March 21, 2019
For a natural, biological process, the myths and misinformation around
periods many. They act as barriers, preventing girls and women from access to
an education or even life-saving information. Now, just imagine how harder it
gets for those with visual disabilities.
So, when you watch a video of 16-year-old Meeta* (not her
real name) explain what menstruation is all about with the help of a tactile
apron, you are witnessing a game changing moment, and not just for girls and
women.
Enabling this change is a toolkit called As We Grow Up
developed by the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council
(WSSCC) in partnership with Indian Institute of
Technology-Delhi, Centre of Excellence in Tactile
Graphics, Saksham Trust, and the Noida Deaf
Society.
The toolkit consists of a tactile book, a facilitators’ manual, a tactile
apron, an audio book, an EPUB – and a video in Indian Sign Language. All of
these are in Hindi and English. The Hindi version is called Jaise Hum Badhte
Hain.
The idea says Kamini Prakash, Former Technical
Officer, Equality and Non-Discrimination, WSSCC is to break the
silence around menstruation. Since 2012, the WSSCC has supported the
government of India in integrating menstrual hygiene management in various
health programs.
In 2015, the spotlight came on vulnerable groups that are invisible to policy
makers and this was followed up with consultations on how to reach out to
them.
It was then that we understood the importance of developing accessible
materials on menstrual hygiene management for persons with visual and
hearing impairments. In 2016 we held focus group discussions on
menstruation and the following year we identified partners who could help
us to develop appropriate tools. – Kamini Prakash,
Technical Officer, Equality and Non-Discrimination, WSSCC
An estimated 336 million women and girls menstruate every month in India.
Only 52% girls know about menstruation before they get their periods, while
45% think that it’s abnormal. “Imagine how much more difficult it is for
a visually impaired or deaf girl in a remote village facing her first
period”, points out Prakash.
The toolkit uses interesting and varied ways, like a tactile book with
diagrams with explanations in Braille. The tactile graphics have been printed
using 3D on thermoform sheets. The book looks at physical changes during
puberty, and phases of the menstrual cycle. What is refreshing is that it
looks at men and women.
“The kit shows how periods are a physical process and those days can be
managed with the use of sanitary pads”, says Dr Preeti
Khanna, who is with the NAB. “It talks about the importance of
washing properly to prevent infections and it tells them that physical
changes are happening with boys as well. They don’t know this and they
often ask questions like ‘why does this happen only to us?’
In 2018, WSSCC and Saksham Trust conducted five regional training
workshops for 250 trainers from organizations working with visually
impaired people. They were given the books to use in their communities. A
follow-up on one-third of the trainers found they had used the materials to
reach out to 4,748 visually impaired girls.
Among the trainers who attended the workshop was Ketna Dhirajlal
Sutaria from NAB, Rajkot, Gujarat. “I learned such useful and
extraordinary things, even facts about periods which I didn’t know
before!”.
Uttarsha, a trainer with Dalit Sangh in
Madhya Pradesh, says the toolkit is very useful. “We used it at a workshop
and it was quite effective. Now that we have been trained, we will surely
take it forward”.
The books have also been shared at national-level capacity building
programmes. “We just held a training program with various states using the
material with teacher-educators, including men”, says Anupam
Ahuja, Professor, NCERT (Department for Groups with Special
Needs. “There is a larger culture of silence and that is evident
across the board. During our session for instance, there was a hushed silence
among men when menstruation came up because they see it as a woman’s
issue”.
This larger culture of silence cannot be tackled with accessible materials
alone, says Ahuja, but this is a major step forward. “We must also remember
that this culture of silence is not peculiar to us. I got similar reactions
when I presented the toolkit at a Save the Children event in Indonesia
recently”.
The fact that such an initiative has finally happened is a great sign, says
Ruma Roka, Founder, Noida Deaf Society, which was behind the
Indian Sign Language video. “We are going beyond education and skilling to
look at building greater awareness and information about basic life skills.
What we need to look at is targeting villages and here technology alone is
not enough. It has to be delivered through a human approach which will take
time but will surely happen”.
To watch the ISL videos of As We Grow Up, click here:
As We Grow Up: About Menstruation –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53Gmo_47XXA
Jaise Hum Badhte Hain –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW-rI4V8xCU
ALSO READ:From
menstrual hygiene to banking, vital info in tactile form now available in
some Mumbai blind schools
Source: https://newzhook.com/story/21724
