Disability certificates sell for Rs 10-25k a piece!

Thursday, 30 08 2012 10:14

Srinagar: There is no dearth of the corrupt people working within the system who make it happen. Touts in the government hospitals can get an otherwise physically normal person an official certificate confirming his or her disability.

These certificates practically change the destinies of people - as disabled people are extended a string of benefits by the government in the form of reservation in admissions for professional courses and recruitment in government services.

“A number of normal people have managed these certificates with the help of dishonest public servants and thus snatched the rights of the deserving,” confirmed a senior government official.

Getting a disability certificate has become virtually a child's play, irrespective of the area one stays in. Amounts varying between Rs10,000 and Rs 25,000 are charged for issuing such a certificate in a week’s time, the official added.

“The quota meant for us benefits others,” rued Javaid Ahmad Tak, chairman Humanity Welfare Organization, Helpline NGO.

“Fake disability certificate is a racket run by certain medical boards and doctors. The most common disability shown in these fake documents is that of hearing and speech,” Tak added.

The ‘disability certificate’ is issued by a medical authority notified by the state government. Each such medical authority is constituted at the district level.

These medical authorities receive applications from the disabled people, and subsequently assess their disabilities and then issue the certificate within a week from the receipt of application.

Rules state that a person with 40 percent impairment is entitled for a disability certificate.

Only a government doctor is authorized to issue the certificate.

An applicant is required to present his or her case before the medical authority constituted for the purpose.

Able one

Defeating the cripple

While seeking permission from his parents for spending a night at his uncle’s house, Javed had little idea what destiny had in store. That night, he was crippled for life. Bullets, however, could not cripple his determination and Javed now fights for the rights of physically challenged. Hamidullah Dar narrates his story. Asleep one night at his uncle’s home, Javed Ahmad Tak woke up at the midnight hour overhearing some men in the corridor. It was not a usual conversation. And he decided to see for himself, little knowing that the few hurried paces he walks to the corridor would be his last. Tak narrates those fateful moments. “Around midnight, I overheard some unusual conservation in the corridor. As I opened the door, I was struck to see a group of men, wearing masks and carrying pistols, arguing with my cousin,” he says. “They were trying to drag my cousin outside the house. In the meantime one of them asked for ransom. As soon as I tried to approach them, they fired at me from close range.” Javed was hit several times in his abdomen. He was rushed to hospital where he spent the next month, recovering. “My life was saved, but soon it dawned upon me that bullets fired by the assailants had damaged my spleen, intestine, part of liver, kidney, and vertebral column thus injuries to spinal chord. I couldn’t believe that I was crippled. My freedom was curtailed and I was confined to bed,” says Tak. Tak had just finished his B Sc final year examination before the incident on March 21, 1997. As time passed, Javed realized that his world had shrunk to four walls of a small room in his house. His sphere of influence had been reduced to the reach of his arm. Javed took it as a challenge and made his mind to shed inhabitations of disability. Then one Sunday morning he heard the chatter of small children from a nearby street. “They were playing probably. I asked my mother to invite all of them as I wanted to see them and feel their joy. Mummy brought them inside the room and I talked to them at length. In between, I told them to come for free tuitions after school. My proposal worked and suddenly I witnessed a rush of children from the entire locality,” he recalls. “Earlier, I was all alone. Now, till late, I would not get time to relieve.” While children learnt, Javed began to regain his confidence. “Their presence around me helped me to come out of bed and use the wheel chair. After three years, they took me out of the confines of house,” he says. Soon he founded a group Humanity Welfare Helpline meeting the needs of poor children. The people associated with this group used to go for a door to door book collection and then distribute the same among poor children. The group also works to help fight polio. “I know what it means to be disabled. So along with my young friends, I made it a point to ensure a polio free society,” says Javed. “We go door to door to administer polio vaccine to small children, we organise roadside camps on highways and administer vaccines to travelling children.” Once able to move out of his house, Javed thought of higher studies and secured admission at University of Kashmir for Masters in Social Work. The degree and the exposure blended with his personal experiences strengthened his resolve to fight for the rights of disabled. “We need rights not sympathetic words. But the unfortunate thing is that people remember disabled persons on festivals only when they give money to charities. Once in offices, they deny disability rights to physically challenged persons that demoralises them,” Javed complains. He adds that J&K disability rights act 1998 provides for equal opportunities, protection of rights and full participation of disabled persons in every field, which has not been enforced in the state so far. Continuing with his fight for disabled, Javed has succeeded in persuading authorities to incorporate ramps in many buildings at Kashmir University for facilitating wheel chairs. He arranges teachers’ workshops in B Ed colleges where the future teachers are taught how to tackle a physically challenged student. Javed says that there are more than six percent people afflicted with disabilities in the state but government has kept a quota of three percent in employment for them. “However that too is not granted,” he says. “With our efforts, SSRB is now selecting physically challenged persons, but just two percent, which we hope will get better in future,” opines Javed. Striving for better future for physically challenged, Tak says for him ultimate success means “when we are treated at par with normal people and society accords us equal respect, there lies my ultimate joy.”

