Stories from my work experience - Aysha S. Jamall

In my journey through interacting with students with special needs I have had the opportunity to meet people who have inspired me to tell their story the way it is. In my short stories I want to share with the so called ‘able’ world about a world that is just waiting for us to be included!

The names and places in some of these stories have been changed to protect the identity of people. Although these stories are inspired by real characters and incidents and the issues raised in each one of these stories are very real. However they are works of fiction and spun with the intention to shed light into the world of disability.

My experience in working with kids with autism was fear of not knowing what to expect. Soon I realised every kid is a kid first and then he/she has his/her own personality traits. Knowing about autism made me think about structure and confined my thinking process however knowing the child as a person first made me think beyond structures and the parameters I had built around him. We often underestimate the inherent right of every child to human intelligence. I think just like driving a car is a skill that we learn social skill is also something that can be taught. The earlier it is taught the more success is possible and remember it is the responsibility of the so called socially skilled world to include and make learning of this skill possible!

Last chance

Amidst cries of elation and celebration walked a tall lanky young teenager towards the school’s main gate perhaps for the last time. The school had just announced the newly elected student council members ....the old members were leaving school for college and it was their second last day ….the air was charged with emotions….the grade 11s were leaving behind bitter sweet memories of their school years.

There were hugs, tears, words of farewell and congratulations flying around and midst all this I saw Naveed walk past me with his head stooped down. At once a new surge of emotions took over me…..I remembered my awkwardness in the first time I had tried to make a conversation with him……In the morning just before the assembly I would often find him sitting all by himself on the sofas in the school lobby. I tried to involve him in a Reading Programme where he would read a story and explain it to some students….it became quite evident that we as a society had given up on his social skills long before perhaps he gave up. I remembered too the time he had offered me his biscuit and when he had requested me to fill out membership forms for an organization where he was sent for an internship, later I had learnt that I was the only one he had approached. With a mix of nostalgia and wonder I went up to him and greeted him …he greeted me back … I started conversation stating the fact that the next day was his last day in school….he told me that today was his last day ….I asked him wouldn’t he be coming tomorrow to which he replied no and the why got lost in the noise behind me ……Next I asked him about his plans for college he said he had applied in Paramount and Southhall….I wished him all the best and he gave me a smile his usual, a short curt one …….Walking away from him I realized it was the so called ‘socially skilled’ world that had failed in making the connection with the so called ‘socially unskilled’ world and not the other way around ….with that I wished Naveed would give one last chance to the socially skilled world tomorrow!

He never came for the annual function and why would he….we never gave him a chance.