Asking Children With Disabilities: What Do You Really Need?

One of the methods used to overhaul the country’s education system was the introduction of Save the Children’s Student Needs Action Pack (SNAP).

SNAP is a set of tools created to guide teachers with instructional strategies to help all children learn and achieve their full potential. As part of it, Special Need Education centres, established at many schools around the island, were supported with learning aids that enhanced the capacities of trainers and teachers alike — with the betterment of students at the heart of the project.

When Save the Children reached out to us with a vision to capture the impact of SNAP’s work, we travelled to two of the furthest corners of Sri Lanka to speak directly to the children who have benefited from this programme.

Often not included in discussions surrounding their own lives, we chose to ask children with disabilities: what do you really need?
This feature video captured the stories of multiple students with disabilities, both physical and mental, from rural schools located in Kilinochchi and Galle. In a series of delightful and heartwarming interviews, they shared with us their hurdles, stories, and dreams. Roar also spoke with two teachers who are dedicated to transforming the lives of children with disabilities.

The end result was a never-seen-before insight into the aspirations and needs of children with disabilities, giving them a platform to speak on everything from wheelchair accessibility to higher education programmes and learning tools.

Despite their predicaments, these children have an endearing love for education and growth, which we endeavoured to capture through this piece.