40 years of spastics' society of India

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 17 April 2013 | 22.23

MUMBAI: Forty one years ago, a family with a daughter with cerebral palsy and a baby son came back to India from England. Their daughter (Malini) had been assessed with high intelligence and was attending school in London. Sadly they could find no school in Bombay that would admit her. Rather than return to London where Malini had been happily receiving appropriate education and treatment, the family decided to stay on and do something here.

The mother Mithu decided to set-up a school for her daughter and other children like Malini. This was the beginning of the first school for children with cerebral palsy in the country in 1972. The school opened its doors on Gandhi Jayanti in 1973 with three children - one of them being Malini, the other two being Farhan and Imtiaz.

The organization was the Spastics of India - now known as 'ADAPT - Able Disabled All People Together' and is now commemorating the 40th year of its foundation with a commemorative event on the 20th March at the Nehru Auditorium, Worli with a fusion performance by renowned santoorist Rahul Sharma.

From a little special school by the Arabian Sea with just three children founded on Gandhi Jayanti October 2, 1972, the seed that was planted forty years ago has grown enormously, spreading its branches in different directions across the country. The organization has expanded to provide services to more than 3,000 children and 10,000 families every year. It has pioneered the concept of inclusive education all those years ago and today it has become a part of accepted wisdom in the country.

The services include assessment, treatment, special and inclusive education, continuum of support services for schools providing inclusive education, counselling, skills training and job placement. Today, this is the first model in India providing holistic services, and has spread to most States of the country. In this journey Spastics Societies were set-up in several parts of the country.

The success of the organization has been the zeal of the founder Mithu Alur and her indefatigable team in delivering services and tackling entrenched attitudes. Support has come over the years from all stakeholders: individuals, families, communities, governments, corporate - reflecting dedicated service and committed support. Much work is now being done to universalize the right to education for all children who are being excluded: on grounds of disability, gender and social prejudice. Mithu opened a school all those years ago with three children......many, many thousands have since then accessed the portals of education.

The challenge remains now to go out and find all those who are not in school and to help those not being reached to be able to exercise their right to basic education too. The daughter Malini is a double Masters and is now a author, researcher. That first school in Colaba has turned out many hundreds of students: all now having succeeded in their individual lives and exercising their individual goals as equal citizens in the country.


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