She is truly an inspiration for special children

Despite being a special child with down's syndrome, Devanshi defied the odds and cleared her class X exams from the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) in Delhi.
"Down syndrome is a genetic condition which is detected at birth. It is caused due to the presence of an extra chromosome," explains Devanshi's father Anil Joshi, who is an IT professional, an executive member of SWEEKAR, general secretary of PARIVAAR and a board member of National Trust, all bodies which aim to make the lives of special children better.
Born with sub-average intelligence, Devanshi studied in Hindu Dnyanpeeth Convent till class IX. "She got excellent academic support from the school and her interaction with her peers helped her to develop her personality. She made many friends," says Anil with a feeling of immense pride.
While she was able to cope with all the other subjects, it was mathematics which was the most challenging of them all. She was able to master her tables till 25, but abstract thinking was a stumbling block.
It was then that her parents, under the guidance of special educator Bansari Tiwari, decided to shift her to NIOS. "She was able to study at home at her own pace. She was able to appear for a few subjects at a time. The fact that there was no real pressure of failing was very encouraging to her and to us. It was trying sometimes, but we persevered and were able to pull through," adds Anil.
Though the family has no concrete plans for her future, they hope that Devanshi will take up a vocational course like library science or do an office assistance diploma so that she can some day work in a company.
"One should take such a special child as a gift from God. The family should remove any sense of guilt from their hearts as there is no other source of uncontaminated love than that which the child showers on you," says Anil.
When asked about Devanshi's reaction, he said, "She is very excited. Since her results came out before her friends in Nagpur, she feels like she has gone ahead of them."