by Janhavi Gowaikar, US
Walking into Kamayani, I had no idea what to expect. My experience with special
populations was limited to the 25 kids in my school that I had already spent a year with
and knew well personally, and those were people I could converse with in my first
language, English. When it came to a school dedicated to special education, and run in a
language I couldn’t fluently speak, I was completely out of my depth. But the thing that
has stood out to me the most during this experience is how accommodating the staff
and the people around me were. Everybody was encouraging, patient with my broken
Marathi, and willing to explain anything I had questions about. It made the whole thing
much smoother and I’m grateful to the people who helped me.
After spending several days in the school, I’ve realized the lack of awareness
most people have of special populations, and how there is so much more I could be
doing, and hope to do, regarding them. I have grown an understanding of how life looks
different for us and for them, and how important the teachers and staff actually are. The
teachers I observed were attentive and used different strategies to help their students
learn. They would break activities down for students that needed more help, and
encourage students who were doing well. I also found it note-worthy how students are
taught personal care and hygiene skills. It’s the kind of thing I never would think about,
but it makes such a huge impact on the students’ lives. Overall, students are taught
valuable things that make it possible for them to function in society.
As expected, there are differences between how things work at Kamayani, and
how things work at my school in America. Most of it has to do with the affluence of my
community, and the involvement of the kids’ families. People in America have easy
access to communication aids such as iPads. Also, they grow up in inclusion programs,
in which special and general populations go to school together, and are more
accustomed to each other. Our schools don’t have vocational workshops like the one at
Kamayani, which makes me wonder what happens to the kids once they graduate high
school—something for me to look into. Considering the differences in the environment,
it’s no surprise that things work differently here. Another thing that is unique to
Kamayani is the cultural celebrations. Celebrating in school gives students the
opportunity to participate in such events, which they might not otherwise, and brings
them much happiness.
This experience has made a lasting impression on me and showed me a new
perspective I didn’t have before. Going forward, I want to take a more active role in my
own community and search for ways to get involved. I am grateful for this opportunity
and for all I have learned at Kamayani these past few days. I would like to commend the
teachers and staff of Kamayani for their endless patience and tireless effort in trying to
make the world a better place for these special kids.