A new innings began on September 1, 2021 for Anayaa (also referred to as a special-needs child) and her family. An innings which would help her combat her “special needs” and lead a life of normalcy, like her peers. Under the expertise of Chering Bodh, a Special Educator with over 12 years of experience working with differently abled children, along with her enthusiasm to bridge the gap for children with special needs, the program commenced in the town of Manali, Himachal Pradesh, India.
In many ways, the program offering was one of the initial steps in bringing about a radical change in the social fabric of the society towards children with special needs. More often than not, a ‘special need’ is looked upon as a ‘special liability’ or an additional burden to be hailed by the family of a special-needs child. The premise of the program is to ward off the perceived “burden” from the special child’s parent, help fill in the need-gap for the special child, and create a world where disability is not looked down upon.
While the program strives to provide supportive measures for each uniquely abled child, the long term vision of the program is to create independent, self-sufficient and confident future individuals, capable of facing the demands and challenges of everyday life. Hence, the program aims to create a standardized framework to deliver holistic development (intellectual, mental, physical, emotional and social) and empower specially-abled children to lead the lives they deserve.
Whether a child requires additional support of a specific learning-based need or has a particular cognitive/motor need, the program caters to the diverse needs of all children with a well-rounded delivery model which includes methods like brain gym, child-friendly yoga, as well as a specialized sports education program (Inspirar).
In the spirit of “Second innings are incomplete without the proper guidance of a Coach,” a multifaceted sports education program (Inspirar) has been integrated to the program curriculum by Coach Sarthak Mishra, to emphasize the importance of physical education in children’s overall well-being. In association with SiF, Inspirar aims to provide an integrated modern sports curriculum and comprehensive sports career guidance to aid physical, mental, and emotional balance in children and young adults.