Defeating the cripple

While seeking permission from his parents for spending a night at his uncle’s house, Javed had little idea what destiny had in store. That night, he was crippled for life. Bullets, however, could not cripple his determination and Javed now fights for the rights of physically challenged. Hamidullah Dar narrates his story. Asleep one night at his uncle’s home, Javed Ahmad Tak woke up at the midnight hour overhearing some men in the corridor. It was not a usual conversation. And he decided to see for himself, little knowing that the few hurried paces he walks to the corridor would be his last. Tak narrates those fateful moments. “Around midnight, I overheard some unusual conservation in the corridor. As I opened the door, I was struck to see a group of men, wearing masks and carrying pistols, arguing with my cousin,” he says. “They were trying to drag my cousin outside the house. In the meantime one of them asked for ransom. As soon as I tried to approach them, they fired at me from close range.” Javed was hit several times in his abdomen. He was rushed to hospital where he spent the next month, recovering. “My life was saved, but soon it dawned upon me that bullets fired by the assailants had damaged my spleen, intestine, part of liver, kidney, and vertebral column thus injuries to spinal chord. I couldn’t believe that I was crippled. My freedom was curtailed and I was confined to bed,” says Tak. Tak had just finished his B Sc final year examination before the incident on March 21, 1997. As time passed, Javed realized that his world had shrunk to four walls of a small room in his house. His sphere of influence had been reduced to the reach of his arm. Javed took it as a challenge and made his mind to shed inhabitations of disability. Then one Sunday morning he heard the chatter of small children from a nearby street. “They were playing probably. I asked my mother to invite all of them as I wanted to see them and feel their joy. Mummy brought them inside the room and I talked to them at length. In between, I told them to come for free tuitions after school. My proposal worked and suddenly I witnessed a rush of children from the entire locality,” he recalls. “Earlier, I was all alone. Now, till late, I would not get time to relieve.” While children learnt, Javed began to regain his confidence. “Their presence around me helped me to come out of bed and use the wheel chair. After three years, they took me out of the confines of house,” he says. Soon he founded a group Humanity Welfare Helpline meeting the needs of poor children. The people associated with this group used to go for a door to door book collection and then distribute the same among poor children. The group also works to help fight polio. “I know what it means to be disabled. So along with my young friends, I made it a point to ensure a polio free society,” says Javed. “We go door to door to administer polio vaccine to small children, we organise roadside camps on highways and administer vaccines to travelling children.” Once able to move out of his house, Javed thought of higher studies and secured admission at University of Kashmir for Masters in Social Work. The degree and the exposure blended with his personal experiences strengthened his resolve to fight for the rights of disabled. “We need rights not sympathetic words. But the unfortunate thing is that people remember disabled persons on festivals only when they give money to charities. Once in offices, they deny disability rights to physically challenged persons that demoralises them,” Javed complains. He adds that J&K disability rights act 1998 provides for equal opportunities, protection of rights and full participation of disabled persons in every field, which has not been enforced in the state so far. Continuing with his fight for disabled, Javed has succeeded in persuading authorities to incorporate ramps in many buildings at Kashmir University for facilitating wheel chairs. He arranges teachers’ workshops in B Ed colleges where the future teachers are taught how to tackle a physically challenged student. Javed says that there are more than six percent people afflicted with disabilities in the state but government has kept a quota of three percent in employment for them. “However that too is not granted,” he says. “With our efforts, SSRB is now selecting physically challenged persons, but just two percent, which we hope will get better in future,” opines Javed. Striving for better future for physically challenged, Tak says for him ultimate success means “when we are treated at par with normal people and society accords us equal respect, there lies my ultimate joy.”

Defeating the cripple

While seeking permission from his parents for spending a night at his uncle’s house, Javed had little idea what destiny had in store. That night, he was crippled for life. Bullets, however, could not cripple his determination and Javed now fights for the rights of physically challenged. Hamidullah Dar narrates his story. Asleep one night at his uncle’s home, Javed Ahmad Tak woke up at the midnight hour overhearing some men in the corridor. It was not a usual conversation. And he decided to see for himself, little knowing that the few hurried paces he walks to the corridor would be his last. Tak narrates those fateful moments. “Around midnight, I overheard some unusual conservation in the corridor. As I opened the door, I was struck to see a group of men, wearing masks and carrying pistols, arguing with my cousin,” he says. “They were trying to drag my cousin outside the house. In the meantime one of them asked for ransom. As soon as I tried to approach them, they fired at me from close range.” Javed was hit several times in his abdomen. He was rushed to hospital where he spent the next month, recovering. “My life was saved, but soon it dawned upon me that bullets fired by the assailants had damaged my spleen, intestine, part of liver, kidney, and vertebral column thus injuries to spinal chord. I couldn’t believe that I was crippled. My freedom was curtailed and I was confined to bed,” says Tak. Tak had just finished his B Sc final year examination before the incident on March 21, 1997. As time passed, Javed realized that his world had shrunk to four walls of a small room in his house. His sphere of influence had been reduced to the reach of his arm. Javed took it as a challenge and made his mind to shed inhabitations of disability. Then one Sunday morning he heard the chatter of small children from a nearby street. “They were playing probably. I asked my mother to invite all of them as I wanted to see them and feel their joy. Mummy brought them inside the room and I talked to them at length. In between, I told them to come for free tuitions after school. My proposal worked and suddenly I witnessed a rush of children from the entire locality,” he recalls. “Earlier, I was all alone. Now, till late, I would not get time to relieve.” While children learnt, Javed began to regain his confidence. “Their presence around me helped me to come out of bed and use the wheel chair. After three years, they took me out of the confines of house,” he says. Soon he founded a group Humanity Welfare Helpline meeting the needs of poor children. The people associated with this group used to go for a door to door book collection and then distribute the same among poor children. The group also works to help fight polio. “I know what it means to be disabled. So along with my young friends, I made it a point to ensure a polio free society,” says Javed. “We go door to door to administer polio vaccine to small children, we organise roadside camps on highways and administer vaccines to travelling children.” Once able to move out of his house, Javed thought of higher studies and secured admission at University of Kashmir for Masters in Social Work. The degree and the exposure blended with his personal experiences strengthened his resolve to fight for the rights of disabled. “We need rights not sympathetic words. But the unfortunate thing is that people remember disabled persons on festivals only when they give money to charities. Once in offices, they deny disability rights to physically challenged persons that demoralises them,” Javed complains. He adds that J&K disability rights act 1998 provides for equal opportunities, protection of rights and full participation of disabled persons in every field, which has not been enforced in the state so far. Continuing with his fight for disabled, Javed has succeeded in persuading authorities to incorporate ramps in many buildings at Kashmir University for facilitating wheel chairs. He arranges teachers’ workshops in B Ed colleges where the future teachers are taught how to tackle a physically challenged student. Javed says that there are more than six percent people afflicted with disabilities in the state but government has kept a quota of three percent in employment for them. “However that too is not granted,” he says. “With our efforts, SSRB is now selecting physically challenged persons, but just two percent, which we hope will get better in future,” opines Javed. Striving for better future for physically challenged, Tak says for him ultimate success means “when we are treated at par with normal people and society accords us equal respect, there lies my ultimate joy.”

