Disabled still find no space in J&K

4/1/2012 12:00:10 AM

Early Times Report
srinagar, Mar 31: Authorities might be making tall claims about rehabilitation of disabled population of the state but people and organizations working for the welfare of the disabled children continue to allege official callousness.
A study conducted by 'Help Line' a non-governmental organization (NGO) working for the welfare of disabled children reveals that there are nearly seven lac people in the state with different types of disabilities including visual, hearing, speech, mental and orthopedic. The study further reveals that out of this huge chunk of disabled population, only one percent is literate.
Chairman of the NGO, Javed Ahmad Tak talking to Early Times said that though the government is spending crores of rupees under the various schemes to achieve the hundred percent literacy in the state but no focus is given to the disabled population in any such scheme. "In most of the states of south India the governments' have setup special schools for the disabled children where they are imparted education through various methods but in Jammu and Kashmir the government is yet to set up any such school for disabled children.," Tak said.
He said that out of the 1.84 lakh visually impaired population persons less than 1 percent is receiving education while as out of 90 thousand deaf and dumb persons, most of them children, only 90 to 100 of them are receiving education in private capacity. He said that the disabled persons as per the study have sharper brains than normal people but for state authorities, they seem to only a burden thus depriving them of their fundamental right.
Citing an example of Dehradun, Javed said, "Government there has set up an institute for the visually impaired and deaf and dumb children where they are taught through Braille and sign language methods but in our state the government considers disabled children as useless,'. He added that though there are some schools for disabled children run by some NGOs or individuals at some places but there has not bothered to provide any support to these NGOs