For 8-year-old Gagana from Bengaluru communicating and listening felt like a Herculean chore, because of a speech and hearing impairment she lived with since birth. Like most parents of children her age, Gagana’s parents too had dreams for her but also harbored fears about her future. “She might never speak clearly or be able to learn like the others her age,” they worried.
But a silver lining soon appeared. One of Gagana’s schoolteachers, who identified her struggles, informed her parents about our Inclusive Community Learning Center (ICLC) classes*, designed to help children like her to improve their intellectual and speech skills.
Determined to give Gagana a good education and excited by the prospect of the ICLC, they decided to give it a try. Apart from personalized special educator classes, Gagana would also receive speech and language therapy.
A few months into enrolling in the classes, her parents were thrilled by the results. Gagana’s communication, articulation, and listening had noticeably improved.
Thanks to the therapy, she speaks more fluently now. Gagana can memorize tables, repeat passages from grade II textbooks, and identify a few numbers in Kannada like ‘ondu’ (one) and ‘nalaku’ (four) —though it might come out as ‘ongdu’ and ‘akku’. She can also say commonly used words like ‘madidhu’ (meaning ‘I completed a task’), though it may sound like ‘matittu’.
Her teachers echoed, “Gagana has shown significant improvements. She is good at games, mingles with everyone, shows enthusiasm in the classroom, and speaks without fear.”
Her hearing aid, provided free of cost through our program, is helping her to hear better and she can now catch noises nearby, like vehicles passing or even neighborhood dogs barking. “What’s more?! She even responds promptly when called,” her parents note happily.
Their caring attention and encouragement have been crucial in her progress. They attend parental meetings and therapy sessions regularly and use playful strategies to create a stimulating learning environment. Recently, Gagana has developed an interest in dancing, singing, and drawing. An Individual Education Plan (IEP) has been charted to track her progress but, for now, her parents’ joyous words are the best testament to her achievements.
*Note: Under our Inclusive Education initiatives, our Inclusive Community Learning Centers (ICLCs) are safe and welcoming spaces providing support to children with disabilities through classes and extracurricular activities to aid their cognitive development. Parents too receive training in caring for their children and assisting with lessons. Our ICLCs also provide physiotherapy and speech therapy services.
