A Summary of the Proposed Research

Special Education Services 

Provided to students with Disabilities in a Tibetan Refugee Residential Rehabilitation Center in India: A Case Study

www.karunahome.org

First of all, I’m going to Karuna Home.
Karuna Home is a rehabilitation and residential
center for Tibetan refugees with disabilities in
Bylakuppe, India.
This field study will describe:
1. Services provided.
2. The residents’ characteristics and
disabilities.
3. Intended learning outcomes.
4. Curriculum and instruction.
5. Training of the staff.
6. Attitudes about disability within the cultural context.

Background, Significance, and Review of Literature

  •People are leaving Tibet—and many are coming to India—because of the “extremism of Chinese politics” including an excessive involvement in religion, culture, economy, etc. (Dhussa, 2009, p. 3).

  •McConnel (2011) reported a generally good working relationship, but also noted that “interactions between the GoI and the TGiE vary considerably across India, with relations generally being more cordial in Karnataka than in the Himalayan states” (p. 300).

  •Karuna Home is located in the state of Karnataka, and therefore is in an area where GoI is working well with TGiE. 

Special Education in India

• Every child has the right to education in India according to the country’s 86th Amendment of the Constitution (Banerjee, 2004).
• “…not more than 4 percent of children with disabilities have access to education” (NCER, 2005p. 8).
• Schools are usually private for people with disabilities.  They have some government funding sometimes.
• Inclusion is very new and access is given usually to only those with very mild disabilities. Successful special education occurred when private schools designed vocational curriculum and ran on the belief that individuals with disabilities can take an active role (Vakil, Welton, & Khanna, 2002).

Barriers to Special Education    

•Addlakha (2007) asserted: “Instead of giving rights to citizens with disabilities and empowering them, a culture of charity and welfare has been systematically promoted in India since the colonial period” (p. 111).

• Lack of Trained Personnel
• Doctors, teachers, other service providers
• Persons with Disabilities Act 1995
• No mandates/accountability like IDEA.  “Promote,” “Help,” “Encourage”
• Family Responsibility
• Negative Attitudes

Karuna Home

òBuilt in 2004.

òBylakuppe, Karnatakaà South India near Tibetan refugee settlements
òNo clear criteria on how Karuna accepts residents.

òAdministered by Geshe Lama Khube Rinpoche.
òGeshe Jangchup Phelgye and a team of dedicated Tibetans, both salaried and volunteers, fill the roles of teachers, caregivers, supervisors and cooks (http://www.karunahome.org/).

Individuals at the Center

• 26 individuals with disabilities, ages 11-30
• Dyslexia, cerebral palsy, visual impairment, autism spectrum disorder, psychomotor impairment, intellectual disabilities, physical disabilities, seizure disorders, etc.

www.karunahome.org

www.karunahome.org

Care at the Center

òDaily living assistance

òYoga instruction

òTraditional Tibetan oil massages

òPhysical therapy

òSpecial education

òExercise

òDaily Living, toilet training, self-care, health care, dental, gynecological, fitting for calipers

òSpeech therapy,music therapy,

òEnglish studies

òTailoring studies

òPrayer, chanting

Research Question
What are the policies, procedures, and staff attitudes toward disability in a residential
rehabilitation center for children of Tibetan refugee parents in India that provides special
education services for residents with disabilities?

References

This is it

This post has nothing to do with Michael Jackson.

I am very happy to have all of my items of business winding down.  Tomorrow is the day I defend my adult person prospectus to my committee.  I feel as prepared as I can, though I still do not feel prepared.  It will be such a thrill to have the meeting over, even if it means my prospectus is rejected.  I love to see things like this just, well, end.

A million thoughts rushed to my head last night about my impending doom with the prospectus.

1. Do I have a projector in the room I'll be presenting in?
2. How can I get the assent form completed for the application to the IRB?
3. Which references do I include in the IRB?
4. What the heck do I wear at a "defense?" I feel like I need a helmet and knee pads or something.
5. Where do the copies of my IRB go?

