The APS Grant for Intercultural and/or International Projects supports innovative projects that have an intercultural and/or international focus. The 2017-18 Grant was awarded to Tina McDonald for a project titled ‘Designing and implementing inclusive education strategies for teachers and parents in Sri Lanka’. The project sought to work alongside the co-founders and staff at Reach Beyond Centre for Autism and Childhood Development to enhance their skills and knowledge to develop innovative and appropriate assessment procedures, intervention plans and strategies, and training for children and youth with disabilities and special learning needs and their parents.
One of the tasks of my project was to write and deliver a workshop to increase the capacity and skills of special needs teachers in Sri Lanka. The workshop could then be delivered by Reach Beyond – Autism & Child Development Center in Colombo, Sri Lanka and the workshop fees would become a source of income for the Center. Access to innovative, evidence-based special education training is lacking in Sri Lanka, both at a professional-development level and as an academic qualification. Remarkably, only one of fifteen registered Sri Lankan universities offers an accredited special education qualification.
The co-founders of Reach Beyond, Nellum Guruge, Samantha Willatgamuwa, Malathi Kahandaliyanage and Tharsiny Markandu operate holistic, student-centred, strength-based programs from early intervention right through to youth social development and employment transition. These programs are designed for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurological disorders across the developmental spectrum. Parents, siblings and carers are all included in a child’s program planning and delivery. The founders of Reach Beyond are themselves parents of a child with ASD. Their empathy and determination for the children to succeed inspires the families and parents involved in the Center. Traditionally, only a medical model of diagnosis and treatment has been available in Sri Lanka. Experienced and trained special-needs teachers are rare, and the public education system does not provide high-quality inclusive education for children. Parents who visit become inspired with new hopes of greater possibilities for their child. I found it humbling and rewarding to contribute to the organisation’s important and innovative work.
Through this project, I collaborated with Dr Kumudu Rathnayaka, a Sri Lankan-born Australian-based child and family psychiatrist. While in Colombo, Kumudu conducted a number of ‘Koffee with Kumudu’ evenings for parents from the Center. These sessions were groundbreaking, as indicated by the number of parents who attended, and their willingness to share intensely personal stories in a way that was culturally uncharacteristic. A delightful outcome of one of these sessions saw a parent hold a birthday party for his son inviting the families from the Center. Several parents I spoke to at the birthday party were overwhelmed at their first invitation to a birthday party where their child and family felt welcome and accepted.
I was also able to assist with a range of governance issues. At the completion of my project, Reach Beyond had in place an Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and trade-approved child protection policy and a staff code of conduct, a critical incident response procedure and risk register, and improved employment criteria that complemented these new policies. These documents enabled Reach Beyond to meet the criteria to host international volunteers.
I conducted a series of professional development workshops for teachers and staff to launch these new policies and procedures. These sessions were designed to explain the new policies and associated values and ethics to staff, as well as outline their responsibility for implementing them. It was delightful to see the teachers ‘switch on’ and absorb the details of the new child protection policy and apply this to their work practices. Since this training session, two teachers from the Center have attended further child protection training workshops, and subsequently taken on the responsibility of monitoring the implementation of the child protection procedures in-house.
During the seven weeks I spent at the Center, my role became multifunctional and included participating in the staff’s weekly review and planning afternoon. On a day-to-day basis, I assisted teachers, especially with designing individual behavioural intervention programs, and student-centred learning activities. I sought to encourage teachers to be more innovative and dynamic in planning and delivering lessons and interacting with the children. While the teachers could see merit in this way of working, it was culturally and professionally very challenging for them, given the very traditional teaching methods in Sri Lanka. I hope I have planted a seed that over time – as the teachers gain confidence and experience – will produce more innovative and effective teaching practices.
Working effectively in any cross-cultural context requires a high degree of flexibility, consideration and insight. Matters are even more complex in Sri Lanka, which is a post-conflict country with an emerging Western economy, and a society that traditionally has not included people with disabilities. Having previously spent a year in Sri Lanka (as Australian Volunteer of International Development, in the Department of Special Education Needs at the Open University of Sri Lanka), I felt I had the insight to achieve the objectives that the Reach Beyond co-founders had set for my APS project. However, the longer I spend in a country, the more immersed I become and the harder it is to remain distant from the political and cultural complexities that operate within the society. In this context – as a ‘guest’ in someone else’s country and culture – I find that my work practices and ethics can be challenged. This is part of my continued learning.
While this project achieved its stated objectives, the real capacity-building, knowledge exchange, mentoring and relationship development happens beyond these parameters. These are the elements that enrich and empower people in a way that can’t be readily quantified. I remain in regular contact with Reach Beyond and am honoured to have accepted a position on their Advisory Committee. The organisation continues to seek volunteers and welcome people’s participation in a range of professional roles. You can read more about Reach Beyond on their website.
I would like to acknowledge my employer, the Centre for Child Development and Education, Menzies School of Health Research in granting me leave to undertake this project. The support of Menzies and the grant from the Australian Psychological Society made the project possible. In making the intercultural grant available to members, the APS enables us to share our knowledge and expertise with communities who benefit enormously from this exchange.