A Journey of Inclusion: Yash Charitable Trust's Impact on Adults with Disabilities

By Sushama Nagarkar

?For as long as I can remember, I had always been concerned about the welfare of those who had 'less than.' Growing up, witnessing my grandmother dole out prasad or mithai to the sweeper or a bhaji wallah from a foot in the air because they were not to be touched was very painful. Even as a child, I believed this was just plain wrong. College was about the backbench, fighting for worker and student rights, justice, and helping the less fortunate. I often provided peer support to those with fragile mental health, and a natural segue into studying psychology in undergraduate and graduate years occurred. My post-graduate degree in Clinical Psychology equipped me to administer the Rorschach Inkblot Test and the Bender Gestalt Test. The interpretations did not make sense then; they don’t even now. But what did make sense was that human behavior does not occur in a vacuum and that no matter where we are from, what community, caste, socioeconomic status, gender, or disability, there should be a place for everyone. We all have a right to belong.

?Fast forward to Aarti’s birth. Intrauterine growth retardation and an emergency C-section. She was not ready for the world, born at 1.6 kg, scrawny, distressed, with a hole in her heart. The social smile did not happen, nor did the crawling, walking, or talking when it should have. The parent (rather than the professional) in me was intuitively aware that she needed intervention. Autism was not commonly diagnosed in those days, and Aarti was identified as being 'mentally retarded.' I hate the term with a passion.

?The family moved from Mumbai to Pune to Bengaluru to the US. All in the name of seeking better interventions and programs for Aarti. Divya, her younger sister struggled with all the changes but took it in her stride – unfortunately, she did not really have a choice. It is my firm opinion that the US is a lonely place for adults with disabilities unless family is close by. We were not that fortunate. In 2013 Aarti and I made the bold or stupid (depends on who one talks to) decision of returning to India. Much work needed to be done in the adult disability space, and we took the plunge. Yash Charitable Trust was registered in 2014 within a small 200 square foot garage space. I had no clue how to move forward – only knew that the activities we decided upon had to be meaningful and community-based with a focus on inclusion and empowerment and all the aspects that make for a decent quality of life.

?We had five individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities enroll as members of our initial team and began a dabba service in 2015 – providing freshly cooked wholesome meals in our neighborhood and a little beyond. We realized quickly that this would work - team members loved being employed and learning/executing every part of the service. The word spread about what we were doing, and because of positive press and word of mouth, we were inundated with phone calls from potential team members. Being a parent and knowing the struggle, I did not have the heart to say no, and soon we were running out of space. What next the Board of Trustees asked. Next was an idea – crazy as it sounded – to set up a café. Thus in 2018, Café Arpan was born. We leaped into yet another unknown territory, but totally convinced that we could do this even though the math just did not add up. We were convinced because we knew that this was another step towards inclusion and empowerment. It was also a way to prove to the community that our team members were well able to achieve a productive 40-hour work week just like anyone else would. Pre-COVID-19, we were able to launch a second café at the Accenture premises in Vikhroli. The response has been very exciting. Apart from the cafes, and Arpan Food Services as the dabba service is now called, we have recently launched Arpan Bakery where we also employ adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It has been nine years since the first baby step and YCT has grown organically. Many adults have come through the doors. From the initial five, we now employ 25 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Through our Employment Support Services program, we have managed to help some of them move out into other establishments, but therein lies a major challenge. It is convincing potential employers to take on job seekers with disabilities on their payrolls. It is convincing parents that their children are now adults and to treat them as such. Honor their wants, their desires, and their dreams. Support them as needed. We work hard towards creating a cadre of responsible, employable adults. The market must be ready for them. Parents must give them wings to fly.

?Apart from the work towards employment and livelihood generation, we provide a host of wraparound services for adults, their families, and professionals who work in this space. Our counseling support, our advocacy work, our sensitization workshops, and seminars are well received. Over the years, we have worked with and provided consultation to hundreds of adults and their families, conducted, and participated in several workshops and impacted thousands of stakeholders.

There is a lot to do. Retirement is a distant dream. Our journey is not about numbers. It is about the impact on our team members from earning respect, from having a voice, of responsibility and achievement, of dignity, of self-worth, having friends. Of being a part of the larger whole. One of the reasons that Aarti wants to stay on in Mumbai and not return to the US is because of the people around her. All these years she has been telling me that the most important raisons d’etre are love, kinship and belonging. I realize she is right.

(Sushama Nagarkar is the Managing Trustee of Yash Charitable Trust and brings a wealth of experience to her role. Formerly a psychologist in public schools in the United States, she decided to return to India after 15 years with a vision. Her goal was to establish a platform where individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities can lead fulfilling lives in the community of their choice, embracing dignity and self-respect. And thus, Yash Charitable Trust was born. Sushama is also a registered Rehabilitation Psychologist (RCI) and currently serves as a part-time technical consultant for the Morris Foundation in Pune.)

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