Defeating the cripple

While seeking permission from his parents for spending a night at his uncle’s house, Javed had little idea what destiny had in store. That night, he was crippled for life. Bullets, however, could not cripple his determination and Javed now fights for the rights of physically challenged. Hamidullah Dar narrates his story. Asleep one night at his uncle’s home, Javed Ahmad Tak woke up at the midnight hour overhearing some men in the corridor. It was not a usual conversation. And he decided to see for himself, little knowing that the few hurried paces he walks to the corridor would be his last. Tak narrates those fateful moments. “Around midnight, I overheard some unusual conservation in the corridor. As I opened the door, I was struck to see a group of men, wearing masks and carrying pistols, arguing with my cousin,” he says. “They were trying to drag my cousin outside the house. In the meantime one of them asked for ransom. As soon as I tried to approach them, they fired at me from close range.” Javed was hit several times in his abdomen. He was rushed to hospital where he spent the next month, recovering. “My life was saved, but soon it dawned upon me that bullets fired by the assailants had damaged my spleen, intestine, part of liver, kidney, and vertebral column thus injuries to spinal chord. I couldn’t believe that I was crippled. My freedom was curtailed and I was confined to bed,” says Tak. Tak had just finished his B Sc final year examination before the incident on March 21, 1997. As time passed, Javed realized that his world had shrunk to four walls of a small room in his house. His sphere of influence had been reduced to the reach of his arm. Javed took it as a challenge and made his mind to shed inhabitations of disability. Then one Sunday morning he heard the chatter of small children from a nearby street. “They were playing probably. I asked my mother to invite all of them as I wanted to see them and feel their joy. Mummy brought them inside the room and I talked to them at length. In between, I told them to come for free tuitions after school. My proposal worked and suddenly I witnessed a rush of children from the entire locality,” he recalls. “Earlier, I was all alone. Now, till late, I would not get time to relieve.” While children learnt, Javed began to regain his confidence. “Their presence around me helped me to come out of bed and use the wheel chair. After three years, they took me out of the confines of house,” he says. Soon he founded a group Humanity Welfare Helpline meeting the needs of poor children. The people associated with this group used to go for a door to door book collection and then distribute the same among poor children. The group also works to help fight polio. “I know what it means to be disabled. So along with my young friends, I made it a point to ensure a polio free society,” says Javed. “We go door to door to administer polio vaccine to small children, we organise roadside camps on highways and administer vaccines to travelling children.” Once able to move out of his house, Javed thought of higher studies and secured admission at University of Kashmir for Masters in Social Work. The degree and the exposure blended with his personal experiences strengthened his resolve to fight for the rights of disabled. “We need rights not sympathetic words. But the unfortunate thing is that people remember disabled persons on festivals only when they give money to charities. Once in offices, they deny disability rights to physically challenged persons that demoralises them,” Javed complains. He adds that J&K disability rights act 1998 provides for equal opportunities, protection of rights and full participation of disabled persons in every field, which has not been enforced in the state so far. Continuing with his fight for disabled, Javed has succeeded in persuading authorities to incorporate ramps in many buildings at Kashmir University for facilitating wheel chairs. He arranges teachers’ workshops in B Ed colleges where the future teachers are taught how to tackle a physically challenged student. Javed says that there are more than six percent people afflicted with disabilities in the state but government has kept a quota of three percent in employment for them. “However that too is not granted,” he says. “With our efforts, SSRB is now selecting physically challenged persons, but just two percent, which we hope will get better in future,” opines Javed. Striving for better future for physically challenged, Tak says for him ultimate success means “when we are treated at par with normal people and society accords us equal respect, there lies my ultimate joy.”

Disabled banished behind barriers

Disabled banished behind barriers

By AASIF SULTAN

Published: Thu, 06 September 2012 11:15 PM

SRINAGAR:  Almost no measures have been taken by the government to remove the barriers from public buildings, parks, gardens and other structures to allow smooth movement of physically challenged people.
The physically challenged have been excluded from the rest of the society. Though the Srinagar Municipal Corporation claims that accessibility for physically challenged persons would be ensured in all new public buildings, so far no such thing has been seen as important public junctures remain inaccessible to the disabled.
“This is an important issue and I am ensuring that the handicapped have access to different public buildings,” SMC commissioner Dr G N Qasba. He also said that the media should sensitise people by raising such issues.
“We are trying our level best to minimise the barriers. We have ensured that the new washrooms that are coming up in Lal Chowk have space for handicapped people, both ladies and gents,” Qasba told Kashmir Reader.
Javaid Ahmad Tak, a physically challenged person who runs Humanity Welfare Organization, an NGO, says inaccessibility of disabled people to the public places have segregated them from the society.
“We have been confined to the four walls of our home. We can’t go outside independently, we can’t meet our friends and we can’t enjoy in public parks,” Javaid said.
“I have seen many disabled people using crutches falling down on pavements. If the flooring was done properly they could have easily accessed many important public places.”
The biggest hindrance that prevents wheel chair bound persons from accessing various public buildings is the absence of ramps, Tak said.
“Important buildings here in the Valley are without ramps that could help the disabled in wheel chair to access it.”
Tak said that High Court, Hospitals, Schools are without ramps that cause “immense problems” for them and they have to seek help from others to enter the building.
“Even the Social Welfare Department is without a ramp and when we go there we seek help from drivers and they lift us in their laps so that we may go upstairs,” Tak said.
“Recently during a function at SKICC, one of the disabled was to be presented an award. But as there was no ramp, he was taken to the stage by a man in his lap. This humiliated and highlighted his disability.”
Director Social Welfare Department, Bashir Ahmad said that the department will definitely look to help those who are wheel-chair bound to approach the director directly. But he seemed more worried about difficulties faced by the disabled in approaching him than facilities for the disabled in general areas.
"We have a new proposal for a new building for the department, probably in Bemina area, and we will definitely construct a ramp for them so that they will face no problems in approaching us."
The director also said that it would be preferable that they will take their office to the ground floor inside the old secretariat premises so that the elderly and the disabled will face no difficulties in approaching the department.

 

Thread: Disable in India-control Kashmir call for gov't support

Thread: Disable in India-control Kashmir call for gov't support

 Disable in India-control Kashmir call for gov't support



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Disabled in India-controlled Kashmir call for gov't support - People's Daily Online, December 04, 2009



A group of physically challenged persons in Indian-controlled Kashmir Thursday evening staged a candle light protest demonstration to highlight their problems on the World Disability Day.



The members took organized a sit-in demonstration amid burning candles and holding placards in a public park at the heart of Srinagar city, the summer capital of India-controlled Kashmir to impress upon the local government to address their grievances.



"We demand proper infrastructure so that we can prove ourselves. We're able to do anything in case you give us proper environment. We are asking for special schools for the people with different kinds of disabilities. Our concern is to see all the buildings, transport, parks and other places in the region barrier-free," said Shahleel Ahmad, a disabled person.



According to census of India report 2001, the population of disabled in India-controlled Kashmir is 300,000, 3 percent of the total population. However, the non-governmental organizations put the figure somewhere around 800,000.



The members of the disability community in the region allege government apathy for their plight. There are no special schools for the disabled people in the region.



The Social Welfare Department officials maintain that they are providing a monthly disability pension of 9 U.S. dollars to disabled persons registered with their department.



But the activists say government assistance reaches only to the handful.



"As per government figures only 58,000 people get this meager assistance," said Javed Ahmad Tak, an activist fighting for the cause of disabled in the region.



Tak is running a NGO, Humanity Welfare Organization, catering to the educational needs of physically challenged children in Anantnag.



Earlier the day, members of Handicapped Association were baton charged and detained by police while they tried to present a memorandum to a United Nations Office in Srinagar.



