Amanpreet Kaur: A pioneer in spcial education, who made it to National Trust

Aparna Banerji

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Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 24

When her son was three-and-a-half-year-old, she like lakhs of other parents with special children, didn’t know, which school to send him or whether there was an institution in Punjab for children like him.

Amanpreet Kaur, who is a member of the Jalandhar-based Chanan Association for MR children, has been elected as a member of the board of the National Trust for the welfare of persons with autism and other multiple disabilities.

A mother of two, today she is a pioneer in the field of special education, a woman with many firsts to her credit, including ensuring advocacy and empowerment for the rights of children with special abilities. Her 19-year-old specially-abled son Supreet Fateh Singh is the light of her life.

Amanpreet’s sole aim in her past years was to empower other parents so that they didn’t face the dilemma that she did. She was among the eight members of the board of the National Trust, who were elected on Friday (April 22). Of the eight members of the National Trust board, two are from Punjab, including Amanpreet Kaur and Guriqbal Bedi, and one each from Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Manipur and Bihar.

Amanpreet Kaur, 44, said, “When Supreet was born, parents had miniscule information about children with special abilities. I was no different. I was clueless, so were my relatives. We searched schools across cities for him. I reside in Tarn Taran, but my awareness and freedom came from the Chanan Association in Jalandhar.”

“In 2013, I came in touch with Amarjit Singh Anand (Disability activist) and the Chanan Association. Anand sir told me that I will have to educate myself and find a way to bring up my child. So I did,” Amanpreet added.

Having worked for the Chanan Association for the past over five years, she was chosen member of its governing body in 2020. With her exposure to the association, she enrolled in many courses and training workshops to understand her child better.

Amanpreet is the only two of the master trainers in entire Punjab in the self-advocacy campaign and also a member of the faculty of the India branch of the US-based Keystone Institute, which works to provide independent and dignified lives to persons with disabilities.

A training in the social role valorisation (SRV) theory dramatically changed her outlook in life. Amanpreet has also been the joint state PWD coordinator for the Election Commission. Amanpreet said, “For most of their lives, parents don’t know how to treat their special children. It is only after advocacy and training that we understand it. People take special children for granted. Persons with disabilities might have behavioural limitations, but they understand everything.”

“People repeatedly call ‘these kind of children’ names as if they are a separate kind. Some parents dump them at badly managed homes 10 km away from their homes. This all promotes segregation and depresses the child. Parents themselves suffer from depression,” Amanpreet added. “I have seen many such suicides around me. Our purpose is to change all this and work for inclusion. Special children can lead independent, dignified lives if parents are trained properly,” said Amanpreet.

“In South India there are communes and group home for parents with special children. Our dream is to set up these in North India so that parents’ don’t have to worry about their children’s lives once they are gone,” Amanpreet added.

Speaking about her role with the National Trust, Amanpreet said, “I have always worked for ensuring disability certificates, UDIDs and other basic needs for parents. My goal is to ensure dignified lives for special children and educate parents to empower their kids as independent individuals, who lead lives with dignity.”