How inclusiveness is a way of life at this Bengaluru school

As I walk into the first standard classroom at the Shradhanjali Integrated School (SIS) to meet Jennifer Nisha, the class teacher, a little boy, around six years old, comes running to me.

He hugs me, pulls my cheeks, looks into my eyes and gives me the most beatific smile I’ve seen.

It’s an overwhelming feeling to be greeted like this-with an affection so pure, it can be termed as divine.

I well up when Nisha tells me little R* suffers from Down’s Syndrome. But for the rest of the classroom that includes able-bodied children, R* is not different, he’s one of them, a boy who loves to hug and smile.

Here, the children do not understand or care for labels.

You can hear the noise of activity and laughter running through the classrooms here.

The laughter is not raucous; it’s a cause for cheer.

At SIS, run by the Association for People with Disability in Lingarajapuram, Bengaluru, inclusion is not just a buzzword, but a norm.

But the school was certainly an exception when it opened its doors to both special and able-bodied children 50 years ago.

SIS has 310 children, 80% of whom have varying disabilities that comprise locomotor, visual, hearing, speech, intellectual, and multiple disabilities. These include children with cerebral palsy, Down’s Syndrome, autism, muscular dystrophy, and others, except those with total blindness.

Most of the children come from disadvantaged communities in modified school buses with hydraulic lifts and special staff to look after them. Those who need wheelchairs use one at home and the other at school.

R* has been by Nisha’s side all morning. “He is feeling a little unwell and is sticking to me today. He’s the most loving child I’ve seen,” she says. A teacher and a qualified special educator, Nisha teaches classes up till the eighth standard.

“On some days, it can be really challenging. But their love and affection make it worthwhile. Even if I go on leave for a day, I miss them terribly,” she says.

An inclusive school with far-reaching vision

SIS was founded in 1959 by NS Hema, the founder of APD. As a child, Hema was afflicted by polio and she lost movement of both her lower limbs and an upper limb.

Once she got access to a wheelchair, she understood how people with disabilities could be helped with vocational training, and she started APD.

Since inception, the organisation has been running different programmes in early intervention, spinal cord injury rehabilitation, community mental health, advocacy in collaboration with government agencies, assistive aids, academics and research, and horticulture, forming a lifecycle approach, under one roof.

NS Senthil Kumar, the CEO of APD, traces SIS’s history and growth to Hema’s vision of starting an inclusive school way back to 1973.

“Hema started SIS with 10 children, of which eight were children with disabilities and two were able-bodied. The same 80:20 representation continues even today,” he says.

SIS follows the Karnataka State Board curriculum in English medium and has classes from nursery to the eighth standard. However, every child admitted to the school follows individualised plans for education and rehabilitation.

He elaborates, “The individual educational plan (IEP) is based on academics, and for children who find it difficult, we focus on the three Rs (reading, writing, and Arithmetic). The IEP is designed by the teachers for each child, and reviewed every six months to see how much progress has happened.”

The individual rehabilitation plan (IRP) is formulated by a team of therapists–physiotherapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist, and clinical psychologist to understand what domain they are lagging in. Kumar says this could classified as functional, daily activities, cognitive, communication or behavioural.

“Based on the plan for each child, the time table will either be modified or customised according to his/her needs,” he adds.

It focuses on all-round development and includes co-curricular activities and sports. Most of the able-bodied children are either siblings or other children from the same locality whose parents send them because they can get the advantage of an education in English.

The seating in all classrooms have been designed in a U-shape for better access to the teacher. Pannaga Babu, Principal of SIS, points out that this is helpful because children with autism or ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) have the tendency to run out to vent out their extra energy.

“Most of the time, instead of giving them a book to write on, we ask them to write on the board and this keeps them occupied,” she says.

She joined SIS nine months ago, but for the past many years, has been a special educator exploring different methodologies to teach children with disability. She oversees administration and helps design the special educational curriculum for children with special needs, apart from taking care of their health and hygiene requirements.

As I enter other classrooms, I see that summative assessments are going on and ask Babu how students are assessed.

“We have different accommodations–objective type questions, extra time, exceptions for language, scribes to read the questions for them or write for them. Some just need a calmer place and the assurance that they have enough time to complete the paper,” she says.

Teaching and therapy go hand-in-hand

Also, there are around 10-15 students for each teacher, who is helped by “shadow” teachers, usually parents who volunteer for it. For example, Jagruti, who enrolled her daughter P* in SIS last year, stays on at the school throughout the day volunteering in different classes. P* has Global Development Disorder (GDD), and since she began attending SIS, she has been mingling with other children, and engages more in physical activity, says her mother.

The teachers here are warm and friendly, whether it’s Babitha who teaches English and EV for preparatory, or Sindhu who is a nursery teacher. Radhamani, a co-ordinator from nursery to class 2, also supervises the Bharat Scouts and Guides programme at SIS. Radhamani is proud that SIS is the first school to have the Bulbuls and Cubs programme for disabled children.

“I have completed 11 years working with SIS. It gives me goosebumps recollecting every moment spent here,” she says. Not all teachers are special educators, but domain-specific teachers are given inclusive training, says Babu.

Under the IRP, Subhalaxmi works as a senior physiotherapist, designing individual plans.

“When the child is enrolled in SIS, a team of therapists work on the assessment and work accordingly to the severity of disability. We work hand-in-hand towards this,” she says.

Her colleague, Merina Mathew, is a psychologist who works on assessment of each child from a psychological perspective and also includes the family as part of the plan.

Kumar says the school has consciously kept education up till the eighth standard so that they are able to go out and be part of the mainstream society.

“We have the Community Outreach Programme where we enrol with government schools and help set up model or community schools where we address all issues a disabled student may face, including infrastructure, transportation, and sensitisation. We also send therapists from APD to the school on a weekly basis,” he says.

There is no specific fees charged by SIS, but it welcomes contributions. For those who cannot afford to pay, there are scholarships that offer a full ride. Education here includes transport within a 25 km radius, breakfast, and lunch. Different assistive devices and wheelchairs are also provided.

At SIS, inclusiveness does not just mean learning for all, but a way of life.

“If you come here in the morning, you can see how inclusiveness begins early. You will see a child who is hearing and speech impaired pushing the wheelchair of a child with locomotor disability. The able-bodied child will carry the schoolbag of a child who is unable to do so. Similarly, during lunch break, you can see one child feeding another. In the classroom, they write notes for those who cannot do so. In fact, there are many able-bodied children here who have learned sign language to communicate with their peers,” says Kumar.

(*Some names have been changed to protect their identities.)

(The story has been updated to include a photo caption.)