Let's Break Down Barriers
My dream for IPS began with a vision of our first graduation in which I imagine each student beaming with pride and looking forward to bright futures. Every day, I draw upon that mental image to keep making progress. In the US, March is designated as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, a campaign that represents most of our future students. It is an opportunity to elevate the voices of differently-abled people and create awareness about the barriers they face in being seen as full contributors to society.
Here at IPS, that work never stops. We are currently crafting a curriculum that will prepare our future students for work and pave the way for employers to hire them. Our Board, a dynamic group of individuals committed to our goals, assist in every facet of our launch. All of these efforts fit into our broader goal of ensuring that our future students are fully included in our community.
These young people may have what is considered invisible disabilities. As the mother of an autistic teenager named Dhillon, I see firsthand how challenging it can be to navigate the world without other people understanding your needs. Every interaction - negative or positive - brings an opportunity to educate Dhillon about the world around him and other people about his different abilities.
Covid-19 increased our awareness of people with invisible disabilities because it forced all of us to become sensitive to their challenges due to the risk of contagion. While it is sad that it took a global pandemic to achieve that, my hope is that we will use that as a springboard to encourage the differently-abled to disclose their challenges so that we can work together toward a more inclusive environment.
I challenge you to use this month to ask a differently-abled person in your life what acceptance means to them and inquire about ways you can support them in talking about their needs. Dhillon often teaches me something that I can use to make IPS better by showing me that he can be independent and advocate for himself. We want to hear from you too so please email/DM us to let us know what you learn! Thank you and look forward to hearing from you.
– Naina Narayana Chernoff
Co-Founder/CEO
