I was invited for the Handicapped Children Centre’s Open Day and Concert a few days ago (Sunday morning) by Josephine.
She’s volunteering with the centre and told me that the children, all 63 of them, had put so much heart and soul into this open day.
I dragged Nic along that morning, knowing that yes, we could laze about on a weekend but we could also lend some support to these special children.
The Handicapped Children’s Centre is on Grove Road, just behind the State Mosque [The Handicapped Children Centre is on 24B, Grove Road, 11400 Penang]. I had been here before in my corporate comm days as my ex-company was also doing some CSR for this organisation. It is in this peaceful residential area and away from the main road. Started in 1964, the centre helps school children who are disabled, children with Down’s and children considered in need of special teaching and special teachers (such as those with autism).
You know we take things for granted? At this centre, you will be reminded that you DON’T take things for granted at all. Some of the children have difficulty concentrating, holding a colour pencil is really a challenge due to limited motor skills and limited coordination. Other children cannot communicate well and are painfully shy.
Being able to remember is a cognitive skill we always take for granted.
Not so here.
For many here, counting up to 20 or stringing 3 words in a sentence are accomplishments to be really supportive and proud of.
Besides classroom lessons, these special children are also taken out on field trips to the bank, post office and shopping malls so that they get used to people and learn how to carry out simple tasks like banking, taking a bus and shopping.
The classroom walls are decorated with paper cut-outs of birds which the children coloured and I am surprised to learn that some of these children are not children anymore (most are teens but they are just acquiring essential skills to help them adjust to society). In fact, one of the boys, Julian Au, came up to shake my hand as I was looking at their artwork. He was shy but courageous enough to extend his hand in friendship!
Having this Open Day then is a major challenge yet achievement for both teachers and students given that the students do not function like you and me. Repetition movements are difficult because they forget so easily. Being in front of a crowd of parents, well-wishers and VIP guests and making eye contact is not something these children are used to.
As I looked at the proud parents and teachers, I was deeply moved by their enthusiasm and cheers. They never gave up on their children, no matter what disability or problems they were born with.
One particularly moving performance was a Mandarin song sung by an Indian-Muslim teenager in a wheelchair. The crowd came to a hushed silence as Mohammad Yassin began singing in perfect Mandarin. He had memorised the whole song and sung with confidence! It was an emotional moment as many parents started wiping away tears.
Another girl (also in a wheelchair) came out to recite a poem “Aku Menjadi Lebih Berani”. She surprised everyone by reciting it without referring to any scribbled notes!
We sat through the 2 hours and saw the concert from start to finish. It was after all the least we could do after these children/teens had practised for 6 months to get their moves right. The dances and singing may not have been one hundred percent perfect but it was their spirit that gladdened many a heart!
When you know that memorizing a dance step or a line of a song takes so much effort and time, you begin to realize that perfection is in the motivation to accomplish for these beautiful children.
The concert was graced by the patron of the centre, the Penang Governer’s wife, Toh Puan Hajah Majimor who was accompanied by the wife of the Penang Chief Minister, Betty Chew.
It was fitting that the concert ended on a high note where each child sang Whitney Houston’s ‘The Greatest Love of All’. The lyrics were especially thought-provoking in their context.
I spoke to one teacher as I was looking at a row of meticulously hand drawn and coloured pictures of wild birds by an autistic 18 year old boy who studied at this centre. She said that once they reach 18 years of age, the children would go to Joblink, a centre that adjoins this Handicapped Children’s Centre. They are then paid to do small and easy tasks to earn a living. Most of the tasks were given by factories – inserting or packing products.
I had a great Sunday outing! And three cheers to these children too for their heartfelt performances.