Difficulties in Working Memory and its impact on learning – was an online session conducted by SERPA on 18th January 2020 by Bridget Wren, South Africa. The session was attended by over 60 professionals. The session looked into the identification of challenges related to working memory, strategies to be used in the classroom and demonstration of activities. It was an extremely insightful session.
World Braille Day is observed on January 4. This year SERPA made a small video on the importance of braille was made and circulated in SERPA grp and our social media as part of awareness on World braille day. You may access the videos here: Link
The first SOC of SERPA was started with a Case Study presentation by Ms Pavithra on 2 February 2020 at Kormangala, Bangalore, wherein she had discussed the growth path and what it took to achieve the goals for a student at grade 8 over the years. This was followed by discussions by members of SERPA. This informal gathering and exchange of idea was attended by 27 members and was a face-to-face interaction.
Board wise Exemptions – ICSE, CBSE, IGCSE, IB organized by SERPA as an online session. This was a session that was repeated due to demand from the community. It was conducted on 23 rd February 2020. It was to inform and educate special educators and parents about various exemptions that are made available by various education boards, both, Indian and International. The various education boards covered were ICSE, CBSE, IGCSE, IB by Ms. Lakshmi Narasimhan, Ms Girija Vemaraju and Ms. Pooja Sood. The session was attended by 65 people.
Stages of play was an online session conducted by SERPA on 15th March 2020. Ms Priya Sandeep threw light on Play therapy and how it helps children. The session focussed on using play as a therapy form to remediate. The workshop was extremely insightful and was packed with a lot of information. It was very detailed and thorough and also included case studies. The session was attended by 33 people.
For International Wheelchair Day on March 1, 2020, SERPA took to the streets. The International Wheelchair Day was observed by calling out people using wheelchairs as well as well-wishers for a rally. This impromptu event gathered a lot of attention and we had close to 500 people participating in the rally with 300 wheelchair users from varied backgrounds, geographic locations and ages. It was flagged by none other than Ms Malathy Holla. The march was authorised by the city traffic and Forest departments. It received media coverage as well. Our request for making footpaths and roads wheelchair friendly was highlighted in all the media. The second SOC of SERPA was held at Basvangudi, Bangalore on 8th March 2020. The session had a case study presentation by Ms Kalpana followed by a discussion on NIOS. This informal gathering was attended by 27 members and was face-to-face interaction.
Every year March 21 is considered World Down’s Syndrome Day. As Covid 19 infection numbers increased in India during this period, we took to the online platform for creating and spreading awareness. A short video on Down’s Syndrome was circulated on social media. You may view the same here: Link
Autism Awareness Month was celebrated by kick-starting on 1st April 2020. Posters by members were posted on groups, Facebook, Twitter accounts of SERPA. The same was posted on YouTube and Facebook by making short videos.
2020 March was celebrated as Stress awareness month and SERPA conducted various activities online to drive the stress out of Special educators and rehabilitation specialists. As the onset of Covid lockdown had begun and the stress on the educators had increased, we organised weekly activities to reduce stress for the people who work in this space and are committed to it. These activities included Zentagle, Art journaling, doodling etc. Close to 30 participants took part in our De- stressing activities every week, which helped them take time for themselves and engage in activities that they enjoyed. These stress-free activities also helped us showcase that online sessions can be made enjoyable, fun, and creative. An online Journaling session was conducted by Ms Vasundhara on 12th April 2020. Ms Ruthika took us through a Multimodal Session on 22nd April 2020. The interaction between members who attended both the sessions continued to post the sessions and was facilitated using a telegram group created specifically for this. The event saw participation by more than 60 members.
The live interview with Dr Nandini Mundkur on Global Developmental delay awareness day on May 1, 2020, was a perfect way to initiate awareness and sensitize people. An hour-long interview gave us a peek into her knowledge and experience in GDD. She shared her experiences and also shared updates on the trending therapies. The tips that were shared on working with the parents of children with GDD were practical. The session was attended by 60 members.