Getting Vaccinated

Well, this certainly has been a learning experience I will never forget.  In retrospect, I remember the feelings I had back in January of, "How. Will. I. Do. This?"  I felt so afraid about 90% of the time.  Teaching full time (and it's only my second year), while attending graduate classes and this field study prep course, not to mention writing a new literature review, TERRIFIED me.  I remember mapping out in my head how to allocate time for all of my routines and thinking, "Some of my crazy routines will have to die for this new class."  I wasn't prepared to commit to being at BYU every single day after work, and I really didn't want to make the commitment; I felt like I could not make the commitment--that it wasn't humanly possible.  I was seriously planning out time where I would be able to breathe thinking, "Crap, well I guess I can't breathe anymore on Tuesdays."  Okay well I did it.  Here I am, and it's over, and I did it. I know it's only the beginning in some ways, but I'm passed the beginning at least?  That's good. Back in January when I planned out times for me to shower, dress, brush teeth, and eat breakfast within the same 6 minutes, I actually had no idea what was ahead of me.  I grossly underestimated what would be required of me and what I'd be able to accomplish. I know I must attribute my strength, perseverance, and actually just plain miraculous events to "divine intervention," my students, my professors, and my family (thank you, Father & Mother Barnes and Dr. Barnes!).  I'm not as "big" as this final project implies, it's simply just miracles that carried me through this semester.  This sounds sort of like a speech for a big cause or something, or like my dying words, but honestly I thought I was going to die!

Here's the great news: I lived and I have the final product I thought impossible.  That's lucky and wonderful and I'm grateful for all of the support I've had and hope I'm able to produce more work that will benefit the people I love, the people that carry me through each sad and scary time.  I am truly determined to pay it forward, especially to my beautiful students, including the students in Bylakuppe.  I'm thrilled that I'll see them soon and learn from their examples.

I just feel lucky, and perhaps a little too proud.  I'm grateful.

And I hope the defense goes.  I don't even care if it goes well or bad, I just want it to "go."

Proposal Insights

Finally, my proposal is complete...for the most part.  I presented my proposal yesterday to classmates, and it was an informative experience.  It was another good practice run for my prospectus defense (scheduled for Monday!) in terms of knowing how to pace myself and read body language on which topics need clarification without having to ask questions.  It was also a unique experience to practice presenting my project and my specialty, special education, in an interdisciplinary way.  Since class a few weeks ago, I've been quite proactive about making my research more interdisciplinary because I want it to extend to many fields and be readable and interesting to different professionals.  I've come to the conclusion that being interdisciplinary=helping more people.

becoming interdisciplinary

The biggest feedback I received on my proposal presentation was that I need to make it more clear whether or not I will be implementing an intervention with the actual residents at the home.  This answer to this is: I will not.  I will simply be providing a thick description of the current situation at Karuna Home and participant observing to determine capability levels and instruction while volunteering at Karuna.  So this is something I need to adjust in my (a) presentation, (b) prospectus, (c) IRB application, and (d) ISP proposal.  Something I've found rather annoying through this process of being a graduate student with a prospectus and a student in an international study prep course is making sure all changes happen on all documents.  There are so many!

Overall, I'm happy to see the progress being made in my project.  I'm only getting closer to a real product, which is exciting.  I've spent all of my time researching literature and methods, and a little time was reserved for cultural research, but now I really get to dive deeper into the actual location I'm going to in more logistical ways.  Here's a better way of saying that sentence: it's time to pack.  I can picture the trip as something real now, which only adds motivation.  Before it was too overwhelming to seriously expect myself to write a prospectus, proposal, IRB app, fellowship app, and so on in addition to going to a foreign country and actually carrying out my plans.  Now that I've completed a lot of the big steps, I can face the bigger picture with more reasonable anxiety and excitement.
Proposal complete.