"You see disability, we see ability."
Meet Reshma, Hemi, and Sharmila.
Three recent McGill Master's graduates of Occupational Therapy that are headed towards making a world of difference to children and adolescents with physical and mental disabilities in India. Driven by their desire to give back to their community--a single good intention--their pathway to changing the way we view disability has fallen nicely into place. They were absolutely stunned by the positive feedback from the community with their sold out fundraiser (selling over 320 tickets and counting!).
I sat down with them on Skype to chit chat over their placement. And let me tell you.. mind blown.
They are truly a testament to perseverance and doing their best to make a change in the world. As you can see in the Q&A below, it wasn't easy for them to co-ordinate everything on their own but they show us that a good intention and a little hard work can go a long way!
Q: What inspired you to take on this kind of initiative?
A: We took a class at McGill called "Community based Rehabilitation" and we met an occupational therapist who was travelling around the world and helping out people with different types of disabilities. They were providing rehabilitation services and they wanted to make a difference. We were so inspired that we wanted to do something similar.
Reshma: From the get-go, I always wanted to travel. I had gone to Costa Rica with McGill earlier in my undergraduate years providing emergency relief and building community centers for areas affected by the earthquake. It was a great experience and I learnt alot from it! I knew that I wanted to do it again but we couldn't find the time. All in all, it just seemed like the timing was good to take this on at this time!
Q: Tell me a little bit about what you'll be doing there.
A: At the beginning, we weren't sure who to work with so we e-mailed hospitals and centers around India and the response was positive. We chose to work with ADAPT, formerly known as SSI (Spastic Society of India) because of their mission and their credibility as they have been around since 1972, and also because they serve the pediatric population. They focus mainly on school-based and community interventions for the children and vocational counselling for the adolescents. ADAPT is constantly advocating for inclusive education at a local and national level. After our research, we found out that it is one of India's leading non for profit organizations. As per our work, the groundwork is already set up and our expectations are laid out very clearly. We will be receiving training at the beginning and we are there to work with them, exchange skills, information, and pretty much provide an extra set of hands. They already have a program in place with physiotherapists, special educators, social workers, etc. In terms of our skills, we have gained valuable experience through our clinical placements and feel that we can contribute valuable knowledge as well. One thing that's important that we've identified with them is their need-specific interventions that they provide, it's important to note that a one-size fits-all doesn't work and that it's important to recognize and tailor interventions based on the specific needs of the individual.
Q: Wow, so are you going with an organization?
A: No. The entire project is independent. We wanted to work with children with disabilities. Like we mentioned, we e-mailed a few places. We had to narrow it down based on location and population. We wanted to work with children and we also wanted to work in a big city that we could explore. It was a long process and we had to find a middle ground that worked for everyone, to make sure that our partners could accomodate us, etc. There were alot of technicalities and such and it required a lot of organization and patience to get it done!
Q: What is the demographic that you are targeting on your trip and who are you partnering with?
A: We will be working with people with disabilities, more specifically, the Pediatric population; children and adolescents with neuro-developmental disorders, musculoskeletal, mental or physical disabilities. We'll be partnering with ATAPT, formerly known as SSI (Spastic Society of India).
Q: How long will you be there?
A: From Dec 1st - Feb 21st, almost three months!
Q: Did you face any challenges throughout the planning/fundraising?
A: To be honest, we were expecting to have a hard time selling the tickets but our event is sold out and there are people who are more than generous and who are jumping on board. One challenge that we did experience was to keep up with the large amount of logistics that comes with planning your own trip but even then, I wouldn't say it was a challenge, but more of excitement!
Q: What would you tell the people who attend your fundraiser and everyone else in the community?
A: First and foremost, we just want to thank every single person who has helped us and whose shared that common vision. Our volunteers, the performers, the sponsors, everybody has a hand in this. And we are also raising awareness about the needs that are out there internationally. There's a lot of people out there who want to make a difference and who lack the initiative. We want to show them that it is possible! We were flabbergasted by the positive response in Montreal, we're not worried about the next generation. We know they will do good!
And there you have it! Although their event is sold out, you can still support them by making a donation here:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_donations&business=J6Q4WYB3RV84L&lc=CA&item_name=You+see+Disability%2C+We+see+Ability&item_number=OTINDIA2012¤cy_code=CAD&bn=PP-DonationsBF%3Abtn_donateCC_LG.gif%3ANonHosted
They are a testament to community involvement and that all it takes is a good intention and a little elbow grease!
