Possibilities for children with special needs

Pranav C Kumar

Pranav has been passionate about empowering children with special needs for a long time and used his Act of Global Citizenship to produce local impact in this issue. He observes,"The western world has more opportunities for those with special needs, and their integration into the society; whereas in India, it is a totally different situation. We usually don't observe anyone who has special needs as active parts of the society, they are secluded and confined to their homes. If there is even a slight improvement here in India compared to the west, I would feel extremely happy." 

Pranav interviewed the head of a special needs' school (Tom And Jerry Nursery & Special School - A Unit of JDC SPARSHA Educational Trust) in Bangalore and learnt about how there is significant transformation among these children when they're in conducive environements. He also interviewed a few teachers, and then interacted with about 10-12 children with special needs. Pranav adds, "As it became evident that I must first understand the background, then the process, and then the post education intricacies of children with special needs, I had to talk to the teachers involved with them. I gained detailed insights on the same. As stated earlier, I have been aware of the difficulties of integrating children with special needs, from so many examples narrated by my mother, and wanted to learn more, and cause awareness about the community. This was my main motivation."