I witnessed my sibling growing up with intellectual disability, watched the struggles faced by my parents and the immediate family and above all the suffering faced by the special needs child themselves, as they do not understand what is happening to them, how to respond, how to communicate or just how to do anything? We unfortunately live in a society where even today having such a child is treated as a curse or a debt we are paying and people tend to victimize the family rather than supporting them.

But amidst all this negative energy, our emotional bond as a family only grew and we decided to not only fight but change the stigma around these children. Just like us, many parents of children with special needs were asking the same questions – What will happen to them after us? Who will look after their needs? Can we make them independent?

This thought led me to leave a promising career in the IT sector and devote my entire time and energy into setting up a centre – a place where these individuals will be respected for who they are, trained in their strengths and skills, to make them independent and able to earn a sustainable living. This will not only boost their confidence but will also give an assurance to their parents that their child is in safe hands. Our journey has just begun and we have a long road ahead to spread awareness, change our society’s attitude and include these children as normal individuals with respect and dignity.

— Beena Dhankani