The members are eager to seek attention of UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, for early implementation of rights of disabled in the conflict hit India-controlled Kashmir.



The members were shouting anti-government slogans and accused region's Social Welfare Ministry of breaking its promises made to them from time to time.



"Our demands include implementation of reservations rules in favor of handicapped, enhancement of monthly disability pension from 400 to 1,500 rupees a month, free education to children of disabled up to university level, loans at low interest rates, separate counters in government and semi-government offices, reservation for handicapped employees in promotion quota, allotment of residential plots and shops, 50 percent concession in electricity fees, re-advertisement of backlog vacancies," said Mukthar Ahmad, a community member.



Experts in the region underline the importance of survey in the region to know the exact data about the nature and number of disability affected people.



"There is a need to undertake a survey in order to collect the data in respect of the disabled persons district wise in the region. We are hopeful to start it soon and complete it within a stipulated time so that we can design possible solutions on need basis," said Sakina Itoo, Minister of Social Welfare in Indian-controlled Kashmir while addressing a function on World Disability Day.



A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed in 2006 is also pending in the region's High Court seeking of emphasis on social and medical rehabilitation for the disabled persons.



Every year on Dec. 3, World Disability Day is observed to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities.



Source: Xinhua



Source: http://www.defence.pk/forums/current-events-social-issues/40593-disable-india-control-kashmir-call-govt-support.html#ixzz26cz4Y0xQ

In quest for knowledge, physical disability is no handicap

In quest for knowledge, physical disability is no handicap
Arshad Hussain


Muhammad Ramzan Gugjoo and Haleema in Srinagar’s Dangerpora area are epitome of parental love since they groom two daughters who are suffering from Muscular Dystrophy, a genetic disorder that gradually weakens the muscles. Both the girls in their teens have lost the ability to walk, sit upright or move their arms. Despite odds, Ramzan and Haleema have been toiling hard to educate them. Amazingly, both are matriculate. Tabassum due to intense weakness has stopped further studies while Saima is hell bent in pursuing her education. The impoverished family, which detested celebrating any occasion, were gripped by joy as Saima, 17, achieved what her friends failed to and she did it by working relentlessly for 14 hours a day to pass the matriculation with 66 per cent marks.

She could have secured more marks had she been able to move her hand properly. Ramzan's elder daughter Tabasum, 22, has qualified the exams in 2006. This was her second attempt after failing in two subjects in 2003.

According to Ramzan, Tabasum was born a normal baby but it was at the age of four when she was unable to stand by her own and used to fall down and crawl.

It was Dr Sethi who, after examining her when she was in fifth class, revealed that our other child will also have the same problem as the elder one, said Ramzan.



It was the third child, Saima, who, after Tabasum, showed signs of the disability while other two children Wasim, 20, and Iqra, 15, are normal. Wasim studies in 12th standard and Iqra is in ninth.



Both Ramzan and Haleema are the embodiments of parenting as the former used to carry Tabasum and Saima on his shoulders to their school while the latter would bathe, comb, dress them and help them with books and lunch pack.



“I have to minutely monitor their movements since they can't move from the place where they are seated. After every eight days, I bathe, comb and change their clothes. Their movement to bathroom is difficult and I have to ensure that they are not hurt while I carry them on my shoulders,” says Haleema.



Ramzan left his traditional work of selling carpets and started a grocery shop at his house in Dangerpora, Yechpora, near Nawakadal.



“I suffered huge losses when I switched over but to me taking care of my daughters was more important. For both of us, it was crucial that Tabassum and Saima don't get a feeling of insecurity due to their disability,” he opines.



This family rarely visits any relative on occasions of happiness or grief as taking them along means inviting people to raise queries about their health conditions. Besides, the focus on the occasion shifts to them.



Ramzan's shoulders do bear marks of resilience since he had to carry daughters on them from home to school.



Both Tabasum and Saima stopped walking when they were in sixth standard.



“It was for more than five years that I carried my daughters on shoulder to their school,” reveals Ramzan.



It was dream come true for illiterate parents to educate crippled daughters who worked hard to qualify the matriculation.



Apart from parents and siblings, both Tabasum and Saima love Kangri and pillow as they consider the items vital to live in a room round the year.



“They are like roses as they can't wear warm and heavy clothes in winter and have to sit on pillow for comfort. So Kangri and pillow are two things which they consider vital to their life. Since they wear light clothes, they feel chilly and that is why they use Kangri from October till May while pillow is always there,” reveals Haleema, who sold her ornaments to construct a single storey house with a toilet for use by Tabasum and Saima.



“In the previous house, the toilet was far away from the rooms and we had to face problems while carrying them during bad weather conditions,” says Ramzan.



Among the two, Tabasum has developed fear psychosis and yells at her mother the moment she fears slipping or skidding while Saima is composed but off late has developed pain at the back whenever she is lifted on the shoulders by her mother.



Shocking for both the parents, Tabasum has been seen cursing her fate when she goes to bed while Saima says that her end was near within a year.



“I often saw Tabasum wishing her death while Saima cries that she will pass away any moment as she is developing weakness,” observes Haleema.



This makes both the parents worrisome.



Interestingly, even in these conditions, they don't want to be dependent on their parents and that was the main reason for Tabasum to stop from pursuing her education beyond matriculation.



“I have seen the way my parents took care of me and Saima and how much my father had to spend on our medical and education facilities. Besides, I do have a brother and a sister who live a normal life and their education is important, so I decided to quit,” says Tabasum, who loves computers.



Her interest in computers pushed her resolve to complete a three-month course in computer application from Govt Polytechnic, Srinagar .



Both the parents are worried about the future of Tabasum and Saima as they ponder over the situation when they are no more.



“That is why we struggled to educate them. The emphasis was to help them survive as independent persons but since Tabasum quit and Saima's interest got diminished which makes me worry about their future,” feels Ramzan.



Saima's interest in going for medical stream diminished after college authorities argued that she can't opt for the subjects since practical and regular classes are a must for qualifying for the examination.



Shocked, Saima is slowly accepting the reality of going for arts subjects with no regular classes. “This will depend on BOSE if they will allow her to appear in the examination without going for regular classes,” argues Ramzan.



With dejected mindset, both read Holy Quran and go for Zikr praying for their parents' long and healthy life.

Tarigami for Disability Commission for policy inputs

Tarigami for Disability Commission for policy inputs


GK NEWS NETWORK

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Larger Srinagar, Dec 4: CPI (M) State Secretary M Y Tarigami has called for a comprehensive reservation policy for the disabled in private educational institutions, training and professional colleges and other employment concerns to empower the disabled population in Jammu and Kashmir.

