Karibu! (Welcome!)

Today I was able to receive a tour of Kaizora, staff, materials and a brief overview of programs and client backgrounds.  I also had the opportunity to meet some of the clients, run around and play tag, and begin to establish some rapport with parents and children.  On first impression, it was so exciting to see the wonderful center that Pooja has worked so hard to create, not just in terms of aesthetic appeal, but also environmental arrangement being conducive to an array of service delivery.  There are 3 classrooms with teaching tables, and each table in each room was of a different size to account for different heights of the children.  Each child had their own shelf with task materials, data sheets and folders, making for easy access to materials for each session.  There is a large reception area where parents and care providers are able to meet independent from the classrooms.  There is also a kitchen and of course a bathroom, making access to self help and vocational skills easy and reliable.  There is also a large outdoor play area with a sandbox, and a large play structure soon to come.  From an immediate outsiders perspective who seeks to target clinical development and support for a series of different programs, there appears to be resources and an ideal spatial arrangement fundamental to a broad range of service delivery. It is definitely a big help that we are able to Skype with Molly daily back in New York! This is a great observation and starting point on day 1!!

- Emily

Day 2!

Today was a very humbling day, as I had the opportunity to see two very different special needs schools serving very different populations and demographics.  The first very small school was located in one of the lowest socioeconomic areas of Nairobi, where many students had physical and mental disabilities that were the result of malaria, HIV/AIDS, cholera and malnutrition.  School fees equate to US$2/month, and children are provided with environmental arrangements based on principles of behavioral prompting and cueing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, medical assistance including HIV testing and proper nutrition.  Upon speaking with one of the teachers at great length about service delivery and needs, she indicated that one of the biggest barriers was overall awareness of disabilities, and alleviating the stigma associated with having a child with a disability.  Slowly as awareness increases, more mothers are coming out of the woodwork to seek assistance with their children.  This has implications for targeting awareness across the country in general in order to encourage those that having a child with a disability is a reality that cannot be avoided or always hidden, but there are ways to support families and creating measurable, observable behavioral change to increase overall functioning in everyday life.  On the other side of the spectrum, we visited a mainstream Pre-K and K school where school fees were approximately US$1000/4 months.  In this case, awareness of disabilities were more openly embraced and provided for accordingly.  Parents were able to see successes overtime with their special needs children, and were satisfied with results.  Collaboration with Kaizora Center also facilitated consistent skill acquisition both at school and at home, resulting in parents acknowledging the extra behavioral support needed at times.  Both parents and school staff were able to attest to the gains children had made when combining school-based learning with ABA therapy provided at Kaizora Center.  At the end of the day, after familiarizing myself with two different settings serving children in Nairobi, what seems clear is that when awareness of special needs children is embraced by families and care providers, appropriate interventions and assistance is sought.  And when those reach out for assistance, and are provided with ABA therapy and methodologies spanning a variety of contexts, families are extremely satisfied with overall independent levels of functioning both at home and at school, as well as functioning amongst the dynamics of the family unit.  This in and of itself may indicate that demonstrating measurable, behavioral change may increase the likelihood that services can be provided to more individuals in more places.  This seems like an ideal starting point and initiative for Global Autism Project and Kaizora Center.    

- Emily

Emily arrived!

Emilyy got here today yayy :)
We got to show her the centre briefly and talk over lots of stuff… and then the day ended too soon! It’s really exciting though, we’re super thrilled that she’s here! Most of all, through all our conversations, it’s extremely reassuring to hear her response on various issues and know that we’re on the right path! 

- Pooja

Not goodbye...See you later!

Our last day at SOREM the teachers had a party for us at tea time.  We ate sweets and they presented us with a pouch and book marks the students stitched and painted during vocational training.   They are beautiful and we love them!   We have a dance party (Bhangra, which is Punjabi dancing) and are reminded how this school empowers each and every student.  If only we could post the videos!  We leave here with new friends, new knowledge, and a common interest to commit our time to these special individuals. This is our personal first visit to SOREM, but it will not be our last!

Working the night shift

Most days we hold private consultations in the afternoon/evening for an hour and a half. Parents from around the area (and one from 4 hours away!) come and bring their children for some advice or information.  It’s wonderful to meet with families outside of SOREM who are so interested in learning more about what they can do for their son/daughter. Many of the families are already doing so much for their children—by teaching them at home, taking them to different therapies, or experimenting with different teaching methods. This collaborative approach with parents exemplifies our thoughts and practices on empowering the individuals we work with. More over, each family we work with offers another opportunity for us to engage in our own critical reflection about our work and the best practices for future partnerships. 

Everyday, something new!

 We look forward to working in the classrooms everyday.  When we enter the classroom, the students stand and say “Namaste Ma’am/Sir!”  Some of the students call Jayshree “Didi” (which means older sister).  Some come and shake our hands and it excites us to be with them for the day.  We learn everyday that this work is not about “helping” other people.  This work is selfless, in that it is about building a bond with people—their lives, their kids, their families.  We work together with teachers and students everyday, take ideas from one another, and brainstorm as a team. We see that they accept and love their students, and raise the expectations for them everyday.  We feel the ease of the students at SOREM—it is a place where they are expected to work hard, but are treated with equality and respect.   We also learn that we both struggle with autism/special needs awareness, and think about a place in society for the adults with special needs.  So many commonalities exist among so many cultural differences, and across so many miles. 

Look both ways...

A picnic in the park!

Friday we went to the Park and had a celebratory picnic to celebrate all of the awesome experiences we’ve had together over the past two weeks; it was so much fun! The students were so impressive. To say that crossing the street here in India is a challenge would be a vast understatement – New York City streets have nothing on this place!

Basically, you stand at the side of the street – look right first (because, you know, cars are driving on the opposite side of the road here!)  then look left. If there are no cars, rickshaws, horses, dogs, motorcycles, buses, scooters or bicycles coming at you full force, you make a run for it! Mostly, you hope for the best and so far, it’s worked out just fine. I mention this so that you can easily imagine what I mean when I say that 90 students (children and adults alike) all crossed the street on the way to the Park. One of the older students stepped out into the street and into the role of crossing guard and managed to stop cars, buses, bikes, dogs, scooters, and more so that all of the students and teachers could safely cross the street.

At the park, there was music, games and of course great food. It really was quite impressive to see close to 90 students with varying levels of physical and mental abilities sitting in a big circle all together playing games, singing and dancing together! We played a game similar to duck, duck, goose, ran races with the teachers and just had an amazingly fun time and delicious food. Until now our days have been filled with work, work and more work – it was nice to play!

Speaking of playing, everyone’s been asking what we do in our free time around here. Mostly, when we hear that question – we just laugh. We’ve literally been working 6 days/ week in SOREM and spending all of our free time preparing for the next day’s activities and 6-hour weekend workshops. We’ve been busy, but as savvy travelers have managed to learn our way around a bit and find some time to play. A favorite hangout has been the coffeeshops walking distance from the center where we all take turns using the one available outlet and the one computer that works with the wireless internet card. We’ve also managed to find a few good places for some after work relaxation and of course we’re all enjoying bargaining with the local street merchants for some beautiful handmade gifts for friends and family back home. We’re so thankful for Jayshree’s ever-growing Hindi vocabulary.  

We’re also so incredibly thankful to all of you who have made our visit here possible and the wonderful staff and families of SOREM who have made it an absolute pleasure to visit India once again!