Dear Amira and friends on the group ,
Many of the issues you discussed are pertinent and applicable to most of the LMICs.
We are finding that slum settlement colonies in the heart of metropolitan cities in India also have similar stories to tell .
Inequities provide the additional dimension. Online schooling is successful only for the students of schools in rich neighborhoods . Without smart phones and PCs , for many , online schooling becomes a cruel joke. . The problems of lack of transportation and shortage of space exist here too. Schools are closed now but when they reopen , they may consider a shorter school day . Attendance in multiple shifts may become necessary for both children and the teachers to comply with the distancing guidelines as well as to reduce the time one has to wear a mask. The masks also make lipreading difficult for those used to that form of Communication .
Many of the children with special needs require one - to - one caregiving or have high support needs that may necessitate regular interventions from rehabilitation personnel. Even the routine services such as medicines ,orthotic aids , adaptive equipment have become more difficult to access. Repairs of simple aids such as spectacles/ glasses or hearing aids ,and the like are also not happening since services are skeletal or non-existent in the poor Community settings. . Rehabilitation has not been designated Essential services in our state and Public Hospitals are entirely focused on symptomatic Covid cases. Children with disabilities and families are bearing the brunt more than ever.
Many Families are experiencing income loss and the Disability benefits of children are going into feeding the family. The nutrition support for preschool children under the Integrated child development program also got affected in this phase of restricted services , thereby adding to the vulnerabilities.
These are troubled times, indeed, for children , teachers and all families involved in their care. Let us hope that things will change for the better soon.
Best wishes ,
Sunanda
CHIFA profile: Sunanda Kolli Reddy is a Developmental Paediatrician from New Delhi, India, with a special interest in Early Child Care and Development of children with neurodevelopmental problems in underserved communities. She is actively involved in health promotion, community-based research, care provider training for promoting abilities of children with special needs, through the various programmes of Centre for Applied Research and Education on Neurodevelopmental Impairments and Disability-related Health Initiatives (CARENIDHI), which she heads (www.carenidhi.org). Her work in the community settings to widen the disability-in-development model of CBR encompasses the wider determinants of health and human capabilities and issues which impact the lives of the poor. She combines her experience in developmental paediatrics with the core work of CARENIDHI's grassroots convergence programmes in partnership with groups working in the area of Implementation research and policy.
Email: write2sunandaATgmail.com
