Passion and Unique Experience for Special Education

Report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the

Internship Programme

Dharm Raj

22PHL 103

Dr M. Arulappan Rev. Dr T. Elphinston Kishore

External Moderator Internal Moderator

Department of Philosophy

Arul Anandar College

Karumathur, Madurai – 625 514

26th August 2024

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Passion and Unique Experience for Special Education

On of the most inspiring Saints of the Catholic church, Mother Teresa once said “Give your
hands to serve, and your hearts to love.” This very inspiring quote is really being highlighted
as this internship is service- oriented. The motivation for Choosing the particular institute for
an internship with mentally challenged people is driven by various motivations such as
passion for special education, desire to learn specialized skills, career preparation such as
career in psychology, social work, personal fulfillment to contribute meaningfully to the lives
of vulnerable individuals, empathy and compassion to develop a deeper understanding of
diverse human experiences. Social responsibility to advocate for and support the mentally
challenged individuals to achieve their full potential. Challenging and unique experience to
develop resilience, patience, and creativity in problem-solving.

This internship focuses on helping and educating the people with special need and mentally
challenged individuals. In this internship report I offer and narrate a unique and fulfilling
opportunity that makes a meaningful impact on the lives of people with special needs. This
report will engage in hands-on experiences that foster understanding, empathy, and
specialized teaching techniques that I experienced in the program. Through this internship, I
gain valuable insight into the challenges faced by individuals with mental disabilities and
learn how to effectively support their learning and development. This experience will provide
me and the readers the practical skills in caregiving, education, and communication, while
also nurturing a deeper sense of compassion and advocacy for this often-underserved special
people.

Where I did and what it does

I did my internship in the institute named St. Joseph’s Residential Special Children School
which is one of the renowned institutes that provides manual and medical care and concerned
to the people with mental deterioration. It is located at Nagamalai Pudukkottai, Madurai,
Tamil Nadu. This institute belongs to The Servants of Charity (Latin: Congregatio Servorum
a Charitate) is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men.
Members of this clerical congregation are popularly known as 'Guanelliani' (or Guanellians,
in English).

Mission of the Institute

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This institute is dedicated and provides comprehensive education and support services to
children with various disabilities, including physical, cognitive, and developmental
challenges. The organization aims to create an inclusive environment where every child can
reach their full potential. There are total thirty specially able inmates including residential and
daysscholars.This includes people with deformitites, mentally challanged, family abandonded
ones, old and sick , and orphans and semi-orphans and the like. This institute focuses on
going in search of people specially those due to their mental deterioration are neglected from
the family and the society . It works on to understand the abilities in such people spite of their
mental and physical deformities and limitations. The instiutute renders medical and
psycological treatment and provides emotional support to its members. Also it focuses on
bringing back to normal condition from their suffering trumatic situations and helps them
come out of the fear of rejection and ignorance.

Functions and activities

 It provides rehabilitation and recovery services to persons with mental illness so that
the initial intervention with drug & psychotherapy is followed up and relapse is
prevented.
 It provides schooling and boarding for the poor and destitute children. Treatment for
the mentally ill and training social activities for the youth with various curricular
activities.
 It helps in enhancing the skills of the family or caregiver in providing better support
care to the inmates.
 It helps the inmates with yoga practices and meditation daily in the morning and
evening for better living mentally and physically.
 It provides entertainment with music, dancing, and speech practices, sports training
and practices such as gardening for better environment among the inmates.
 It provides opportunity for people recovering from mental illness for successful
community living.

Achievements

This institute is being appreciated by the government of Tamil Nadu and was awarded with
the best charitable institute of Madurai. The official approval is on process.
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What I did and how I did

Handling the mentally challenged people is one of the most difficult tasks because they are
special and in order to engaged with them, we need to come down to the level of them. First
and foremost, I tried to build confidence and openness so that the students feel free and safe
with me. During this internship program I was assigned to perform a set of work directly
involving with the inmates and along with the management such as classroom assistance,
individualized education plans, physical and spiritual activities and parental engagement.

Classroom assistance was the main activities that I performed during this program. I assisted
the lead teachers in the classroom by helping with lesson planning and preparation. I also
helped in supporting the students during lessons by providing one-on-one assistance. I
involved myself in implementing behavior management strategies to create a positive
learning environment.

I contributed to the development and monitoring of individualized education plans by

observing students to assess their strengths and areas of need. Since most of the students are
slow learners because of their mental maturity it takes a lot of time to let students learn. I also
participated in the meetings with teachers, management and the caretakers to discuss student
progress and overall development. I assisted the teachers in helping the students to achieve
their goals, objectives, and progress reports.

