ALAPPUZHA: For the tourists from the US who landed in Kerala two days ago, seeing these children with special needs making clay models, ornaments, bamboo items, and other crafts was a wonder. The five-member team arrived in Alappuzha as part of their Semester at Sea program at their university as part of the curriculum.
“We have been in Kerala for the past two days. When we discussed our plan for the day, our friend here suggested visiting the venue of these events where visually and hearing-impaired children are participating. It was a nice experience to see how these kids are trained and how they do these activities,” said Elivy, adding that the tour of the school was a different experience.
Elivy, Mercy, and Julia are students at Gallaudet University, a university for deaf and hard-of-hearing students in Washington DC. “As we are hearing impaired, interpreters also accompanied us. They explained to us about the events. Also, Saif, who hails from Alappuzha helps us understand the developments here,” said Alison, a member of the team.
Saif, who is also hearing impaired, took them to the SDV School in Alappuzha. Saif, who was aware that the event was taking place in the town, wanted to introduce the tourists to the activities of the general education department in the state.
“What Kerala has been doing is wonderful. We have been travelling around to see how inclusive the visually and hearing-impaired students are in different areas. It is interesting that there are special events and competitions for children with special needs at school festivals. We are happy that this Indian state is more inclusive about the children with special needs,” added Alison, appreciating the state government for the initiative.