In a statement, he said the recurring cycle of violence in the State has necessitated the urgent need to evolve, develop and focus on measures to build capacities among this miserable lot for their dignified living and equal opportunities to progress and development.

Demanding setting up of a Disability Commission in the State, the senior legislator said that the administrative structure would be instrumental in looking at their problems holistically and formulating policy inputs for their welfare. He said the State’s Social Welfare department is overburdened and is not capable to redress the grievances of the disabled accounting for over 3% population in Jammu and Kashmir.

disable children

Inclusive Education and PARIVAAR


Inclusion is a philosophy based on the belief that it is every person’s inherent right to fully participate in society.

SPECIAL CHILDREN BY AMARJIT SINGH ANAND

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Larger

What is Inclusion?

Inclusion means irrespective of the social, political, cultural, religious, ethnic status of a person, he or she is accepted in the Community or Society to which he or she belongs.

In respect of a person with disability inclusion has one more connotation. That a person with disability should not be discriminated against because of his or her disability. Inclusion of persons with disability in the mainstream of society is all the more relevant as their rightful place in the rights-based society has been ensured now with acceptance of United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities [UNCRPD] by our country.

It is necessary that the process of inclusion should start at a very early stage in the life of person with disability and particularly so in the life of Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities [PwIDDs]. In fact, if we look around the exclusion, and not the inclusion, or isolation of persons with disabilities starts at a very early stage when the child with disability is put in a special school and not in a normal school as other children.

It is heartening to observe that in quite a few elementary, middle and secondary classrooms students with special needs and other cognitive and physical disabilities are studying with their non-disabled peers. This practice of welcoming, valuing, empowering and supporting diverse academic and social learning among students of all abilities is called Inclusive Education.

Inclusive Education is more than mainstreaming. Mainstreaming implies that a student from a separate special education class visits the regular classroom for specific, usually non-academic, subjects. Inclusion is an educational process by which all students, including those with disabilities, are educated together for the majority of the school day. With sufficient support, students participate in age-appropriate, general education programs in their neighborhood schools.

Inclusive Education is an educational process by which all students, including those with disabilities, are educated together. Inclusion is a philosophy based on the belief that it is every person’s inherent right to fully participate in society. Inclusion implies acceptance of differences. It makes room for the person who would otherwise be excluded from the educational experiences.

When inclusion is effectively implemented, it has been found that it brings academic and social benefits for all students, both those who have special needs as well as non-disabled students. Actually, non-disabled students are more appreciative of differences and students with disabilities are more motivated. True acceptance of diversity ultimately develops within the school environment and is then carried into the home, workplace and community.



Benefits of Inclusion

It is, however a sad story in India that not many private or public schools are going for inclusive education. There are many misgivings about inclusive education with parents of non-disabled, and even teachers, are opposing it on various grounds. I don’t have any data of inclusive schooling, we have to analyze and study the problem with participation of parents, teachers and professionals. My discussion with concerned has found that the learning characteristics of students with special needs were more similar to their non-disabled peers than they were different. Moreover, teachers reported positive experiences with students with Learning Disabilities. They described their students as eager to learn, especially when encouraged, and reported personal satisfaction in terms of their professional achievements.



Vision of Reality.

Many children with disabilities continue to be educated in separate classrooms or schools for all or most of the day, even when their parents believe an inclusive setting would be more appropriate.

Why does this happen? Researchers have identified a variety of perceptual, cultural and emotional barriers that cause people to resist the idea of students with and without disabilities sharing the same classroom. In some cases the barrier is simply a matter of prejudice. But there are also many more complex views, including the belief that only those students with disabilities who are closer to “normal” can or should be included and the belief that the needs of students with disabilities are unique and beyond the reach of general educators.

Others may be concerned about the need for special expertise to support the student’s academic and social learning or the potential for students with disabilities to disrupt the classroom. Concerns may also include the costs associated with special services and the idea that functional life skills cannot be addressed in general classroom settings.

Successful implementation of inclusive education programs would allay these concerns. In fact, models of inclusive education can be models for the education of all students, as they overcome barriers and offer a variety of approaches which reach a broader range of students and improve learning. These successful inclusion programs will demonstrate how certain changes in the structure of school systems, classroom operations and the roles of teachers, students, parents and community members can enable equal access to general education curricula and related services for all students.

Unfortunately, effective models for inclusion do not yet exist in many parts of our country. The Government which came out with an Action Plan to implement an aggressive inclusive education policy in Feb 2006 also failed to take necessary steps and the policy remained on paper only.



Role of PARIVAAR.

We in PARIVAAR support all concerned individuals, parents, associations, organizations, institutions who support for inclusion. Inclusion if adopted in true manner in all spheres of life can bring great change in the life of the generation of young persons with disabilities. English speaking Public Schools can bring great change in this. Acceptability by normal children will fill the gap; it’s like untouchability. That is why we loud our voice and stand for ‘One Comprehensive Law’.

PARIVAAR is the only platform which formed Self Advocates Society of India-SASI Groups, where our self advocates have proved that they are second to none in honesty, loyalty, and working to their best. Some enlightened corporate sector companies have taken initiative to provide suitable jobs after training them. But these examples are very few and Parivaar and its affiliated units are taking initiatives in approaching and motivating other corporate sector companies. Even Educational Academies have come forward to educate our leaning disable children as part of Inclusion if PARIVAAR and Parents support them by providing Special Educators, in academic subjects.

We in PARIVAAR are confident that J&K will soon have the NT Act that will entitle you of what the rest of India gets for which PARIVAAR stands with you. As you all know that all Legislations that are enacted in our country are subject to ‘except the State of J&K’. It is the State of J & K that have to approach the Centre to extend all disability legislations to the State; has to pass a Legislation that J&K Disability Sector has equal rights as in rest of India and that J&K Assembly too should pass these legislations and make them applicable to the State. Here starts a revolution in J&K for our Special children.

I hope that in Jammu & Kashmir not a single District will be left without a Parents Platform and all the Parents Association in J&K are part of PARIVAAR. I as Secretary North Zone of PARIVAAR is always their to assist you and take every challenge for the cause of our special needs children.



Amarjit Singh Anand is Secretary North Zone PARIVAAR. Feedback at amarjitsinghanand@gmail.com.





Lastupdate on : Sat, 3 Sep 2011 21:30:00 Mecca time

Disability Defeated

Defeating Disability


Volume 04, Issue 06

Sunday, 15 April 2012 01:45

Crippled after losing control of his lower limbs by bullet injuries during an incident of cross firing, Arshad Pandit, a young Kashmir innovator defeated disability. He collaborated with a local motor mechanic and customized his car control system at hand level regaining his independence. P A Mushtaq reports.



