Lucknow: A special assembly celebrating the International Day of Disabled Persons was organised at DOSTI – Study Hall. Surabhi Kapoor, principal of DOSTI said, “I am grateful for all the support I get from the parents and my teachers. Together we have created a safe and inclusive space for our special children to continue to learn according to their pace, realize their best potential and become independent and successfully integrated into the society. It is so heartening to see all them grow and become so confident.”
The event was organised to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilizing support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities to thrive in an inclusive society.
The event started with a speech by Sahil Singh, an alumn of DOSTI school, who completed class 12 in 2019 and is currently working as Assistant Coach in Special Olympics Sports and Yoga in Study Hall School. Special children performed a play on ‘Inclusion’ highlighting the need for creating inclusive educational spaces to provide special children with an appropriate learning opportunity to reach their potential.
Dr Shobha Khanduri, one of the parents, shared their experience with the audience, “Me and my husband both are doctors and have a really hectic schedule. Satvik has shown tremendous improvements and has become tech savvy. We are thankful for the continuous support from DOSTI teachers, who have not just empowered our children but us as well.” Satvik is a child with Autism studying at DOSTI.
DOSTI is a unit of Study Hall Educational Foundation (SHEF) and has been working for the last 16 years to educate special children and is among Uttar Pradesh’s first and still handful of schools to integrate children with physical, mental and learning disabilities in the age group of 2-21 years into mainstream education.
The event was further made colourful by the poems and presentation by DOSTI children along with children from Study Hall School with an effort to raise awareness around disability and how every individual can contribute to create an inclusive society for persons with disability.