Bengaluru’s inclusive school JDC Sparsha completes 23 successful years

Shakila Banu’s JDC Sparsha foundation in Bengaluru is one of the most popular inclusive schools in the city. Founded in 1996, Banu has reached out to hundreds of children with and without disabilities. Her school Tom & Jerry empowers children from two years onwards. Banu is excited as she speaks about how her inclusive school has made a difference to lives of children since the past 23 years!

Until 1996, Banu used to work as a teacher. But she soon realised that she needs to do something on her own so that she can reach out to more children, especially children with disabilities. Since her profession was her passion, she decided to run a full-fledged school. So with the help of her family members, she set up a pre-school for children. She even trained her family members in special education! Now, they run JDC Sparsha together.

I feel there needs to be so much awareness on disabilities. So people are aware about it only when they have a disabled child or a family member with a disability. Even in a city like Bengaluru, people do not know anything about disabilities. The government must enter the picture and ensure ways to spread awareness. We could have made our venture bigger and better if we had government support- Shakila Banu, Founder, JDC Sparsha.

At their centre, teenagers above 15 years of age are trained in vocational skills. They are introduced to making many things including handicrafts. This way they are empowered and can stand on their own feet. Boys are taught how to handle electronic products so that they can make a living out of it.

Banu is gearing up to move to new premises where she can have a bigger space to accommodate more children. That way, she can help more disabled children and those from economically backward families as well.

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