking to parents with children suffering from autistic problems or any of the 20 something disabilities which are officially listed, are worried about their children and they try to give them the best help and confidence, “so that even when the parents are not there later on they will be able to take care if themselves.” Parents of children with disabilities are most anxious about what happens when they themselves are no longer in the world.
One parent said, “It’s not the children’s fault that they are born with some disability, it’s a way of life and there should be no scars…it is all about raising consciousness amongst others in society. Society still tends to look upon a handicapped child as some stigma and this affects the growth of the child, it boils down to fear about his or her education and future.” A disability is not a curse and even parents have to be educated about how they may give their child the best help in life.
WHAT do children with disabilities need? Says the smiling disability activist Krunal Thakur who has himself come a long way, “We need equality of opportunity for all children to get to the stage where there is no discrimination…but sometimes to move forward we need accessibility and no one knows what is accessibility out there!” Women with disability suffer more so, he observed. It is true that the government is now giving some benefits but most parents do not know about them and how to go about accessing the financial aid especially.
According to Krunal, out of the estimated population of 20 lakh in Goa about 55,000. Out of this the largest percentage is of autistic disabilities which can be easily redressed with education, tools and facilities of the right kind, like special educators in schools, “so that like me they can do whatever they wish. Don’t treat the disabled as if they have no rights!” Krunal Thakur is doing his 5th year of BLLB and he talks very eloquently from his wheelchair, is very sensitive to others who need a whole host of advantages which he has fortunately had and is very grateful to (this includes Dr Shekhar Salkar and other doctors who have helped him along).
Unfortunately, the world at large continues by and large to ignore the needs of the disabled so that too may be empowered to belong to society as contributing and not useless citizens. The retrogressive thinking continues to be that children with disabilities should be as accepted as “God’s dhen” or for reasons of family “karma.” That’s a very stoic viewpoint which most parents imbibe and live with vis-à-vis their disabled children no matter how much they are loved. Still, ways of thinking are changing positively but perhaps not as fast enough as desirable.
Ask the parent of any of the disabled children or children with special abilities: It’s not easy to bring up a child with a disability which may be moderate to not so moderate, parents of children with disabilities are vulnerable even as they try to give their best to their children…send them to special schools although the move now is to place disabled children along with normal children in classes (a few schools have incorporated the new regime being promoted by the government’s education department); there are special educators and healthcare facilities attached to the schools which agree to accommodate handicapped children.
In the old days the disabled just existed and society looked upon them with pity and charity at best or as God’s punishment at worse! But mercifully the times are changing now albeit slowly and there’s considerable enlightened thinking in society and on the part of the government as reflected in their new policies being introduced to facilitate inclusiveness in the education of handicapped children. There are also special financial grants to help them but these have to be applied for and an awareness has to be created.
According to consultant Dr Jessica Pinto who works with children with disabilities at the Manipal Hospital’s special paediatric facility, “The biggest problem is parents refuse to accept that their children may be having a problem and ignore it during the early years.” Parents continue to live in denial that their children may have special needs to bring them up on par with other normal children! She says though children may have autistic difficulties minor or not so minor but “these children also have special strengths which can be built on” so that they grow in whatever direction they may grow up to advantage and independence. She admits that autistic disabilities are a growing problem in the world because of a host of reasons like women hare having their children later, or a mother may be malnourished, “yes, it can be poor nutrition in the family.” Autistic problems however can be easily rectified or come to terms with today when there is so medical advancement and technology. Parents with children with special abilities shouldn’t despair at all but go all out to empower their children in all the ways they can!