COIMBATORE: As a major educational centre, one would expect Coimbatore to also accommodate institutions for students with disabilities, but more often than not, these students have a rude awakening.
While the city has its share of private schools for children with disabilities, they remain mostly inaccessible due to the high fees. In such a climate, C Jayaprabha’s (40) Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Dream Special School (DADSS) cuts through the clouds, offering free education and therapy to children with autism and locomotive disabilities.
Launched in September 2023, Jayaprabha (a person with disabilities herself) and staff aim to provide their free services to children from economically disadvantaged families, filling in for the gaps in Tamil Nadu state’s social safety net. Moreover, DADSS also generates employment opportunities for single parents whose children attend the school.
“I thoroughly understand the challenges of being a single parent, having lost my husband and becoming a single mother to my two daughters. I founded the Coimbatore District Welfare Association for Differently Abled Women in 2013. Our association boasts 658 members, primarily single parents having children with disabilities. The birth of DADSS stems from our vision to serve both the children and their parents,” Jayaprabha says.
Located in Kaleeshwara Nagar near Ram Nagar in the city, DADSS operates on a ‘of the disabled, by the disabled, for the disabled’ motto, and provides an integrated learning experience with four different modes of therapy - physical, speech, art/craft, and occupational therapy. In stark contrast to government schools primarily focusing on early intervention, private establishments, often termed ‘opportunity centres’, provide specialised education and therapy, albeit at a considerable cost. DADSS stands apart by offering these services entirely free, extending its support to 17 full-time and 10 part-time students.
One parent, R Sudha, lauded the school’s initiative, expressing relief that economically disadvantaged families could access free education for their autistic children. “This level of holistic care at DADSS is a game-changer for parents like me. With more financial support, their services could reach even more families like mine,” she remarks.
“We allow parents to stay with their children during school hours which helps us handle the students and also help parents to understand what exactly their children need. We offer four different modes of therapy – for speech, art, pattern, craft and occupational, and we are in need of vocational, hydro and music/dance therapy specialists. We have been seeking financial aid to fund the infrastructure,” says CV Balasubramanian, an educational board director of the school.
Organisations like the Ekam Foundation and BOSCH, have come forward to support the cause, providing DADSS with raw material worth Rs 2.5 lakh to craft millet sweets and savouries. Additionally, the school received an areca plate manufacturing machine from Go Glam Shopping Mart. However, the school is still in need of further support to enhance its infrastructure and facilitate additional vocational and music/dance therapy.
Jayaprabha highlighted the need for basic facilities, such as building repairs, a wooden floor, therapy equipment, and support for para-sports and self-employment activities. As an organization devoted to running the centre free of charge, she invites people to visit the school and see the exceptional work carried out there. “It’s a great challenge to run DADSS for free. We invite everyone to visit our school before donating, to understand the service and the needs here,” says Jayaprabha with a smile.