An enriching experience while working for children with disabilities

Rajashree Das

(ruchadas98@gmail.com)

Working and being with children with disabilities offers you an enriching experience. It came as a surprise to me and now every day is a beautiful day because I learn so many new things with them.

Working with them is a life-changing experience. Working in a rehabilitation facility gives you the opportunity to become an expert in helping people so that they become as independent as possible in their lives. I have seen teachers and caregivers being extremely dedicated to their services towards the children.

You often work with people here, who are at a crisis point in their lives. As a qualified rehabilitation worker, you will develop problem-solving strengths and use them to respond to a person's unique and complex situation. You will learn to plan and implement individual training programs according to a person's needs and aspirations.

Physio, Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) work with people who have a range of disabilities that impair or restrict their communication, and motor movements from learning disabilities such as Down syndrome to physical disabilities that interfere with their ability to communicate or swallow.

Social workers interact with people with disabilities and help ensure that vulnerable members of society receive the support they need, ensuring their maximum independence. While working, you will gain extensive experience that may include working in a classroom, in groups that require a few hours of attention per day or in the community, carrying out assessments, creating care plans, identifying and responding to them, managing risks, managing complex cases and prioritizing work and providing relevant services.

The main goal is to create a society where people with disabilities can participate in various opportunities. The Rehabilitation centres strive to improve the quality of life of people with these special needs through education, training and rehabilitation so that they can reach their full potential and enter the mainstream. They help them by providing services such as counselling, early intervention, adaptive education, life skills training, vocational training, economic rehabilitation and social integration. People with disabilities obviously live a difficult life, it is difficult for them to cope with their condition both physically and mentally. They also experience less support from others and consider themselves an unnecessary burden on their family, friends and loved ones, hence counselling events and programs are organized individually or for groups of people with disabilities.

NGOs go a long way in solving these problems by giving people the opportunity to discuss their problems with professionals. Early Intervention programs are also implemented for children with congenital disabilities and developmental delays. Those who receive little social support are also offered various pieces of training to develop their skills and get a job. These organizations also provide rehabilitation services and a better quality of life for these people. The role of these organizations includes identifying needs, expressing views on priorities, evaluating services and advocating change and public awareness. As a means of self-development, these organizations offer the opportunity to develop negotiation process skills, organizational skills, mutual support, knowledge sharing, and often professional skills and opportunities. Given their vital importance in the participation process, it is imperative that their development be encouraged.