The pandemic situation has taken its toll on the mental health of most people. But for those who are intellectually challenged, it is worse. M.K. Jayaraj, former Director of the State Institute for the Mentally Challenged, and was a one-man commission appointed by the State government to study the problems of special children, feels that it is high time the government took steps to address serious emotional issues faced by the intellectually challenged in this situation.
“I get calls every day from concerned parents of intellectually challenged persons that they had not slept properly for the past six months,” Dr. Jayaraj said. “These persons are being trained from a very young age to follow a routine. When that routine is sabotaged one fine morning, they get stressed out, and as a result become more aggressive day by day,” he added.
Dr. Jayaraj is presently the Director of the Vocational Training and Placement Centre for adults with intellectual challenges, under the UL Foundation working out of Nayanar Balika Sadanam in Eranhipalam, Kozhikode. The centre has been able to find placement for more than 80 intellectually challenged persons in various enterprises in the city since it was formed in 2016. “However, these persons who have not been able to go to work since the lockdown are facing serious emotional issues now,” he said.
“The situation of intellectually challenged people is quite different from other differently abled persons. They get agitated when they are stranded. Online classes are not effective for them. It will only be an added burden on the parents who are already struggling to manage them within the homes,” he said.
Dr. Jayaraj said that the government had not paid enough attention to the issue despite pointing it out through letters many times. “Why not open special schools and non-governmental organisations with all precautionary measures in such a way that a student gets to go out and meet teachers at least once a week? This will bring a lot of relief in the current situation. Also, they will get the skill training they are missing out on,” he added.
At present, special teachers too are facing a crisis as they do not get paid well, since most of the institutions in the special education sector are private. “Most teachers will be ready to come to schools if they get a chance. The schedule can be modified in such a way that a teacher will have to handle only two students at a time,” he said.
Dr. Jayaraj said that if the situation went on for long, it was heading towards a disaster, and urged the government to take immediate steps to address the situation.
