Breaking Walls of Silence – Shila Shiromani

Shila Shiromani is student of Grade 10 at Ashray Akruti School, a CAF India partner under the Give As You Earn Program. She has come a long way since she joined the school in 2008. From a hyper active girl, whose world was completely silent, today she is a young confident girl. She is attentive in the class, is able to cope with the syllabus and her teachers just cannot believe this transformation.Shila hails from a poor family from the Mahboobnagar District of Telangana. Her father works as a ward boy in a hospital and mother is a home maker. It was moment of extreme shock for the family when her parents realized that their child is completely deaf. With very little resources at hand and barely any facility for a child with disability in the area, her parents felt helpless and worried for the future of their child. Despite their challenges, the parents wished to provide the best for their child. It was through one of their friends they learnt about Ashray Akruti and the services provided by the organization. Her parents lost no time in approaching Ashray Akruti and she was enrolled in the school in June 2008. She stays in the residential facility run by the organization which allows her to access special education and other rehabilitation services away from home while staying in a safe and secure environment.

Shila has improved very well after joining Ashray Akruti. She was a hyper active girl initially not able to sit in the class or concentrate. The Special Educators in Ashray Akruti helped her overcome her problems gradually. Today she is able to concentrate, comprehend and respond to questions. She is undergoing Speech Therapy and Auditory Training with the help of which she is now able to communicate in simple sentences.

Besides academics she is a good dancer. She is getting training in dance in the School. She also loves her pre vocational classes and is good at making paper bags.

Ashray Akruti is a registered non-profit organization which works towards improving lives of people with disability and marginalized sections of society. With the funds received under Give As You Earn programme, the organisation provided academic training to children with hearing impairment through innovative ways. Also, in their residential facilities disabled children were provided nutritious meals and safe and secure environment to stay.