Celebrating Christmas with the handicapped

Celebrating Christmas with the handicapped

Primatmojo Djanoe, Contributor, Jakarta

What is on your mind when Christmas is just around the corner?
The beautiful and melodious Christmas carols that are sung to
praise Jesus Christ? The lights from Christmas trees which
twinkle luminously as if inviting us to celebrate the happy day?
Or the content and peaceful feelings of attending Mass with the
entire family?

What if someone is prevented from experiencing such joyful
things because of physical dysfunctions or disabilities? Will
Christmas be just another ordinary day to pass by in sorrow?

Not at all. In fact, for disabled people, Christmas is as
beautiful and memorable as it is for other people: An inspiring
day which inspires the spirit to go on and to survive.

Just like millions of children all around the globe, Murti, a
13-year-old multihandicapped girl, feels her heart pound with
excitement when Christmas is near. She expects her Christmas
gifts to appear under the Christmas tree, wrapped in colorful
paper, and hopes they are exactly those gifts she had dreamed
about for years.

This year, her Christmas wishes include a pink gown, a pair of
jeans and a pair of shoes. Sadly, it will not be her parents who
will hug her warmly and give her presents. Murti, who is blind
and mentally retarded, has been living at the Rawinala Education
Center for the Multihandicapped for eight years, since the
institution rescued her from a scavenger who kidnapped her from
her father, demanding a ransom of Rp 250,000 (US$26).

Murti is among Rawinala's 62 students who will be permanently
handicapped for the rest of their lives. The student body
comprises those with multiple disabilities, including the deaf-
blind, the blind and mentally retarded and the blind-mute.

Rawinala is the only educational center for the
multihandicapped in Jakarta, and was established by Prof. Dr.
Soedarmo of the Jakarta School of Theology (STT Jakarta) in 1973.

Currently, the education center is equipped with a number
facilities including a deaf-blind unit, a workshop, a pediatric
ward, a voluntary team and a rehabilitation center for children
under six years old.

"The children are as eager as a beaver when they talk about
Christmas. They keep asking us when the Christmas celebration
will be. And their disabilities do not prevent them from
participating in the preparations," said Sigit Widodo, Director
of Rawinala.

Teachers also nurture the children's enthusiasm in discussing
the Christmas spirit, which is everywhere at Rawinala, and which
is called Cahaya Hati (The Light of the Heart) in ancient
Javanese.

The theme for the center's Christmas celebration varies each
year. Last year, the theme was "Celebrating in Togetherness".
From parents to students and from children in the pediatric ward
to administrative staff, all gathered to enjoy various
performances by the students, including a musical ensemble, an
angklung (musical instruments made of bamboo) performance, a
poetry reading and a vocal group.

A day before the celebration, everyone at Rawinala is
overflowing with the Christmas spirit. The students, together
with their teachers, joyfully decorate the classrooms and stage,
with some rehearsing for the long-awaited performance.

"I will sing a number of songs from White Christmas to Senyum
Malam di Bethlehem, and to songs from Iis Dahlia, my favorite
singer," said Murti shyly. Surprisingly, singing on stage was not
new to Murti.

Murti and seven other members of the Rawinala Vocal Group and
Ensemble are frequently invited to perform in Christmas
celebrations at malls, churches or even at the offices of multi-
national companies.

"Taking part in Christmas celebrations in various places
really boosts their self-confidence, showing the public that good
education and proper treatment for these children would encourage
them to contribute to their communities. For the students, their
own talents will help reduce their dependencies on others,"
explained Sigit.

One cannot help but feel both empathy and sad at the same time
when discussing Christmas with Murti. One time, she made us laugh
for telling, with her rapid gestures, of how she became impatient
one night and tried to jump onto the stage to sing, although it
was not yet her turn to perform. Another time, we could only sit
in silence listening to her wishes for Christmas this year.

Several children at Rawinala's pediatric ward have the same
condition as Murti, Sigit said, and will most likely spend their
entire lives here. "We do our best to take care of them,
providing them with various activities and continuous therapy.
Stagnancy will only make their already limited physical abilities
worsen over time."

In essence, Christmas is about rejoicing and being grateful in
what God has granted to us, and sharing love with everyone. If we
keep this in mind, we will remember that Christmas is more than
just a tradition.

"It is the heart that speaks," as Helen Keller, a celebrated
deaf-blind writer said, "The best and most beautiful things in
the world cannot be seen or touched, they must be felt in the
heart."