Being a parent of a child with disabilities, my perspective on life has changed dramatically. I have a child who struggles, but at the end of each challenge is new learning. His positivity, perseverance and grit inspires all of us and pushes us to appreciate and celebrate all victories, however big or small. Yuvraj finds ways of staying connected with his friends and family and today has a full social calendar. Yuvraj continues to surprise us daily as he navigates new situations. Today, we’re so proud that Yuvraj’s love for cooking has translated into him being a part of the Gateway canteen! Yuvraj and a few of his peers are making delicious, vegetarian organic meals that are available for our students and team.

As parents of a young adult with needs, our constant fear is how will he cope after us. With Yuvraj, our focus has always been on helping him build skills that will allow him to navigate his day-to-day life. Academics was never at the forefront. Today, Yuvraj looks forward to his academic classes. He has been appearing for his NIOS exams. Yuvraj is now comfortable in test settings navigating new faces at the exam centre – he’s using the strategies he has learned to help overcome his anxiety. This in itself is a huge accomplishment for us. Moreover, Yuvraj’s results have blown us away – to see Yuvraj answer questions confidently has once again shown us the skills he has learned and developed over the years. I have always believed in the power of therapies – the right intervention as early as possible is key. And today, we are seeing the results of all that hard work Yuvraj and we have put in through his life.

In 2001, when Yuvraj was barely two years old, he was diagnosed with epilepsy, cerebral palsy, global delays and mental retardation. Our family was devastated, but we refused to give up and quickly decided to try and do all that was possible, even if it meant making only an iota of a difference to our son’s life. Having heard about modern-day therapies and the hope that it holds, we decided to move to the U.S. to provide our son with expert therapeutic intervention. During this time, we were fortunate to meet and work with a team of dedicated and caring experts that helped change our son’s life. Seeing his dramatic progress over nine years, our team of therapists believed that moving Yuvraj back to India and reuniting him with his extended family would provide him with continuous and varied opportunities for interaction which would further help in developing his emotional and social skills.

As we returned to India in 2009, I was aware of the fact that there was much room for improvement in the field of special education and related services in our country. I was disappointed to learn that the gap between the services available here and the establishments we had worked with in the U.S., in terms of the quality of expertise, infrastructure and attitudes, was just so huge! This is when we felt that there was a desperate need for change in special education and related services field in India, and this need inspired our family to take up the responsibility of establishing The Gateway School of Mumbai. My in-laws – Yuvraj’s doting grandparents – with their invaluable contribution and support set up Keshavlal V. Bodani Education Foundation to reach out to and support other children with needs by providing them with the same quality special education and therapeutic services in Mumbai, that their grandson Yuvraj was so fortunate to receive in the U.S.

At Gateway-Mumbai, teaching begins with observation. Focus is always placed on a child’s strengths, and individualized educational plans are created based on data and observations to ensure each child gets the optimal support to reach their goals. We focus on what a child can do and start from there. We also believe in the power of group learning and always have our learners in age-appropriate groups. Furthermore, we have successfully created an environment characterized by trust and respect, and most importantly joy. An environment that reflects great faith in each child’s capabilities. We have been mindful in creating a physical environment that functions as a teacher in itself and is highly conducive to students’ learning and development. We hope that Gateway is an extension of a child’s home. We emphasize the parent-school partnership and work closely with each family to help our students reach their full potential. And we’re excited and proud of the journey our learners are on!