Mumbai school offers A1 facilities for special kids

While most special schools in the city are in a pitiable state, here’s a new school for children with learning disabilities that brings world-class facilities to the children.

Your child could get state-of-the-art sensory integration therapy that will improve his/her movement, improve focus and even lower anxiety. Started in partnership with the renowned Gateways School of New York, it is a first-of-its-kind international school for special children in the city.

Catering to students in the age group of three to 20, the school was started by Indira Bodani, whose two-year-old son was diagnosed with epilepsy, cerebral palsy, global delays and other complications. Since modern day therapies could not be found in the country, Bodani was forced to go to the US for her son’s treatment. On returning nine years later, she was surprised to find that even special schools in the city were quick to label her son and had primitive facilities as compared to their US counterparts.

On seeing the gap between services in the city and in similar establishments in the US — in terms of quality of expertise, infrastructure and attitudes, Bodani’s family took it upon itself to set up this school.

An interesting aspect is that it will be the first special school in the city to offer Cambridge International Examinations (CIE). “Most special schools offer the NIOS programme, but such boards are marks-oriented and do not emphasise on learning for understanding. CIE is flexible and encourages critical thinking, which is suited to the development of our children and opens up an array of career opportunities,’’ said Siamack Zahedi, head of the school.

Like its US counterpart, the school has the facility of a sensory gym, with suspended swings, rolling scooters, climbing areas, hiding places and jumping and falling areas.

Located in Chembur, the school will begin its academic year from July, while the admissions start from December 3. The fees are about Rs3 lakh per annum, nearly half of what other international schools in the city charge.