First Indian couple who adopted a child with Down Syndrome

YouTube mom Myka Stauffer had adopted a Chinese child in 2017, just to give him back because he was autistic. Naturally, she was at the receiving end of overwhelming hatred, with many claiming that the entire adoption process was just an act of monetisation as the couple did make a lot of money post adoption. And then there is a couple in India who adopted a 16-month-old child with Down Syndrome.

Kavita and her husband Himanshu adopted Veda in 2017 and three years later, the couple celebrated their adoption anniversary on 30 May. Kavita shared how she was always interested in adopting a child and was never interested in having a biological child. She has confided in her husband about this wish before they got married and he was on the same page and didn’t want them to be an ordinary couple. They had decided beforehand that they would adopt a baby girl.

One would wonder what made them adopt a child with special needs, to which Kavita shared that it was on their trip to the US, they made up their mind. They learned about kids with Down Syndrome and decided that they wanted to fight the stigma attached to special needs and stability. “We wanted to provide an environment, a home and cater to their physical and mental needs.”

They adopted Veda when they were already married for over 5 years. The family was upset over their decision to not have biological children and felt uncomfortable whenever they broached on the topic of adoption. “Our family was not happy when we adopted a child with special needs but we had made up our minds by then. We knew we had to do it for Veda, if not for ourselves.”

The couple did not send Veda to school and have been homeschooling her. They exclusively told a leading website, “We do not believe in formal education. We feel every child is different and has a different learning curve. Their pace is different, too. We let Veda decide what she wants to do. My day starts with having breakfast and doing activities with her. She loves watering plants and painting. We also involve speech and occupational therapy while she does her activities. We go up and down the stairs to strengthen her muscles, and this is pretty much our daily routine.”

The couple stays untouched by what the society feels or says about their decision. “Our daughter has been stared at and shamed for wearing glasses but we always correct them. Some people get offended but we have mostly received love.”

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