Torso is what 37-year-old Arshad Pandit is able to move, while his lower limbs cannot sense anything. Like thousands of others maimed in Kashmir during the armed conflict, Pandit too was caught up in a firing incident and was hit by three bullets in 1995 that crippled him. But unlike others, Pandit decided to battle on and make it big for himself despite being paraplegic.



Pandit’s ingenuity has him now among seven innovators selected from the state by the union ministry of science and technology. It is after years of struggle that Pandit has invented wheels for himself by remodeling a car with all controls manageable by hands. All the three functions - clutch, brake and accelerator - controlled by feet in a normal car are regulated by hands. “On May 25, 1995, an accident rendered me paralysed at the age of 21. Waist down, I lost control of my lower limbs permanently. After remaining crippled for two years, I got a job in the health sector and my main concern was the personal abulation, to be able to commute between my home and the place of my work,” said Pandit, who was a graduate when bullets hit him. He looked around for a reliable means of transport but failed to zero in on one.



“I tried to find out whether I could buy a car with the requisite mechanical and other features compatible with my need and which is within my financial means and reach. However, such automatic cars came at a price that was flatly out of my reach,” he said.



The non-availability of vehicle did not let down Pandit’s spirits. Gazing at his Maruti Alto for five years, Arshad started a hunt for a local mechanic with an idea in his mind. “The idea to change my normal car friendly to my needs was in my mind for five years. It took me one year to realize my dream. The mechanism is simple but the idea made it big,” said Pandit.



Pandit says his idea was “remarkably simple”. “It could be executed by a trained motor mechanic without any need to fashion high-end sophisticated gadgetry. With the able and competent assistance of a local mechanic, the device I devised is a ‘hand-control system’ and is currently installed in my ‘Maruti Alto’ car at the ergonomic location under the steering wheel,” he said.



He has been driving the car for the last eight years with rare maintenance expenditure. “The hand control system is an assembly of few components.”



Arshad credits his inability and necessity for the innovation. “My necessity made me an innovator. I did not want to depend on others to drive me around and take me to my office,” he said.



Pandit did not allow his disability to come in the way of his growth and prosperity. After completing his master’s degree in Immunology and Molecular Medicine, he completed his doctorate thesis last year and is a consultant at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences’ Advanced Centre for Human Genetics. “My family was the pivot and encouraged me for all the achievements. It took me one year to make prototype of the car,” said Pandit.



The innovator is no more dependent on anyone for driving him around. “It was my elder brother who would drive me to places. I was completely dependent on him but not now. It has given me independence. Now I can go anywhere I want,” he said.



Besides the family, Pandit said he was inspired by two men - a friend who suffered from similar paralysis but became a senior administrative officer and Christopher Reeve, the superman actor.



With 22 publications to his credit, Pandit was among seven innovators selected for funding by the union ministry of science and technology.



Pandit on April 6 was part of the meeting of around 12 innovators at Kashmir University organised by the National Innovation Foundation (NIF) Ahmadabad, Ministry of Science and Technology, and University Science Instrumentation Centre (USIC), Kashmir University.



“Expert has accepted Pandit’s innovation as remarkable. We have sent a complete report of his innovation to Department of Scientific Industrial Research, New Delhi, for funding,” said USIC’s technical officer Pervaiz Ahmad.



Under Grassroots Innovation & Augmentation Network (GIAN), Pandits’s innovation and the technique has been sent to the union ministry for science and technology for further promotion of the idea.

‘Implementation of inclusive education system must’

Hope, HI, DSEK organize workshop on disabilityThursday, 30 Aug 2012 at 04:32


‘Implementation of inclusive education system must’


TAWSEEF AHMAD

Srinagar: Hope disability centre and Handicap International (HI) in collaboration with the Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) Thursday organized a day-long workshop in which the speakers emphasized for the need to make “inclusive education system” for children with special needs must.


The workshop was titled, “Towards Better Perspective on Integration of Children with Disabilities in Mainstream Education.”

They said that there is need to ensure quality education for the children with disabilities in the inclusive setting.

“The learning has to take place according to the pace of the child for which understanding the special needs is a prerequisite,” said Muhammad Yaqoob a school teacher.

The speakers on the occasion said: “Despite the guidelines, the achievement of the quality education for the children with disabilities is not anywhere near to the expectations.”

“Each child is a unique entity with special needs that need to be taken care of,” said Javid Ahmad, another teacher while speaking on the occasion.

The speakers also expressed concern over the physical and the psycho-social barriers.

“The narrow doorways, stairs, thresholds, inaccessible toilets, inappropriate height of the desks, ridiculing, neglecting, bullying are becoming a major deterrent for the people with the disabilities to face the challenges,” said Muhammad Tahir a school teacher.

Senior Consultant, National Centre for Disability Studies – IGNOU, Dr. Himanshu Das said: “It is irony that state government has failed to utilize the funds for inclusive programs for more than 10 years. They failed to understand the project and as a result funds got lapsed.”

He said the idea behind the worship is to bring grass root level recommendations and suggestions for better implementation of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) to reduce seclusion of children with disability.

He also said that all the stakeholders have a role to highlight issues of disabled people and in educating the communities on how to change society’s perceptions and develop a society which is equal for all

Speaking on the occasion, Commissioner Secretary, School Education, F A Faktoo said: “It does world of good to the kids with disabilities when they are allowed to study and play with normal kids.”

“We have to imbibe confidence in them. Every concerned organization has mandate to be in the process”.

It is estimated that there is approximately two percent of the population which is disabled in the state although there are no real reliable statistics to verify this.

However, Director School Education, Muhammad Shafi Rather, said, “The number of disabled is much more than what is declared officially”.

He said: “It is the duty of civil society, NGOs and other stake holders to ensure inclusive education system”.

The participants at workshop said the “inclusive education system” should not be restricted to government schools only but guidelines should be implemented in private institutions too.





Read Also

YWCF organizes

Jammu and Kashmir Government issues circulars on access

Jammu and Kashmir Government issues circulars on access


D.N.I.S. News Network, India: Department of Social Welfare, Government of Jammu and Kashmir has issued a circular to various Government departments, directing them to furnish information on measures taken by them on disability issues, particularly access.



The circular is a direct result of a Public Interest Litigation (P.I.L.) filed by social activist and N.C.P.E.D.P.’s State Partner, Javed Ahmad Tak in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court on problems faced by disabled persons in accessing public places like gardens, parks, hotels, tourist spots, etc.



