Lack of proffesionals for mentally challenged

The other day one of the parents of our mentally challenged students was talking to me. He said, renewal of disability certificate is such a tiring job. It is not only difficult because we have to carry our mentally challenged child to the Civil Surgeon office and wait for long hours but there is lot of corruption also.In first place, in my opinion it is ridiculous to renew a certificate for mentally challenged since the condition is irreversible. Does government authority who is a doctor, expect that with the passage of time the condition of the child will be corrected and he may not remain mentally challenged any more, and thus needs confirmation from the Civil Surgeon. But the way government works or does not work is like this only. Talking about corruption in this regard, I feel, corrupt official does not differentiate or discriminate in mentally challenged and normal person i.e. they are impartial, a quality we must appreciate.
It is more than seventeen years that through our parent meetings, I have been appealing to parents, that, we all must encourage and motivate siblings of mentally challenged to take up a career which supports the cause of mentally challenged. For example faculties like special education, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy or clinical psychology etc. Can they not make career in this field? Do we not need these specialists otherwise also? But it continues to surprise me that not a single sibling has yet gone in this field. If a sibling is a clinical psychologist for example, then, he is of help not only to his own sibling and parents but at the same time, since it is expected that he has realisation about the genuine problems of such families, he will be of immense use to other mentally challenged and their parents and families too. But this has not happened. I do not know, weather we have failed as a Institute to motivate siblings, in spite of the fact that we do have regular siblings training programmes or the failure is with the attitude of parents themselves. Who ever may have failed, the fact remains that we do not get professionals from these families. And we continue to criticise the remaining world for their attitude towards mentally challenged and their problems.

Navin Deshpande, Secretary, SSS

Website: www.sandnya.org email; navindesh@gmail.com