Protecting Rights of Children with Special Needs: An Interview with Ms Merry Barua

Abstract

Merry Barua is the founder-director of Action for Autism (AFA), the National Centre for Autism (www.autism-india.org). It is the leading autism society in India that runs a school, provides various autism-specific interventions and services along with works on awareness, advocacy, education, research, training and rehabilitation with an emphasis on life-span services. Ms Merry is an activist and a specific needs educator who has pioneered the autism movement in India and South Asia. She has over two decades of experience in working with individuals on the autism spectrum, from the functionally significantly affected to the very able, and in a range of settings. She is also a parent to a son, Neeraj, who has autism. She has also been awarded the 2015 Advocate Award from the International Society for Autism Research for 'creating the autism community in India, founding the school in New Delhi, and advocating for more positive attitudes to ASD (Autism Spectrum disorder) globally!' All the educational programs offered at AFA stem from the broad definition of education. The goal of each of the programs is to help children with autism learn to the best of his/her abilities, building on strengths and working on the difficulties. The focus of the teaching is multidimensional and encompasses all-important skill areas like communication, social understanding, play and leisure and self-care routines, amongst others. Section A: Views on the General Situation of ChildrenGurneet Kalra (GK): As an activist and an expert in dealing with differently abled children with special needs, can you share with us the trigger that got you to start working in this sector?