DeafBlind students mainstreamed. From 01 April 2016 Singari Devi Trust, Jaipur is sponsoring their education support by paying monthly scholarship.

Personal Information

1.   KUMARI CHHOTTI KUMARI SHAW.  Age 30 years. Residing at Voice of World Home, No 3, Chidam Mudi Lane, PO Hatibagan, Kolkata 700006. Ph 91 9874955683

Chhotti and her elder brother Bacchan Shaw, both totally Blind came to our Society way back in 1991-92. Their father ran a chana shop on the footpath of Burrabazar (the wholesale market), Kolkata and somehow managed to live in a shanty there. Their mother though illiterate and dehati, got Bacchan admitted in the Ramakrishna Mission Blind Boy’s Academy, Narendrapur, Kolkata  and Chhotti in the Lighthouse for the Blind School. Soon after Bacchan left his school as he could not cope with book-learning and took up music, having an extraordinarily musical voice. He was taken as a student by my (Hena Basu) uncle late Netail Bose, a reputed setarist of Jaipur Seniya Gharana and began taking lessons in vocal music visiting our home  (at Paikpara) frequently) and performing at various places.

Chhotti however continued her education in the Lighthouse for the Blind School, she began suffering from a rapid hearing loss, but completed her Xth Board examination. Meanwhile her aged parents died and she was given a shelter in Voice of World Home. Chhotti kept regular contact with our Society, received education and other support and to our utter surprise cleared her XI-XIIth examination successfully and got herself admitted in Khudiram Bose Central College, Kolkata for BA Pass Course under the Calcutta University.

What is amazing about Chhotti is that despite her two major organ-impairments, she manages to keep her face smiling and cheerful, moves independently and participates in all activities of our Society, forcing her inclusion. During SVH’s recent Coastal Trek Project in Puri, Odisha, February  10-14, 2016, a special workshop on Odishi dance was held for Blind participants (male & female) where Chhotti had a lot of fun in experiencing the dance postures that made her body flexible.

Our Society has been supporting her with some Adhoc grant of scholarship but this time she appealed to us for a monthly support to enable her continue education.

Personal Information

1.      Name: MISS CHUMKI PRAMANICK

Gender: Female

Date of Birth: 16 March 2002

Nature of vision loss: 100%. She uses a pair of spectacles to overcome the haziness in her front vision. A patient of Glaucoma, she underwent an operation at the age of one and a half months.

Nature of Hearing loss: She suffered from hearing loss since the age of two years. At the age of five years ENT surgeon in a Govt Hospital advised surgery but warned her parents that they cannot guarantee regaining of hearing.

Since she was having a major vision problem parents did not take the risk of an ear operation. Now she can hear when sound comes close to her ears.

Address: Village : Halisahar Sarkapara, PS Bijpur, PO Halisahar, North 24 Parganas,PIN 743134

                  West Bengal. Halisahar is 42.35 Kms from Kolkata

Contact No: 91 98369 54635

Parents

Father is Narayan Pramanick. A daily earner, Narayan is illiterate. He sells fish daily moving in the locality.

Mother is Khukumoni Pramanick. She studied upto Class VIII; she stitches artificial woolen flowers and prepares, garlands, asan, bags from material deposited to her and then collected from her for sale. She has an elder daughter who is married.

Education

Khukumoni took a lot of interest in getting Chumki educated despite her impairments. She was not aware of the facilities available for her daughter’s special needs but what she did was she got Chumki admitted into a local primary General school named “Saraswat Pathsala”, Halisahar where Chumki studied from Class I to IV. At present she is studying at Kanchrapara Udbodhani Madhyamik Vidyapith in Class VII.

While getting enrolled in the latter School, Khukumoni took Chumki to the Sarva Siksha Mission Resource Room where she met Govt-appointed Special Educator Tapasi Nandi, also a dedicated volunteer of SVH, who initiated Deaf-Blind Project of SVH in West Bengal after completing Diploma (Special Education Deaf & DeafBlind) training from Helen Keller Institute for Deaf & DeafBlind, Mumbai.

Although Chumki’s school does not have an Inclusive set up to facilitate her progress yet her class mates and teachers are exceptionally friendly and helpful to her. They note down in her exercise books relevant information and during playtime if she missed hearing something they draw her attention instantly.

Chumki has perfect daily living skills, looks pretty with her colorful clothes and whenever she joins SVH Camps or Workshops she feels cheered up. Her parents play an active role in her mainstreaming as well as in participation of SVH projects. During SVH’s recent Coastal Trek Project in Puri, Odisha, February  10-14, 2016, a special workshop on Odishi dance was held for Blind participants (male & female) where Chumki had a lot of fun in experiencing the dance postures that made her body flexible.

Service extended to Chumki from SVH

1.      An Adhoc scholarship of Rs 1000/- from THF for her education support.

2.      Arranging for a private tutor at her home skilled in special needs to support her classroom studies. This was later found not working so on our intervention Khukumoni now takes Chumki twice a week to local Blind School “Andha Alok Bidyalay”, Kalyani for supplementing Chumki’s Braille and Maths skills.

3.      SVH regularly supplies her with school text books in Braille and audio books in MP3 player.

4.      Also doors of SVH are always open to Chumki and her parents for any counselling or sharing of problems that they consider a priority and SVH respects their privacy. The following photos were taken during a home visit at Chumki's residence on 17 April 2016.

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