The Directorate of Education (DoE) of New Delhi strives to create a curriculum suited to the needs of kids with disabilities to make them employable after graduating. The organization’s director, Himanshu Gupta, visited different facilities to identify areas that require development. The information he obtained will help the department further investigate ways to innovate and implement the curriculum for the children to develop employable skills.
The problem has been finally addressed, considering that children with disabilities are part of 7,62% of India’s population. At the same time, out of the 26,8 million disabled people, 2,04 million are children. Unfortunately, these kids don’t have many professional chances considering that inclusive education is still developing.
DoE’s project aims to include inclusive classes and curriculum to help children with disabilities succeed as they have unique needs. Let’s see how this plan can impact society and what chances kids with disabilities have to blend in with the world.
Short brief of DoE’s curriculum strategy
The head of the organization participated in an event where parents of youngsters with disabilities gathered to discuss their kids’ futures. In his discourse, he stated that children with disabilities need an appropriate functional curriculum, but at the moment, they’re taught the same way other kids are in classes. There are a few therapy centers for children with disabilities, but this area will expand.
It was also discussed how teachers and parents must collaborate to discover kids’ capabilities and skills around the age of 15 to help improve that area. There are many opportunities for them to get prepared for virtual jobs, for example, which authorities need to take advantage of and offer support.
Associations in Delhi have already guided in teaching children with blindness massage skills and opening special cafes where these kids can work independently.
Why inclusive education must be a priority
Children with disabilities have different needs; therefore, opportunities and chances need to be created to live peacefully in this world. Although they’re isolated by society, the right thing to do is develop efficient environments for them to thrive.
For example, when it comes to exploring their physical abilities while having fun, building more camps for kids is best to allow them to socialize and get out of their shells. These programs assist participants in acquiring new skills, from grocery shopping, laundry and emergency first aid to learning how to prepare for an interview or improve their communication aptitudes. More countries can take the Western example and adapt their programs. For instance, many summer camps in Brooklyn, NY, offer instructional activities in almost any sector, from dance, crafts, team sports and more.
How can we improve the lives of children with disabilities?
Many people see disabilities as a dead end in life. Although the truth is that many youths need support from an adult most of the time, this doesn’t mean they won’t be able to grow into responsible adults with jobs and normal lives.
It’s essential to learn everything there is about a specific disability to acknowledge how a child’s life is impacted. Studies have shown that children with intellectual disabilities are the wisest, those with sensory disabilities are the most curious, and those with traumatic brain injuries have an increased sense of justice. Unfortunately, most of them don’t know how to control their perseverance or self-regulation, but they can be taught.
Overall, the top character strengths that people with disabilities have include the eagerness to learn, honesty, appreciation of beauty, kindness and fairness. According to these stats, children with disabilities can also become kind people with a sense of justice and contribute to the world to become a better place.
Are there any future jobs for kids with disabilities to prepare for?
Children with disabilities may seem disadvantaged, but the truth is that with proper inclusive education and societal support, they can perform an array of professions, online or offline. For example, people with physical disabilities that can still control their hands can work in almost any remote job, from data entry, software engineering, call center and public relations.
People with mental health issues can perform in research, engineering, IT and more, depending on the level of their difficulties. Learning disabilities, on the other hand, might decrease the spectrum of finding a job, but these individuals can still work in restaurants and have artistic and physical jobs.
Individuals with speech impairments need to operate silently, for which jobs copy editors, archivists, research, and accounting provide a safe environment. Hearing impairments lead people to employment in copywriting, marketing, IT, and STEM.
Finally, with the help of the latest technologies, even those with vision impairment or loss can work in computer science, research, teaching and on-the-phone jobs. For example, programmers use these screen readers that allow them to read out the text from the screen through optical character recognition (OCR).
Overcoming challenges that children with disabilities encounter
Unfortunately, before learning specific skills and getting a job, children must overcome challenges in schools and numerous environments to have the strength to keep going. First, the lack of accessibility in most buildings is one of the worst things for a person with disabilities because they either need help entering or solving their problems outside the building.
There’s also a shortage of qualified teachers that can handle the necessities of children with disabilities. Most schools do not require certification in individualized education programs (IEP), but teachers might want to consider getting them.
Finally, children and adults experience discrimination from peers as a result of an ongoing cycle
of lack of understanding. While parents are afraid of children with disabilities, their kids tend to have similar attitudes and therefore act unfriendly and mockingly to these children.
Conclusion
As the Department of Education in New Delhi is taking steps towards approaching inclusive education, children with disabilities get more attention and specialized care. Schools can better prepare these kids for obtaining jobs and having better lives by improving their curriculum, using proper devices and technologies and mitigating discrimination.