In our foundational research, we found that there is little understanding of common IDDs, which hampers the ability to interact with individuals with IDDs, despite good intentions. This lack of awareness eventually contributes to prejudice and pity, leading to social isolation and marginalisation. Our aim is to demystify IDDs, and empower people to be neuro-inclusive.
Naina's Inclusive Duniya is freely available on Instagram. The central characters have diverse abilities. Some are 'neurotypical' (like Naina), and others have a form of IDD, for e.g. autism, Down syndrome, intellectual disability, dyslexia, cerebral palsy and ADHD. The stories depict daily life scenarios and what allyship could look like.
Using the comic, we design educational experiences for the youth. Inclusive Duniya Circles are 60 to 75-minute sessions done with children or adolescents, engaging them in a friendly conversation about neurodiversity and allyship. Reflective questions and discussion prompts help them interpret the selected stories, and identify how they could be allies to people with IDDs. These can be easily facilitated with materials we provide.
We have created the core of an SEL curriculum based on the comic, and are expanding it. These are short sessions designed to nurture CASEL competencies, which can be easily adopted by schools and conducted by teachers.
We believe that there are change makers at grassroots level within our community, and they should be empowered.
We use a volunteering model for the Inclusive Duniya Circles. We sensitise & train interested allies/volunteers to facilitate the Circles, providing them the materials & support needed. Our volunteers are of all ages & backgrounds - senior secondary students, college students, siblings, mothers, teachers, etc. Circles have been conducted in various parts of India, & in regional languages as well.
In the past 2.5 years, our allies and volunteers have facilitated hundreds of Inclusive Duniya Circles, leading to thousands of children & adolescents having a better understanding of neurodiversity and allyship.
Additionally, our comic has reached over 205,000 people on Instagram.
Naina's Inclusive Duniya is freely available on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/inclusiveduniya/.
We invite all volunteers and allies to conduct Inclusive Duniya Circles with children and adolescents around you!
Once you fill out the interest form, we will send you the Inclusive Duniya Circle Toolkit which has all the materials you need to facilitate a circle.
