Inspiring Though
in Limitations

ASIAN Para Games held in Indonesia have ended with great achievements when the athletes successfully exceeded the target set before. Though having physical deficiencies, they were able to inspire many people through their bright achievements for Indonesia. The spirit of life and unyielding efforts were also found at SLB Tunaganda Helen Keller Yogyakarta by students and teachers of Tirtamarta Christian Junior High School-BPK Penabur, Pondok Indah, Jakarta during their visit and love sharing on October 10, 2018.

The school founded by ‘Dena-Upakara’ Foundation, actually continues the work of Dutch missionaries in Wonosobo since 1938. Since 1996, this foundation has developed education for people with double mental disabilities including deaf, deaf and blind, and deaf and low vision with a name of Helen Keller Indonesia SLB/G-AB located in Yogyakarta (http://www.slbhki-jogjakarta.com /about Us).

The name of Helen Keller itself was taken from a name of a woman from Tuscumbia, Alabama, American state who was born normally in 1880 but at age of 19 months she had blindness and deafness. Because of the difficulty to teach her, Helen Keller was taught by a private teacher named Anne Sullivan until she reached 7 years old. With Anne's encouragement and passion, Helen became the first deaf and blind person to graduate from Radcliffe College, a branch of Harvard University for women. (https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Keller). It was this spirit that was cultivated and built in Helen Keller SLB / G-AB.

The visit to Helen Keller school was a series of social studies with the aim of introducing life that is different from students of Tirta-Marta that live with physical completeness and material abundance. This program is expected to help fostering social sensitivity and students’ emphaty to others. Ms. Rina as Helen Keller's headmaster enthusiastically explained the program and curriculum and she invited the visitors to observe the activities of the students there of which numbered approximately 33 children. The school admitted about the lack of teachers staff. Sister Yosefa, one of the teachers at this school said that they tried their best to teach children, even though ideally one teacher facilitated one student, but because the teachers were limited, one teacher had to teach two to three or even four students.

Though in limitations they still looked happy, played like other children, laughed and mastered finger codes to communicate. Of course, we may not be able to communicate using this type. If those who have limitations do not feel the barrier to continue working, of course for those who are physically complete they should be inspired to work more and be a blessing to many others. (SAP).