When Ritika Sahni conducted disability sensitisation workshops among the non-disabled, the chasm between the two groups made itself known time and again.
One of the responses the founder and trustee of the Trinayani non-profit in Mumbai, India, heard was that the white cane used by the visually impaired was “just a stick”, while some participants thought that those with sight problems need “hearing aids to study”.
There are many misconceptions and preconceived notions around disability and people of determination, says Sahni.
“Somebody who may be physically disabled is often assumed to be intellectually and cognitively [unable], too. People go by physical appearance, and in the case of persons with disabilities, these wrongful assumptions can potentially affect their life and progress,” she says.
co-creator, Towards Inclusion
Yet Sahni isn’t exactly surprised by people’s perceptions. “When it doesn’t happen to you, you’re not interested. It is natural, not [a] fault.”
While things are slowly changing for the better when it comes to awareness and acceptance, disability is still something of a taboo topic in many parts of the world. In India, for example, people of determination usually exist on the fringes of mainstream society.
Towards Inclusion
In her quest to make people, especially the younger generation, more sensitised, Sahni collaborated with Padma Shastry, an inclusive education specialist and founder and director of Samam Vidya in Bengaluru, to design Towards Inclusion.
The first-of-its-kind disability awareness card-game kit is both entertaining and educational.
The kit comprises six card games, a story-style workbook entitled I Am Different, So Are You and an answer booklet. It took Sahni and her team more than two years of research to finalise the design of the game, which was released in May, thanks to funding from the German Consulate.
The game can be played independently by those above 12 years of age, while younger children can interact with it under the guidance of a teacher or parent.
Ribhav Kapaganti, 16, from Mumbai, was part of the pilot study and found it “fun and educational" to play.
“I usually think that the vocabulary I use is quite inclusive; I don’t use any words that are derogatory or insulting. But unknowingly or accidentally I might use words that could hurt someone. But the game Say This, Not That! taught me certain words that I can use and others I shouldn’t,” he says.
Surprise! Surprise! is a collaborative game where players stockpile cards about disability and inclusion under fact or misconception.
For example, there are cards with statements such as “Disabled people give birth to disabled children” and “Wheelchair users can’t drive cars”, and players need to decide whether it is true or false.
Barriers Begone! is a matching card game wherein players need to identify appropriate solutions to a specific barrier faced by a person of determination, with the help of clues. As an example, the “Difficulty in reading words” card can be matched with the solution “Magnified words”. The solution cards explain the concept they are proposing in some detail, too.
The other three games include a Housie-like game called Inclusion Bingo, an UNO-like game called Do you Know?, and a memory game called Hear, Hear.
Towards Inclusion fosters sensitivity around disability, while the win-lose formula makes it as thrilling as any other competitive game.
Creative solution
Sahni believes the best way to spread a message of inclusion is through games, plays or films because the average person is attracted to creative pursuits, she says.
“It’s a non-threatening way of reaching out to people. It’s about storytelling, and telling a different story from the one you know. We’re trying to change perceptions, but nobody will listen if we are not interesting.”
She says that as the majority of the population is non-disabled and most decisions are taken by them, it becomes imperative to be aware about the possibilities for people of determination.
“Not knowing the complete story about [differently abled] persons leads to them being discriminated against. [The differently abled] are like anyone else, in that every person has some capabilities. Keeping oneself aware, knowledgeable and informed makes one more inclusive and a better person.”
Towards Inclusion kit costs 1,500 Indian rupees ($20), plus shipping. Trinayani also conducts online workshops for 5,500 rupees for schools all over the world; trinayani.org