Mr Aditya of Umoyo Sports, Mumbai conducted an Online session on Sports for Special Needs on 24th May 2020. The session discussed the importance of sports, planning of sports activities and differentiation of activities based on the needs of the child. The interactive session discussed case studies and videos of activities were shown. The session was attended by 53 people.
The third SOC event of the year 2020 was an online session conducted on 28th June 2020. The topic of discussion was Sensory Integration. Ms Priti Parekh presented a case study which was followed by a discussion amongst attendees. It was a fruitful session enriching the participants. This session was attended by 32 people.
The fourth SOC event of the year 2020 was an online session conducted on 19th July 2020. The topic of discussion was Remote Offline Classroom. This was a brainstorming session to look into how to provide support to children affected by the pandemic. This session was attended by 65 people. This session led to SERPA launching the Remote Classroom Initiative – A program that helped us reach out to NGOs and schools in upcountry locations and share skills-based workbooks, training for teachers etc.
A session on Biomedical intervention by Dr Shilpa Rao, our Advisory board member on 26th July 2020, was attended by 29 people including International Participants. Biomedical looks at the root cause of the disorder. It helps improve a child’s health and helps with anxiety, sensory issues and attention issues. The session helped participants understand what Biomedical intervention is and the role it plays in helping children on the spectrum.
A session by Ms.Jayashree Rajanhally, our Advisory board member on 23rd August 2020, which was attended by 63 people including International Participants was something that will remain in our memory for a long. The session looked into the Theory of Perception, identification and remediation strategies to be used in the classroom.
The fifth SOC event of the year 2020 was an online session conducted on 13th September 2020. The topic of discussion was Down Syndrome – a parent/special educator’s perspective. This session included information on down syndrome, strategies were discussed amongst participants. This session was attended by 42 people.
20th September 2020 saw a session on BrainGym by Ms Arveen Singh. 27 participants were present. This was an Introductory session on brain gym and how the movements help children with needs. This session involved practical movements and short videos on BrainGym activities
SERPA organised a session with Mrs Rukmini Krishnamurthy (Fondlyaddressed as Mrs K) on Cerebral Palsy Day on May 6th. She not onlyshed light on the CP but also spoke about the length of work pending in this field. The growing need to build our resources and equip our society to become inclusive was also discussed. Together as a special educator community, we could make our society a better place for people with CP was her message. The session was attended by 75 members.
Understanding anxiety in students and strategies to build resilience was a session by Dr Ali Khwaja, our Advisory board member. It was held on 18th October 2020 and was attended by 41 participants. It was an interactive session on anxiety, causes and effects, the importance of social skills and empathy and strategies to develop the same.
Understanding Low Vision was a session by Ms Shanthala Somayaji held on 29th November 2020 as a part of Serpa Over Cupp a where she discussed various case studies and the work done with Children with Special Needs. The session was attended by 25 members
Inclusion Best practices in the Indian context was a session by Dr. Richard Rose, the University of Northampton that was held on 11th July 2021. Dr Rose spoke on Inclusion in India and shared his insights based on his work in India. The session was attended by 40 members.
A session on Linking Assessment to Practice was conducted by Dr Vijaya Raman, St John’s Institute Bangalore. This was conducted on 17th January 2021. The session gave insight into how special educators and teachers can interpret and link the findings in reports to classroom ongoings. The session was attended by 82 members.
The International Day of Disability on December 3rd 2020 was celebrated through an online campaign – “I am who I am and I embrace myself “ video on inclusion. The online campaign saw not only our very own celebrities from this field but also became inclusive when many celebrities including musicians and people from movie industries, sports etc pitched in to spread the word. It was heartening to see videos from children who enthusiastically participated in the campaign and posted their videos. Volunteers from Smileys helped us plan and execute the campaign.