Parenting primer for CHILDREN WITH DISABILITY

With officialdom and society stacked against children with disabilities, parenting children with special needs requires and demands steely resolve, determination, patience, time, and often physical effort

- CYNTHIA JOHN, MINI P.

On May 31, national roller skating champion Advaith Ramesh (15), who is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, was denied permission to board a Sri Lanka Airlines flight at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru. According to the airline’s staff, the 15-year-old athlete was a safety threat to pilots and passengers.

Advaith’s parents, who had meticulously planned a family vacation in the Maldives, were outraged by the suggestion that their son posed a danger to the flight passengers. After several hours of discussion and heated arguments during which mom Smrithy Rajesh produced Advaith’s unique disability ID card issued by the Government of India and previous travel history of flights to Dubai, Advaith was allowed to board the flight.

This incident of official and public apathy, indifference and hostility towards Advaith resonates with hundreds of parents of children with special needs (CWSN) across the country. Every day, parents of CWSN are confronted with accessibility, inclusivity and acceptability challenges in schools, public transport and public spaces and also from society.

According to a 2019 Unesco report, India hosts 7.8 million children with disability, including physical and mental disabilities. Of them, 75 percent are not enrolled in any education institution. Moreover, the report says that 24 percent of CWSN are less likely to receive early stimulation and response care; 42 percent unlikely to have foundational reading and numeracy skills; 51 percent experience unhappiness; 41 percent likely to have experienced discrimination; and 32 percent severe corporal punishment.