A Division Bench of the High Court directed the Social Welfare Department to follow up on the matter and prepare a detailed status report on the measures that have been taken by various departments.

scholarship for persons with disabilities in jk

SCHEMES FOR JAMMU AND KASHMIR BASED DISABLED STUDENTS


Posted by MOHD FAISAL NAWAZ on July 7, 2011 at 11:53pm in GENERAL DISCUSSION

View Discussions

.Srinagar: Centre has approved two new scholarship schemes for disabled students in Jammu and Kashmir, under which 1500 scholarships will be given out by the end of next month, a senior minister has said."The Central government has approved two new scholarship schemes for the state to provide financial support to the disabled," state minister for Social welfare Sakina Ittoo said here yesterday.



She said in July–end this year, 1500 such scholarships will be made available to physically challenged persons so as to facilitate their higher education. Ittoo said various special welfare schemes have been launched for the betterment of women, physically challenged persons and those belonging to backward classes in the state.



The minister urged the beneficiaries to come forward and avail the schemes meant for them. Ittoo said the procedures and formalities for all centrally–sponsored schemes need to be further simplified, keeping in view the hilly terrain and poor communication facilities in the state.





--

Regards

Mohd faisal Nawaz

On behalf of F.I.I.R Tags: SCHOLORSHIPS

dabla sir about disability

Special IssueHuman RightsHealthInterviewHistoryBriefingWeb ExclusiveExcluded from mainstream


Monday, 11 June 2012 12:41

The number of disabled persons is alarmingly high in J&K as compared to national average. Dr. Bashir A. Dabla explains the various reasons behind it besides analysing the official apathy towards this less-privileged section of the society.



The term ‘disability’ is usually used for a person who is not in a position to perform like a normal human being. New Oxford Dictionary explains it as people with a permanent illness or injury that makes it difficult for them to move part of their body completely and easily. It essentially implies loss or lack of functioning, physical or mental, which unlike illness is usually permanent. It has been classified in five major types which are disability in (a) seeing, (b) speech, (c) hearing, (d) movement and (e) mental.





Disability prevails in all societies of the world irrespective of their differences in polity, economy, society, culture and ethnicity. Disabled persons are found in all regions and in all countries of the world - More than 500 million (10% of the world population) and 80% of them were living in developing world. Suffering from physical or mental limitation, they were often denied educational opportunities and often given menial or lowly paid jobs. Social attitudes exclude them from mainstream cultural life and normal social relationship. Rights of these persons were proclaimed as deterrent instruments. Like other societies in the world, the Indian society suffers from all types of disability in significant numbers.



Jammu and Kashmir faces the problem of disability in acute form. Its occurrence in the state has reached an alarming level as the percentage of disabled population is much higher than the national average. According to 2001 census records of J&K (2011 census reports about disability not released so far), the state had more than 300 thousand disabled persons: See table 2



The figures of disability in the state in 2011, according to experts, must have doubled. The reasons cited for the high increase include (i) more than the normal increase due to hilly nature of the state, and (ii) higher rate of disability due to armed conflict in last two decades. Thus an estimated/calculated account of disabled persons in the state revealed 605,340 persons (males 343,632 and females 251,708).



The figures in table 3 show that blind, movement and mental disability were more prevalent in proportion than speech and hearing disability. This may be explained by factors of hilly topography and strife in the state.



Census figures revealed that majority of the disabled (i.e. about 56 % of the total) were illiterate in comparison to a minority of literates (i.e. about 44 % of the total) in the year 2001.



Again, while majority of disabled belonged to lower and middle classes, minority of them were from upper classes and elite. A comparative view of Census 2001 revealed the higher rates of disability in J&K in comparison with the national average and north Indian states’ rates. Thus while the national level disability percentage in 2001 was 2.12 (males 2.36 % and females 1.87 %), the J&K state had 3.00% (males 3.24% and females 2.74%). The north Indian states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh (which share the hilly character with J&K) had disability rates of 1.74%, 2.56% and 1.72 % respectively in the same year. J&K state had the highest rate of disability (i.e. 3.00%) in the whole country which can be explained in terms of the hilly topography of the state and continuing armed conflict situation in last 23 years.



Statistics (see table 4) clearly shows that four particular frontier districts of Baramulla, Poonch, Kupwara and Rajouri had higher rates of disability against non-frontier districts in the state. This was also because of the context of armed conflict in the state.



The union government has responded to the problem of disability in the country positively. It has legislated the “Persons with Disability act” in 1995 which is aimed



- To spell out the responsibility of the state towards the prevention of disabilities, protection of rights, provisions of medical care, education, training, employment and rehabilitation of persons with disabilities.



- To create barrier-free environment for persons with disabilities.



- To remove any discrimination … in sharing of development benefits.



- To counteract any situation of abuse and exploitation of persons with disabilities.



- To lay down strategies for comprehensive development of programmes and services and equalization of opportunities for persons with disabilities.



- To make special provisions for the integration of persons with disabilities into the social mainstream.



However, the state government’s response to this problem has not been so active and positive. Except emphasizing implementation of the central act, its total response may be characterized as ‘apathetic’.



Its policy, programmes and schemes were not specifically directed to eliminate this problem in totality within a specific time frame and particular methodology. It has not accepted the gravity of this problem. In actuality, its response has proved negligent which reflected crudely in the failure of implementation of one of the important schemes about disabled persons sponsored by the central government in the state. Even the concerned government department has failed to collect basic data about disabled persons in J&K.



In this context, even the Governor of the state was compelled to emphasize on the Social Welfare Department to conduct tehsil-wise survey of disabled persons in the state. There are some centrally-sponsored schemes with some minimum benefits to the disabled persons. But, at the same time, these are neither fully functional nor the entire disabled community has been covered. These facilities also do not have expert personnel, modern medical technology and other resources.



In this background, some small efforts were initiated for the rehabilitation of disabled persons by local/national/international NGOs and other groups. This humble effort on the part of NGO sector and civil society caters to the needs of particular sub-groups of disabled and its focus is on specialized areas/fields. Though these efforts are limited and time-bound, it may help the governmental efforts in this regard. It reveals the strong potential of NGO sector in responding to problem of disability in J&K.



One such organised, systematic and specialised effort has been carried out by “Shafaqat Special School for Mentally Challenged and Multiple Disabilities” based in Srinagar. Founded in 1995, it provides rehabilitation, treatment, services and facilities to 150 indoor and about 500 outdoor disabled children in the fields of physiotherapy, occupational therapy, audiology, speech therapy, recreational therapy, computer and vocational training, development therapy, special education and social activities. The general/ professional services and facilities in the school are of world class in an ideal environment of rehabilitation and corrective measures for the total welfare of the disabled children.

disability increases in kashmir

Unknown disease causing disability amongst children in Kashmir


D.N.I.S. News Network, India: The outbreak of a mysterious disease in a village about 32 kilometres from Tumina in Kashmir has resulted in multiple disabilities in children. The children hit by this disease, it seems, are unable to speak and their nervous system, liver, eyes and brain have been affected. At least eight children have become disabled due to this disease in the month of March alone.



