Any parent will at times wonder what their child will do after they are gone. For parents of a child with special needs, this can be a constant worry.
At a house in Perungudi, parents of nine children with special needs have put this worry to rest — well, almost to rest. These children were at school together and, as grown-ups now, they are working together at a vocational centre masterminded by their parents. The initiative is largely sustained by mothers.
The youngsters are engaged in four vocational activities — making paper bags and gift articles, retailing groceries and cutting vegetables. These activities have been cherry-picked keeping in mind the different challenges faced by them, and also the different abilities they bring to the table.
“As a group, these children deal with various conditions, which include Down’s syndrome, cerebral-palsy and autism,” says Meenakshi Narayanan, mother of Ganesh Narayanan, one of the nine youngsters who are part of this initiative. The Narayanans live in Perungudi and have opened their home for the initiative.
(The other eight are: T.V. Karthik from Mylapore, S. Pradeep from West Mambalam, Vidhya Shankar from Aadambakkam, R. Sowmya from Adyar, M. Nivedhitha from Thiruvanmiyur, A. Ayushmathi from Madipakkam, N. Vignesh from Velachery and R. Valli from Thoraipakkam.) These youngsters are in the age group of 25 to 40.
They meet three days in a week at Perungudi.
“There is a demand for cut fruits and vegetables. So, based on orders, these youngsters remove peas from pods, grate coconuts, sort greens and clean and chop banana flowers,” says M. Devika, mother of Nivedhitha.
There is also seasonal side to their business — during festivals, there is a demand for gift articles and the nine youngsters make them as a team, each making a contribution with their special ability. The customer base consists largely of neighbours, relatives and friends. The money made through this enterprise is pocket money for these youngsters.
This business is allied to a larger plan of securing these youngsters’ future. Community living is central to this plan. “Only people who have understood these children’s challenges and special needs can look after them. As the families of these nine youngsters have been together for over two decades, they can together take care of them. In the long run, we would like to live as a community. We are yet to work out the modalities of it, which may include finding an apartment complex, common locality or a common kitchen,” says Meenakshi. Vidhya Shankar’s mother passed away two years ago; but the youngster finds support from parents of the other youngsters in the group. “My advice to young parents of children with special needs is that they should try to bond with each other. This can be achieved by organising regular get-together. And, they should also give serious thought to community living and plan investments accordingly. We could have planned earlier,” says Meenakshi.
Meenakshi Narayanan can be contacted at 98844 55393.