Meet Reshma, Hemi, and Sharmila.
Three recent McGill Master's graduates of Occupational Therapy that are headed towards making a world of difference to children and adolescents with physical and mental disabilities in India. Driven by their desire to give back to their community--a single good intention--their pathway to changing the way we view disability has fallen nicely into place. They were absolutely stunned by the positive feedback from the community with their sold out fundraiser (selling over 320 tickets and counting!).
I sat down with them on Skype to chit chat over their placement. And let me tell you.. mind blown.
They are truly a testament to perseverance and doing their best to make a change in the world. As you can see in the Q&A below, it wasn't easy for them to co-ordinate everything on their own but they show us that a good intention and a little hard work can go a long way!
Q: What inspired you to take on this kind of initiative?
A: We took a class at McGill called "Community based Rehabilitation" and we met an occupational therapist who was travelling around the world and helping out people with different types of disabilities. They were providing rehabilitation services and they wanted to make a difference. We were so inspired that we wanted to do something similar.
Reshma: From the get-go, I always wanted to travel. I had gone to Costa Rica with McGill earlier in my undergraduate years providing emergency relief and building community centers for areas affected by the earthquake. It was a great experience and I learnt alot from it! I knew that I wanted to do it again but we couldn't find the time. All in all, it just seemed like the timing was good to take this on at this time!
Q: Tell me a little bit about what you'll be doing there.
A: At the beginning, we weren't sure who to work with so we e-mailed hospitals and centers around India and the response was positive. We chose to work with ADAPT, formerly known as SSI (Spastic Society of India) because of their mission and their credibility as they have been around since 1972, and also because they serve the pediatric population. They focus mainly on school-based and community interventions for the children and vocational counselling for the adolescents. ADAPT is constantly advocating for inclusive education at a local and national level. After our research, we found out that it is one of India's leading non for profit organizations. As per our work, the groundwork is already set up and our expectations are laid out very clearly. We will be receiving training at the beginning and we are there to work with them, exchange skills, information, and pretty much provide an extra set of hands. They already have a program in place with physiotherapists, special educators, social workers, etc. In terms of our skills, we have gained valuable experience through our clinical placements and feel that we can contribute valuable knowledge as well. One thing that's important that we've identified with them is their need-specific interventions that they provide, it's important to note that a one-size fits-all doesn't work and that it's important to recognize and tailor interventions based on the specific needs of the individual.
Q: Wow, so are you going with an organization?
A: No. The entire project is independent. We wanted to work with children with disabilities. Like we mentioned, we e-mailed a few places. We had to narrow it down based on location and population. We wanted to work with children and we also wanted to work in a big city that we could explore. It was a long process and we had to find a middle ground that worked for everyone, to make sure that our partners could accomodate us, etc. There were alot of technicalities and such and it required a lot of organization and patience to get it done!
Q: What is the demographic that you are targeting on your trip and who are you partnering with?
A: We will be working with people with disabilities, more specifically, the Pediatric population; children and adolescents with neuro-developmental disorders, musculoskeletal, mental or physical disabilities. We'll be partnering with ATAPT, formerly known as SSI (Spastic Society of India).
Q: How long will you be there?
A: From Dec 1st - Feb 21st, almost three months!
Q: Did you face any challenges throughout the planning/fundraising?
A: To be honest, we were expecting to have a hard time selling the tickets but our event is sold out and there are people who are more than generous and who are jumping on board. One challenge that we did experience was to keep up with the large amount of logistics that comes with planning your own trip but even then, I wouldn't say it was a challenge, but more of excitement!
Q: What would you tell the people who attend your fundraiser and everyone else in the community?
A: First and foremost, we just want to thank every single person who has helped us and whose shared that common vision. Our volunteers, the performers, the sponsors, everybody has a hand in this. And we are also raising awareness about the needs that are out there internationally. There's a lot of people out there who want to make a difference and who lack the initiative. We want to show them that it is possible! We were flabbergasted by the positive response in Montreal, we're not worried about the next generation. We know they will do good!
And there you have it! Although their event is sold out, you can still support them by making a donation here:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_donations&business=J6Q4WYB3RV84L&lc=CA&item_name=You+see+Disability%2C+We+see+Ability&item_number=OTINDIA2012¤cy_code=CAD&bn=PP-DonationsBF%3Abtn_donateCC_LG.gif%3ANonHosted
They are a testament to community involvement and that all it takes is a good intention and a little elbow grease!
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