Enable children with disabilities in Indian slums.

Minakshi (15) studies in the 6th grade at the Hellen Keller Institute for Deaf and Deafblind. She participates in ‘Enabling Change’, OSCAR’s disability inclusion project that conducts football sessions for children with disabilities. Minakshi is deaf and uses sign language to communicate with her peers, teachers, and coaches.

Despite her disability, Minakshi is an excellent communicator. This is due to her excellent grasp of sign language. She understands the various semantics and nuances of sign language and retains information very well. These qualities help Minakshi excel in her studies. Minakshi loves school and especially enjoys mathematics and social sciences. Aside from her impressive academic performance, Minakshi also displays leadership qualities. Minakshi is the class prefect and takes lessons and solves the doubts of other students when teachers are not available in the classroom. Moreover, during the lockdown, there have been a number of challenges in educating children with disabilities, especially those who are hard of hearing. Minakshi’s younger brother, who is also deaf, has found it difficult to adapt to the new normal of online learning. However, with Minakshi’s support at home, he is slowly improving and coping with his academics. Minakshi's teachers are impressed by her maturity at such a young age. They tell us that her goal is to become a teacher, inspired by a deaf English teacher who used to teach her at school. ‘If she can do it, so can I’, she signs with a big smile on her face! Minakshi spends her free time participating in arts and crafts activities. She loves drawing and painting and has recently taken an interest in creating handicrafts. But of course, she misses playing football, meeting her friends, and everyday life at school.

Minakshi has inspired us all with her resilience and initiative. We hope for many successes for her in the coming year! Through this time when schools are shut through the pandemic, we continued reaching out to the children with Zumba and online sessions. The lockdown has made things more difficult for children with disabilities but we have tried our best 

Links:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6Qg1Kd28xw

Hamzah (9 years) is a beneficiary within OSCAR's disability inclusion project 'Enabling Change'. He lives with his parents and attends the Helen Keller Institute for Deaf and Deafblind. Due to a rare genetic disorder, he is visually impaired and has a hearing impairment in his right ear. He studies in the 2nd grade and has an interest in Mathematics. He hopes to pursue a career in architecture in the future.

Hamzah has attended OSCAR sessions for a year. Despite his difficulties with studies, he is always engaged , active and asks questions to his teachers and coaches. He was very excited when football sessions were introduced at his school. He plays actively. His coaches often take extra precautions and efforts to keep the environment safe due to his visual and hearing impairments. However, they say the smile on Hamzah's face after kicking the ball is worth all the effort.

Hamzah has never let his impairments define him. He studies with the help of Braille and Taylor Frames, he plays with sound balls and makes the most of every situation he is placed in. However, despite his unshakeable spirit, many challenges lie ahead for Hamzah and his family. His father earns a meagre Rs 15,000 per month repairing air conditioning units in the vicinity. His mother is a homemaker, a necessary step due to her child's disabilities. However, their family remains positive and hope better times are in store for them.

During the lockdown, Hamzah has made the most of his time. He has been making clay pots and statues, learning to draw and has also been helping his mom make delicious coconut laddoos. Hamzah is always ready to adapt and eager to learn new skills. We are proud of his progress and enthusiasm to learn new things!

Last month, OSCAR Foundation distributed footballs to beneficiaries of our 'Enabling Change' project at Hellen Keller institute for deaf and deafblind. We also distributed sound footballs for children with visual impairments so that they can enjoy the experience of playing football at home even during the lockdown!

Links:

• Enabling Change - Football coaching for Children with Disabiliti