Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar inaugurates Higashi Autism School in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar urged for all efforts to ensure a life of dignity for children with special needs so that they achieve a sense of selfhood and inclusion.

He made the comments while addressing a gathering at the inaugural ceremony of Higashi Autism School in New Delhi today. The VP also appealed to the citizens to work for a future where the world is safe and meaningful for children with special needs.

He noted that the mother takes all responsibility to ensure the growth of children with special needs. He called upon the male gender to work “shoulder to shoulder with their spouses in a missionary mode” when the child faces a challenge of autism and needs support. He underlined the importance of not leaving one's partner to face the challenges alone stating that abandoning them during these challenging times would “forfeit your right to be a member of mankind”.

Noting that ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach doesn’t work when a child is facing the challenge of autism, Dhankhar stressed that every child is unique and specific needs. He underlined the need to expose our children to the wider world, regardless of the challenges they may face in their individual personalities.

VP appreciates curriculum

He appreciated the curriculum of comprising Higashi Autism School and appreciated the decision to include integrated approach to yoga therapy (IAYT) and daily life therapy. He called such approaches as impactful means to empower special children so that “they become productive and involved members of that society, to bring pride to families who were there in despair and fatigue”.

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Noting that this is the third Higashi Autism School globally, following Tokyo and Boston, the Vice-President commemorated it as a “befitting occasion for us all to resolve in togetherness for evolving an environment where every child with autism is celebrated”. He also praised the chairperson of the school, Rashmi Das for her unwavering commitment towards the welfare and well-being of children with autism.