Importance of Life Skills in the education and training of the differently-abled
Life skills have been defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “abilities for adaptive and positive behavior that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life”. They represent the psycho-social skills that determine valued behavior and include reflective skills such as problem-solving and critical thinking, personal skills such as self-awareness, and interpersonal skills. Practicing life skills leads to qualities such as self-esteem, sociability and tolerance, competencies to take action and generate change, and the capability to have the freedom to decide what to do and who to be.
These are the skills that one needs, to make the most out of life. Skills that bring confidence in one’s life, motivates oneself and bring positivity and happiness in an individual’s life. Life Skills are acquired by direct experience or by teaching and helping individuals to encounter challenges or meet daily tasks in their lives. Skills that are required for well-being and aid individuals to develop into active and productive members of their communities are considered as life skills. Life skills are associated with managing and living a better quality of life. They help individuals accomplish their ambitions and live life to the fullest potential.
There exists a clear relationship between life skills acquisition and life quality. When a person’s repertoire of various life skills increases, his or her independent functioning, social competence and quality of life is also thought to increase.
Life skills are different from academic education. Leisure activities, problem solving, creative thinking, coping with stress, awareness of self and others, effective communication, critical/lateral thinking, interpersonal relationships, resilience are all part of life skills. Even smallest of skills such as driving a car, using a computer fall under ‘life skills’.
When it comes to the education of differently-abled students, life skills are generally adopted as a part of curriculum either because a student is unable to access some or all of the regular academic syllabus outcomes in a particular subject without/with adjustments or because these students need help in dealing with day to day challenges of life and emerge as confident and positive individuals.
From my interaction with members of various organizations that are working towards empowerment of differently-abled, I have learnt that almost all the organizations working for such a cause have life skills as a part of their curriculum. According to the organizations, life skills activities help in adding value to the lives of differently-abled people. They help a person stay stress free and become self-aware and confident.
Different organizations have different ways to instill these life skills in the individuals who come to these organizations to learn and find jobs. Life skill abilities are not limited or taught only to a particular age group.
During my visit to the SMART + Center, Chandigarh, I interacted with trainers and many differently-abled students. Trainers pointed out that students enjoy life skills activities the most. Activities such as skit plays, sports, dance, singing, speaking, group discussions and watching/listening to motivational content are appreciated and enjoyed by all.
Students participate in these activities and become more confident and independent thinkers. They learn to interact and work as a team. These activities help them become good speakers and listeners and perceive life with positive outlook.
Students who join the Center leave as more independent and confident individuals. They overcome the fears of interacting with someone new or of travelling by themselves. They accept their lives with happiness and find ways to bring changes and overcome their challenges. When students are shown motivational audios and videos of people who overcame challenges and how they did so, makes students feel more goal oriented and motivated.
Monica Kherwal, who has orthopedic challenge, said she likes the life skill activities the most as those activities release stress and makes her feel more confident after taking part in such an activity. Even trainers say that the activities covered under the life skills course prevent students from going into depression.
One of the organizations we spoke to over the phone mentioned that during the initial days of training, the organization teaches a visually challenged student how to find his/her way to the institute and how to travel alone. This helps the students become self-reliant and independent despite the visual challenge that they face. Studies also claim that if life skills are added in to the mix with academic skills in the education of differently-abled students, students are marginally more successful in their academics as well as in personal growth.
Focusing on and enhancing the strengths and capabilities of these individuals may offer them additional opportunities to have meaningful and pleasant participation in training institutes or in life in general, in turn bringing more positive educational outcomes. As such, by identifying activities that result in an increase in positive participation and happiness, organizations may begin to adapt and design life skill acquisition activities that lead to an improved quality of life for differently-abled students. Finally, by using quality of life indicators when designing programs, organizations may help in increasing skill acquisition, happiness, and self-determination in differently-abled individuals.
