The Structure
The Colombo Centre for Special Education is managed by a Board which meets each month. The Board members also keep in regular contact with each other in between formal meetings on operational matters, this takes into consideration that the demands made for support by the 'students' of the centre do not always fit into the preplanned programme, unlike a regular school.
The day to day operations of the Centre are currently supervised by a Board Appointed Steering Committee (BASC) of three Board members. The BASC meet once a week or as required, and also communicate through daily logs and email. All board members work for the CCSE on a purely voluntary basis.
The management is supported by an Accountant and a part time Administration Officer, who are responsible mainly for non-therapeutic, support activities of the Centre.
The Centre is staffed with a mix of personnel, permanent, part-time and volunteers. All help with the programme which is designed to give as much individual attention to each student as is possible. The permanent staff is a paid cadre of eight persons.
Part time support is mainly in the form of specialized therapists, hired for Speech therapy, Occupational therapy, Physiotherapy, Behavioral modification techniques, Dancing, as well as Drama therapy and Computer instruction. The staff consists of four experienced teachers who are individually placed in charge of different workstations each catering to an occupational activity. In the recent past it has been found that communication through music, dance and drama therapy seem to have more fruitful results, and so, these avenues are being pursued. A team of volunteers who operate on a part time basis (depending on their individual availability) supports the staff. They assist in the day to day activity at each workstation.
The students are also given exposure in other fields of activity depending on their individual capabilities and interests such as Art, Creative handicraft, Physical Training, Sports, Carpentry, Sewing and Scouting.These are catered to in the daily plan for each of them.
It is also pertinent to mention that there are no persons professionally qualified in ‘Special needs’ in either the staff or management. Professionals are hired as and when required. The CCSE is also very fortunate to be associated with Dr. Mrs. Nimal Markar who, as a honourary consultant visits the Centre twice a year when she is in Sri Lanka from the UK.
“Dr T N Markar offers an honorary Consultancy service to the Centre on a regular basis. Dr Markar is a retired consultant psychiatrist in the UK with nearly 25 years experience in mental health. She was a consultant Psychiatrist for nearly 15 years before retiring from full time work in the National Health Service (UK). She has dual training in Learning Disability and old age psychiatry.
Her special expertise lies in the diagnosis and Management for mental disorders including dementia, and behavioral disorders in people with learning disability. She has several publications in peer reviewed journals on developing services for people with learning disability. Dr Markar is currently working as a second opinion doctor for the Care Quality Commission in the UK, on a part time basis. She lives in the UK but comes to SL frequently to do voluntary work both in our Centre and elsewhere in Colombo”
Student Development Strategies
To a professional the work at The Centre may at first glance seem unconventional. Student development programmes are structured according to individual needs and implemented in small groups rather than large open plan classrooms. Programmes are not overly regimented and neither are they loose ended. Professional therapists and experts are brought in as Advisors, for 'one-on-one' consultations with parents, for student assessments or for staff training. The teaching staff and volunteers are there only to facilitate programmes and guide and encourage students.
Expression through art
Creativity is an attribute that may not always distinctly be visible and need not necessarily be related to each individual's degree of intelligence or intellectual prowess. We believe that creativity in the case of our students is generally inherent and any effort to increase their creative aptitude through instruction could be counterproductive. The teaching methodology in the art room is to allow a student to use any art materials of his choice. The student is allowed to decide on the subject he would like to draw. The teacher stands by only to encourage and appreciate.
The results have been most dramatic. There is an unbelievable demonstration of enthusiasm by the students and an equally unbelievable use of colour combinations, art forms and expression in the work produced. Exceptional works of art are kept aside for use in the designing of Greeting cards or are framed and presented for sale at the annual ‘Sale of Work’
Speech Therapy
Most of the students have speech impediments in some form or other. Some are unable to articulate language at all. There are others who are considered near normal. Some have varying degrees of speech deficiency. The most common causes being hearing impairment and neurological disorder. The centre has the services of a visiting speech therapist, who gives individual attention, as required, on a case-by-case basis. The specialist frequently assesses all students and their programmes are changed according to their individual progress and needs. All formal speech therapy sessions are conducted on a 'one-on-one' basis.
