This First Of Its Kind Supermarket In Mumbai Is Run By Children With Special Needs

According to 2019 figures, there are around 7.8 children living in India with some kind of disability.

While these are the official figures, NGOs and activists working in this field say the real number is much higher.

According to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) children with disabilities ¡°include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis¡±.

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Suffering in silence

Due to stigma and the lack of awareness in society, do not even get a chance to education and dignified life.

2019 "State of the Education Report for India: Children with Disabilities" stated that 75% of the children with disabilities at the age of five years and one-fourth between 5-19 years do not go to any educational institution.

Mumbai-based Urja Special School is one of the many organizations working in this field and trying to train children with disabilities to integrate with society.

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Earlier this month Dr. Mihir Parekh and Pooja Parekh, the couple who runs the Urja Special School opened the first of its kind supermarket in Mumbai, run entirely by children with special needs.

Trained to run a supermarket

"It has been more than three weeks since Urja Supermarket was opened to the public. The kids are still getting trained in running the store and things are picking up. This is not in terms of sales, because as of now that is not our motive," Dr. Mihir Parekh told Indiatimes.

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Dr. Parekh, a child psychologist and special educator with more than a decade of experience has been running Urja Special School wanted to open the supermarket for years, but the pandemic forced it to be delayed till now.

"Urja Supermarket is an extension of our school activities. We also run a vocational training programme for our kids. This started from the thought of what is next for them once the kids complete their education. As part of this, we give them training in shop management, cooking, baking, office management and computer," Dr. Parekh explained.

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The children at Ujra school include those with autism, Down syndrome, intellectual disabilities, slow learners, and learning difficulties. Around 15 of them have now been trained to run the day-to-day activities in the supermarket. They are also assisted by a therapist or the store manager.

The supermarket deals mostly with FMCG items, some organic products, and some gift items.

Letting the learn new skills

"We want to train them according to their skill levels. At the store, when a customer walks in they have to be on their tows and deal with complete strangers. This will help them identify their own skills, become independent and make them feel that can also give some contributions to society," he said.

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The store, Dr. Parekh says has given the parents and the children a new hope and direction in life.

"They are full of enthusiasm and are waning to learn something other than what they have learned till now from the books. They are highly motivated to come to the store every day to learn something new. Most importantly, they are getting to meet and interact with new people. Until now they were only meeting their teachers and friends at school, but now they have an opportunity to meet total strangers, greet them with a smile and assist them in shoping" Dr. Parekh elaborated.

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Parents should accept the reality

A large number of children with special needs do not get the care or medical support due to the lack of awareness and the parents' unwillingness to accept the fact that their child is different.

According to Dr. Parekh, it is very important for the parents to accept the child's condition that running from one doctor to another hoping to hear what they want to hear.

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"It is also important to show good therapy compliance. In case any other assessments are needed, that should be conducted, and if the therapist says that the child needs a special setup and not the regular schooling that should be accepted and practiced," he said.

He also said that parents should educate themselves in terms of the child's condition, and what future they can plan for the child when they are no longer around.

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