Make it a common world; make the neurodivergent feel at home in it
The Hindu
How can we make public spaces more friendly for the neurodiverse individuals?
Recently, a social etiquette training programme for special-needs students brought into sharp focus, the question of how much acceptance children on the spectrum find at public spaces. There was a practical side to the discussion: As a related activity, 12 students were walking on a road in a neighbourhood in Anna Nagar.
“We cannot discontinue having such outdoor learning classes,” says Radha Nandakumar, founder and managing trustee, Gurukulam, an integrated center for children with special needs.
She notes it is essential for neurodivergent children and adults, and also the wider world to have a responsibility to make them feel at home.
Facilities with ramps and other physical infrastructure for the physically challenged are becoming integral to the design of public spaces. Similar empathy for the neurodivergent is still lacking.
Most special-needs schools have experiential learning or field visits in their curriculum but the challenge arises when society is not sensitive enough.
The team at V-Excel Educational Trust makes it a point to inform the organisers well in advance of any trip being planned for their students. Once, during such a trip (from Chennai to Kumbakonam), railway authorities ensured the stop time at the destination was increased to help these students disembark comfortably. Similarly, during a excursion in the Chennai Metro they had to request the authorities to open the door beyond the stipulated time as a student refused to enter.
There is a lot of therapeutic value in travel and being outdoors for those on the spectrum.