Non- formal speech therapy sessions
are carried out by our staff and volunteers at group discussions. The topics at these discussions are usually made controversial and debatable in order to draw students into discussions and encourage them to speak freely. This technique has brought out some amazing results where students with limited vocabulary get drawn into conversation.
Student counseling
some of the common stress factors among students are;
Sexual Frustrations
Being ridiculed
Their inability to differentiate between what is right and wrong
Dealing with disagreements with parents
Inability to express themselves coherently
In such situations they would either tend to show anger and aggression or be remorseful or depressive. The senior staff members at the centre are trained to identify such students and immediately take charge of the student to counsel. The student is encouraged to confide, and the teacher functions as a 'good listener' to his problems. This technique has shown noticeable improvement in the behaviour of some of the students who are known to be 'difficult' and has helped others who simply need someone to talk to. Extreme cases are referred to a qualified therapist and remedial actions are confidentially suggested to parents or guardians.
Development of fine motor skills is encouraged through sewing, handicraft and carpentry. Students sit with volunteers and actively participate in making items for the end of the year sale of work: an event that our students eagerly look forward to.
Items that are made for the sale include:
Cloth wall hangings, bags, and cloth rugs.
Stationery items such as note pads and envelopes.
Recycled greeting cards.
Stools, benches, coconut shell spoons, napkin holders and chopping boards made in the carpentry section.
Fridays are set-aside for singing & dancing. There is time for a Sing-Along accompanied by volunteers on the piano and violin, additionally lively music is played off CDs to dance to. All teachers, volunteers and students join in. Music and especially dancing to music is another striking area of creative self-expression. Those who wish to sing solo are allowed to do their ‘thing’ and the floor is open to those who like to dance. Most display a good sense of rhythm and those who don’t just enjoy the action.
Computer training - for our students is a social responsibility project of the Gateway School of Computing. All students are given individual attention, a minimum of 2 hours computer time per week with a qualified and trained instructor in attendance. They are free to try their hand at computer games, drawing or simply experiment depending on their individual skills and aptitudes. The level of interest and enthusiasm shown by the students is equal to that of the Art section.
Students Admission
Students come from varying socio- economic backgrounds with the majority from low and middle -income families. The Centre is, and has always been, open to all segments of society. Student admission is not based on ethnicity, mother tongue or religion, but rather on careful case by case assessment. The final decision being based on whether the Centre could significantly contribute to enhancing the quality of life of the candidate in question.
Student's calendar
The Centre is open 5 days a week, Monday to Friday and closed on all statutory and public holidays,
The Centre day begins at 8.30 am and ends at 1.00 pm
The Centre does not operate during the accepted school vacations in April, August and December each year.
Person Centered Plan
A goal driven plan for each student is set out at the beginning of each term. This is done in consultation with Professionals and the teaching staff, following a review of progress made by each student. Each student is assigned 2 - 3 hrs a day to a different workstation or activity. A separate time allocation is made for students needing time with a visiting therapist. Each workstation is assigned a volunteer worker, and is supervised by a senior staff member.
The Beneficiaries - Are the Students of the Centre
The student cadre is 32 (20 full time and 12 part time). They are all male, adults (ages ranging from 22 to 69) and have varying degrees of disability.
As medically categorized.
Autism
Cerebral Palsy and Neurological Disorders
Down's Syndrome,
Specific learning disabilities caused by development delay
The severity of the disorder varies with each individual. A broad description is as follows:
50% can understand instructions if the explanation is tailor made.
30% can only be understood after much observation and familiarity is developed between student and instructor.
85% have not yet been able to grasp the basics of reading and writing.
40% have yet to develop the ability to use their fingers for ‘fine’ actions like buttoning and sewing, shaving and combing etc.
On the positive side
80% enjoy working in the creative Arts section
70% enthusiastically wait for their turn in the computer section
50% love Sporting Activities.
90% love Cricket.
100% love Music and Dancing