THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : For 13-year-old Sanju S, a student with disabilities, this Vishu will be all the more special as he is all set to relocate to a disability-friendly home on Monday. All thanks to a group of compassionate special educators of Kerala Resource Teachers’ Association (KRTA), who led the construction of ‘Swapnakoodu’, as a Vishu kaineettam to Sanju and his family who have been living in a tarpaulin-thatched mud house constructed on a land belonging to Sanju’s great grandfather.
“In the initial stages of our plan, there were just 14 members in the KRTA, all 0f whom dreamt of constructing a comfortable shelter for Sanju. It is then we arrived on the name ‘Swapnakoodu’ for Sanju’s new home,” said K S Vysakh, a Block Resource Centre (BRC)trainer.
The new home, the first of its kind for a person with disabilities, has ramps, rails, switchboards, low wash basins that can be easily accessible to Sanju, and other amenities to enhance his mobility. Sanju, who receives home-based education from the Kilimanoor BRC special educator M Muthukumar, was identified as lacking toilet facilities.
Since the family had lost all their property documents during the 2018 floods, they were unable to register under the LIFE scheme. KRTA helped them register the property in Sanju’s mother’s name, with the help of the State Commissioner of Persons with Disabilities, local MLA, grama panchayat and others and also built a temporary toilet.
Further, KRTA, the NSS unit of Varkala SN College, SN Trust, Rising Star Cricket Club, and the Kerala School Teachers’ Association Kilimanoor subcommittee collaborated to build a home for them at a cost of `10 lakh. Sanju’s mother, Manju, who studied until Class 8, has been unable to work as she is Sanju’s primary caregiver, especially after his near-tragic incident of falling into a well a few years ago. He had escaped death by clinging on to a rope.
“The remaining money from the funds collected for constructing Sanju’s home will be used to build two more disability-friendly homes for other students who registered under the state government’s Life Mission,” said Vysakh.