Amar Jyoti and a Trip to Old Delhi

This morning we visited an incredible center — the Amar Jyoti (“Eternal Light”) Rehabilitation and Research Center. Very few places like this exist in the world and to describe it fully would take awhile. Briefly (or, semi briefly), this is a multi-purpose organization that was founded by an incredible woman, Dr. Uma Tuli. What began as a school under a tree for students with disabilities who were under-served has transformed, after 38 years, into a K-8 school for 500 children, half of whom have disabilities and half of whom do not. They all take classes together out of a belief in truly inclusive education, which is still a fairly new concept in Indian schools. Dr. Tuli’s work has become a model not only in India but worldwide, and while there are few centers like it and still much work to be done to educate and advocate for a more inclusive model for teaching students with disabilities in India, her work is being recognized nationally and internationally. In addition to the school, there is a medical facility on campus that caters to both students and adults in the area. Services include physical and occupational therapy, mental health services and testing, prosthetic facilities, and primary care services. Beyond that, there is a robust vocational training center for students and some adults to help augment academic studies. The students who go to this school are lucky to be in such capable hands. The principal of the school, in her presentation, noted that her belief is that “We must not focus on what a child cannot do, but rather on what a child can do.” The leadership at the school is visionary and they work tirelessly to meet students where they are and then push them to grow.

Old Delhi

In one of the few chunks of free time we had, four of us decided to venture into a part of the city called Old Delhi. As the name suggests, this part of the city is older than other parts (ya know, New Delhi). It was founded as a walled city in the 17th century during the rule of the Mughals and it’s marked by the famous Red Fort on one end and the Jama Masjid (Mosque) on the other. According to Wikipedia, Old Delhi “was once filled with mansions of nobles and members of the royal court, along with elegant mosques and gardens. Today, despite having become extremely crowded and inundated, it still serves as the symbolic heart of metropolitan Delhi.” This description and the pictures above can do most of the explaining, so I’ll leave it at that. I’m glad we journeyed in. Tomorrow, the group is off to six different cities in India for our week at a host school. Davie and I are on our way to Pune!