Internship at Asha Centre for Developmental Disabilities – Jobin from Dr. S.R Chandrasekhar Institute Of Speech & Hearing

Money can’t buy happiness. Persons with the special disability are as much part of society as we are. During this internship, Jobin devoted his time and highlighted the need of help and care that should be extended to them. They have capability and potential to be at the zenith in life if guided properly.

During my Internship, I worked as an SLP for the disabled population. It was my job to help them in communication and support their families. From assisting in the right level of care at home to navigating parents through the complex process was my core challenge. I also had to assist them while doing their work in school.

I used to visit disabled people in their homes, at school or at the work place. Initially I was lost and wasn’t able to make my way in this organisation but gradually I started learning and I realised that there is no greater deed than helping the ones who need help. They all could shine in their lives if they are guided properly and their problems are heard.

Even now I’m supporting a lot of people. Life does cost more if you are disabled. Buying a wheelchair, higher energy bills and so on – research shows that all this adds up to an extra INR 10000 per month. It is fairly difficult for the middle class man to afford this. Parents, in particular, are facing much greater difficulty in securing the money for their disabled children.

I’ve been in this field for 5 years and a lot has changed in that time, but the needs of disabled people and their families have remained very much the same. They all particularly look for information, advice and support.

I am also associated with parents whose children have been recently diagnosed as disabled and here is where my expertise lies. I primarily worked in paediatric care via which I have gained hands-on experience working with families and children. I know how the system works – the bureaucracy, the waiting lists, the complaints procedure, and how to get things done. I give those families a realistic picture of what will happen and what is possible.

I like to use my experience to solve problems and it feels great knowing that I’m able to help and provide my best resources at their use. I see things becoming much worse for disabled people. Mostly because people who aren’t disabled just don’t have an understanding of the ins and outs of disability and how complex and expensive life can be. If you want to work, you may need support to dress in the morning, to travel, and adaptations to support you while you’re at work. Often services are just not set up for that. Things are still very light on the ground and there is real underfunding in the care system, which means many disabled people are going without basic support.

 I think that people who aren’t disabled don’t always understand how complex it is for a disabled person to enjoy a fulfilling life. We should all be thinking about this because we’re all going to grow old and we’re all going to need support to do day-to-day things. Disabled people today have higher aspirations than ever before and society needs to catch up.

It actually feels good when you give a kid sessions of speech therapy and one day suddenly he says ‘Maa’, the happiness in parents’ face fulfilled me and made my career worthwhile. My internship was at its best and I will personally thank my internship coordinator for providing this opportunity. My life has changed after the internship as I was able to look life with a different perspective. I realised that the only disability in life is the bad attitude which makes a person weak.

It is not how much you earn that matters, the only thing that matters is how many faces you are able to make smile.

If Jobin’s experience motivates you, you can check the latest internships in Bangalore.

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