DOIN’ WORK AT THE CORD CENTER

Meera in the play therapy department

           We woke up to torrential rain this morning before Swadhyaya, and we got to the CORD center wet, but completely awake from the downpour.  Instead of going to the Mahila Mandal today, we stayed in the CORD center to help in the various departments.  Each of us took part in different activities and here is what we all did:

Rusheel Nayak

            Today, I worked in the play therapy section of the physical therapy sector of CORD.  It was eye opening experience for me, and I enjoyed my work immensely.  Children with mental disabilities learn to interact with others and improve basic life functions through fun exercises in this department.  Himachal Pradesh has a higher rate of children born with cerebral palsy, and although the cause of this disability is unclear, most of the children in play therapy had this syndrome.  I worked and interacted with a spectrum of cerebral palsy children today, ranging from mild to severe cases.  Some of the children have most of their mental faculties intact, but are unable to convey their thoughts because they have difficulty speaking and moving.  I helped the children strengthen their muscles by playing catch with them and helping them to learn how to walk without external aid.  Although it was difficult to see the children in distress, I was heartened whenever they were able to improve or complete an exercise.  Due to CORD’s support, many of the children are slowly getting better!

Meera Parat

Since we stayed at the center today, I ended up working with the special education kids in the Play Therapy room. Most of the kids there come every day with them moms and other siblings. This was my first time interacting to this extent with special education kids, or kids with disabilities. It was a real experience! I got to help one kid practice walking while he held onto two parallel beams on either side of him, and I also played with another kid as he practiced standing with the correct posture in a Standing Box. The stories behind how they got these disabilities surprised me a lot.

Krishna Narra

What I loved most about the play therapy was how children with disabilities were able to appear much happier than people without disabilities. Many people often complain about their problems but the smile in these kids made me wonder who was really disabled.

Sonali Nayak

The center day was very interesting because we were able to get a complete idea about all the different operations at CORD. I worked at the Special Education department where mentally disabled children were taught basic concepts such as the alphabet, numbers, grouping on similarities, and identifying pictures. I observed the CORD worker teach a nine-year-old boy with hearing impairments and mental retardation write numbers. Though he had problems, he was doing a great job, and upon being questioned, he was able to point to the correct number. After a while, another little boy came. He has cerebral palsy and mild mental retardation. He is such a cute little boy. Each time he would get an answer correct, we would all clap for him. Having everyone around him cheer him on made him extremely excited and happy. I spent the rest of the afternoon in Play Therapy where kids with physical disabilities did exercises to strengthen their muscles. Because it was a totally new experience, my work in these sectors of CORD was gratifying and interesting.

Gowtham Raja

            Today I spent time getting to work with the people in the computer section. One of the people I met, Rakesh was very helpful in getting me internet. While he was doing so, he had various office tasks that he had me do while we chatted. He introduced me to the concept of “tea time” in India which is basically a break from work where you can sit and relax while enjoying a cup of “chai” for 15 minutes. He told me about his life and how he grew up in his rural village and how working for CORD was a big accomplishment for him, in that being able to partake in serving the community meant a lot to him. I began to appreciate the simplicities of life, and enjoyed discussing various issues with him.