1
Chapter 1
How Can I Help My Child?
The Stories of Kamala and Rani
Kamala
Kamala and her parents Suma and Anil live in a small village in
southern India. When Kamala was very young,
her parents noticed that she never reached
for the toys they offered her. So they took
her to the doctor in a nearby town to see
what was wrong.
The doctor told them that
Kamala was almost blind.
She could see some
movement and the
difference between light
and dark, but nothing
Suma,
you have
been crying
for months.
Kamala is
blind, but
your other
children can
see.
Try to
think of
other
things.
more. “Her sight will not
get better,” the doctor said.
Suma and Anil returned home, very sad.
“How could this have happened?” Suma
thought. “She is such a nice child.” Suma
was sad for a long time.
Suma and Anil cared for Kamala the
best they could.
Because Anil’s work did not pay
enough to feed his family, Suma and her
2 older daughters made clothes to sell
at the market. There was little time to play with Kamala while the
family worked, and she spent most of the day sitting quietly in the
corner. Sometimes Suma worried that Kamala rarely moved or made
sounds, but she also was relieved that Kamala seemed content just
being near them.
By the time Kamala was 3, she knew only a few words. She
seemed to be lost in her own world most of the time, making strange
movements like poking her eyes or flapping her hands. She could not
feed or dress herself. It was faster for Suma to do these things for her.