The differently abled should be understood......... HYDERABAD: A boy on a wheel-chair on the third floor of Prasads Imax waiting to get into one of the theatres said it all. The 18 thInternational Childrens Film Festival (ICFFI) organised by the Childrens Film Society India (CFSI) is one festival which has been more friendly for the differently abled. Thanks also to Shalini Saran Gupta who has a Ph D in strategy planning from IIM Ahmedabad, the organisers of the film festival were educated about the need to encourage films meant that focussed on overcoming ones disability. Nearly five films with such a subject were screened at the festival, including the Austrian film A Horse on the Balcony. No, Shalini was not involved in the selection of the films, but she describes herself as a volunteer to bring awareness about understanding children with a cognitive impairment. Sometimes the child may not have a problem at all. He could only be taking some time to react appropriately to certain situations. He or she could be slow but it should not be understood that the child has a disability. The child could only be taking some time to understand the social nuances, Shalini Saran Gupta said. Shalini had worked in the corporate world in big positions but right now her focus is on her daughter Gayatri, a child with a lack of muscle tone. Over the years, Shalini who has understood how parents feel about a child who has an autism spectrum disorder, decided to help the society in her own way. She has brought together nearly 500 parents who discuss among themselves the problems their children face, or the problems they face with their children. Such interaction help parents to understand their children better, Shalini said. Another issue is mainly that of the society understanding the child. You cannot expect all children to be alike. Setting a certain standard and expecting everyone to reach up to it may give one the impression that the child who does not measure up has a problem, Shalini said. According to her, teachers, especially should not be harsh on such a child and instead should show a positive attitude towards the child. Such an attitude shown will also make the other students of the class understand the limitations of one another. Shalini pointed out that parents fret when their infants do no learn to speak by a certain age. It has to be understood that some children do take some more time. A child may have a tongue which is longer. When the other children notice this, they may dismiss the child as paagal (mad). That sort of attitude should not be encouraged. The parents can also react appropriate and get the child to do some tongues exercises, Shalini said. What Shalini wants is more films should be made to educate parents and the society alike about some disorders that children may have and how they have to respond to that.TOI
Posted on: Tue, 19 Nov 2013 15:37:32 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015