Sanctuary for kids with special needs

THE S Dass School for the mentally disabled in Phoenix is a sanctuary that has impacted positively on the lives of its pupils. This is how one pupil described the school to his teachers and principal.

Gopika Dass, a member of the Dass family who founded the school, said that the words of the pupil had touched her.

“I wish that the government could do more for us in terms of funding. One father who I know of with a child who is severely autistic is struggling,” Dass said.

“He is a single father and the child needs to be accompanied everywhere, and this is a man who still needs to look for better employment.”

The school, which has around 180 pupils with special needs, was founded by the family in 1987, and works with pupils from areas north of the city centre including Inanda, KwaMashu, Ntuzuma, Duffs Road and Phoenix.

“The school offers a happy and safe environment for pupils with mental challenges. Our school is renowned for its services and competent and dedicated staff,” Dass said.

She said the school provided life management and fundamental skills that enabled pupils to become functional and skilled adults.

“This reduces the dependency on their families. The school has a fully functional autism unit that has been operational for the past two to three years. There’s nothing in these areas for autistic children. We have seen children with severe cases who have had nowhere else to go.”

She said that without funding from private companies and individuals, the school would not be able to offer the quality interventions it provided to the community.

“The skills that our pupils walk away with include beadwork, agriculture, dress making, pottery and woodwork. Without our fund-raisers we wouldn’t be able to offer extra-mural activities, which add value to the well-being of children,” Dass said.

She said the school held two major fund-raising events, an annual golf day, as well as the eLan Gold Cup.

“The golf day went well, but there are always so many charities raising funds there.”

She said the age of the school’s pupils ranged from 7 to 18, and that once they had completed their time at the school, efforts were made to place them in internships.

“We try to work with organisations that will take the pupils on as apprentices – this is also a challenge for us as there aren’t that many companies willing to take on people with mental disabilities,” Dass said.

She said that ticket sales for the eLan Gold Cup had gone well.

“With the cost of catering going up we had to increase the ticket price, but despite this, sales have gone pretty well,” Dass said.