I supported various therapeutic activities designed to enhance the students' physical,

cognitive, and social skills, such as assisting in physical therapy sessions to improve motor
skills. I conducted Yoga and meditation where the students find themselves very helpful. I
also organized some of the activities such as speaking, singing and dancing to enhance
communication abilities and remove fear complexities. I also organized some group activities
to promote social interaction and teamwork. I engaged with the management and the teachers
to provide updates on their child's progress and to offer support and resources. I also provided
feedback on students’ performance and behavior.

Problems encountered

Educating individuals with mental deterioration carries various difficulties, depending on the
nature and severity of their condition. Some common problems are given below that I
encountered:
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1. Behavioral Issues: Since there are various types of mental deterioration, the inmates
of the institute are challenged even behaviorally. Their behavior sometimes remains
mild, moderate, severe and sometimes it goes profound and is very difficult to tackle
with them. In the beginning I had fear of tackling them because I was a stranger to
them and they looked at me in wired way. Some exhibited behaviors like frustration,
anxiety, or aggression, especially when they found tasks difficult.
2. Learning Pace: The specially able people need more time to grasp concepts and may
struggle with memory or retaining information. Focusing on tasks for long periods it
was hard, leading to difficulties in staying engaged.
3. Communication Barriers: Many of the inmates struggle to express their thoughts,
understand instructions, or communicate effectively. This special people have
different ways of communication. Due to their unbalanced nervous system, they find
it hard to understand abstract concepts or solve complex problems.
4. Emotional Sensitivity: They are more sensitive to criticism or failure, which can
affect their confidence and motivation. They often require more one-on-one support,
making it challenging for teachers in larger classroom settings. Teachers and
caregivers need to adopt personalized approaches, using patience, encouragement, and
creative strategies to help them learn effectively.

What I learnt and gained

Helping and educating people with mental challenges can lead to a variety of outcomes,
experiences, and impacts that are both profound and transformative for both the individuals
being supported and those providing the assistance. There are good number of experiences I
learnt in through this program.

Outcomes

With this program I learnt and improved some life skills because individuals with mental
challenges often needed better communication, social, and daily living skills, leading to more
independence and confidence. I also enhanced my learning and teaching Abilities so that I
may achieve academic progress, even if at a slower pace, through tailored education methods,
leading to personal growth. This program also increased my self-esteem so that success in
learning and accomplishing tasks can significantly boost my self-worth and sense of
accomplishment. This program gave me a better social integration because through me the
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inmates gained new skills and became more active participants in their communities and
social settings.

Experience

I experienced a kind of personal fulfillment because working with the inmates brought me a
deep sense of purpose and satisfaction in my life. I also experienced challenges in growth of
the inmates and their behavioral issues and setbacks. This leads me to personal growth and
resilience. Emotional connections are very much important in our life and this I could
developed by seeing the trusting relationships of inmates.

Impacts

This program impacted positive changes in my lives because helping the specially able
children made a tangible difference in the quality of my life. Through this work I learnt
awareness about the needs of people with mental challenges, promoting inclusion and
understanding in society. This program also had effect in my communities because educating
and helping these individuals often positively influences our families, caregivers, and society
creating a more supportive and inclusive environment. I had few personal transformations in
my life too. This experience always fosters a deeper empathy, patience, and a broader view of
human capabilities and potential. Ultimately, helping and educating mentally challenged
individuals not only supported their development but also enriched the lives of those who
contributed to their education and care.

Conclusion

This internship program has focused on working with mentally challenged individuals and
provides a deeply rewarding experience that enhances both professional skills and personal
growth. I gain valuable insights into the unique challenges and strengths of this people while
developing specialized teaching and caregiving techniques. Beyond the technical skills, the
internship fostered empathy, patience, and emotional resilience, leaving me with a profound
sense of purpose and fulfillment. The positive impacts of the internship contributed to me
creating a more inclusive and compassionate society. The crux of the learning outcomes is
developing enhanced empathy, patience, communication, and problem-solving skills. I and
the other educators learn how to adapt teaching methods to meet diverse needs, leading to
improved social, emotional, and cognitive development in the individuals they needed. What
I learnt in this internship program can be implied in my life for my personal growth. It can be
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implied to my professional competence as I desire to become a priest to serve and help for the
upliftment of the vulnerable.

Photographic evidences