Residents of the village have been doing the rounds of Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (S.K.I.M.S.) and other medical institutions, but to no avail. S.K.I.M.S. expressed its inability to treat the children, saying that there are no facilities in the hospital for these tests.



After repeated reminders and representations from residents of the village, a team of doctors from the Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (I.D.S.P.), Kupwara, visited the village and took water samples from the bore wells and blood samples of the affected children and their parents. However, nothing has resulted from this visit, said the residents.



The Sarpanch of Tumina village has now appealed to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad to intervene.

jk disability sector

Kashmir's Disabled

"I just want one hand"

SALMAN NIZAMI.



Shahida's arms were blown off in a suicide attack in the Dal lake area of Srinagar city few years ago. Flesh was also torn from one of her legs and she lost much of her vision. Her mashed face is split by an uneven scar. Now about 35, she has four children but not much else. "I cannot even drink water by myself," she weeps silently, dabbing at a tear with one of her stumped arms. What is left of her limbs is covered by a black shawl that also partially hides red lumps of flesh on her neck and jaw. "Of course, I would have plans if I had hands or eyes. But now I have half a body. I don't even have a husband," she said. Her husband, a day labourer, was killed in the attack as he sat in the front seat of the private taxi, a Tata Sumo vehicle, that was taking them home from a wedding.

Shahida was dozing off in the back of the Sumo with her then three-months-old son in the lap and her arms resting on the front seat, when the car bomb exploded directly in front of them on 2 Nov, 2005. She said a police party signalled a car to stop. As police were trying to stop the car, there was a massive explosion resulting in the death of police constable, two civilians and a suicide bomber. Now she and her children live with her policeman brother, who supports them. Her daughters, both under 14, are her hands, cooking and cleaning and helping her to eat and drink. In her humble room at Rafiabad in Baramulla district, Shahida does not know where to turn for help. "I don't know where to go or what to do," I just want one hand, she says.

On the other side of the valley, Trehgam area of Kupwara district, lives 27-year-old Nafisa, who has an attractive face but no legs. She waddles around her family's small and spotless home on her hips, unable to even use a wheelchair on her own due to the attack by the security forces which destroyed her home about 14 years ago, mangled one of her hands. She remembers the chilly autumn day the attack happened. The family went into their courtyard to catch a little sun. Nafisa took her sewing machine out into the sunshine as she used to earn some livelihood. "There was the sound of a blast in a military camp near their home," recalls Nafisa mother. I told everyone: “Let's move." Then our house was surrounded by security forces, my son named Mushtaq Ahmed Dar was blind folded and taken to the military camp. This time it was another sound of a blast and cross firing at our home, she said. I saw the legs of my daughter cut off from her body; there was a bullet in her legs and another in her arm. I fainted. When I woke up I was in hospital," the 50-year-old lady narrated. Sara Begum lost a leg. Sara’s family is one of the few to collect a government disability pension totalling Rs 400 per month. But it is not enough for them to live on and they rely on relatives and the little money that the only surviving son earns by selling cigarettes and Nafisa can make from sewing for the neighbours.

Only 1.20 lac physically challenged people in militancy related incidents have access to the government disability pension. The J&K state, according to 2001 census, has a total disabled population of 302,670 (272,816 males and 130,853 females). According to estimates, this number has increased to 605,340 (343,632 males and 261,708 females) in 2009. According to Indian census reports there are five major types of disabilities in the State - ‘seeing’, ‘speech’, ‘hearing’, ‘movement’ and ‘mental’.

The mental and movement disability were found to be dominant while other disabilities were comparatively low. While 2.12 percent of the total population at all-India level suffers from such disabilities, in J&K 3.0 % of population is disabled. The percentage of disabled population in J&K is higher in comparison to northern states of Punjab (1.74 %) and Himachal Pradesh (2.56 %) and Union Territory of Chandigarh (1.72 %). This higher proportion of disabled in J&K can only be attributed to perpetual conflict in which thousands of people were treated brutally and beaten mercilessly or have suffered mentally. This gets confirmed from the district-level disability data according to which border and militancy affected districts have more number of disabled people. So the situation in Kashmir needs a different treatment than the one applied in other states. Despite the higher proportion of disability, J&K has not responded to the problem in a way it should. The state has not carried out any survey or census of the disabled. Last, but not the least, the role of NGOs in the cause of disability stands crucial. So, these organizations must necessarily and continuously intervene in this problem

disability workshop in kashmir

HDC holds workshop on media’s role in disability inclusion


By Shafat Farooq



Published: Thu, 19 July 2012 10:23 PM





SRINAGAR: In a bid to sensitize the media men of Kashmir valley about the problems faced by the disabled persons, Handicap International, a French NGO in association with Hope Disability Center organized a day long workshop titled ‘Enhanced Role of Media in Disability Inclusion’ here on Tuesday.

The main theme of the workshop was ‘disability’ wherein participants urged the J&K Government and non-governmental organizations to ensure effective implementation of the ‘inclusive education system’ for children with disability to make them independent.

The participants stressed on the need for change in attitudinal, environmental and institutional barriers to make effective inclusion of disabled persons within the society.

“Disabled people are one of the most marginalized, socially excluded and poorest groups in Jammu and Kashmir. It is estimated that there is approximately two percent of the population which is disabled in the state although there are no real reliable statistics to verify this,” said Sami Wani, Director HOPE Disability Center.

Wani said the workshop was organized to create awareness among media persons on disability issues. “It is aimed at providing a platform to share good practices and experiences about the issue of disability in Kashmir,” he said.

Emphasizing that there is an utmost need to address the issues of the disabled people, Country Director Handicap International David Gauthier said half of the population of the disabled people can’t voice due to the lack of essential services.

“Half of the population of disabled persons is finding it difficult to make them heard. Despite laws and regulations about the disabled persons nothing much is happening on the ground,” David said.

The workshop demonstrated the importance of continuous training for journalists to help them report regularly about the difficulties faced by disabled persons in absence of ‘inclusive facilities’, said a senior journalist working with a Delhi-based daily.

Participants were drawn from various media organizations, both print and electronic, from all corners of the state.

In the workshop series of presentations were made on different issues.

These were followed by plenary discussions and special activities for participants and inform journalists and NGOs on key issues that needed to be addressed to improve media reporting on disability issues.

Archana Shrivastava, a Development Consultant and facilitator of the workshop said the media had a role to highlight issues of disabled people and in educating the communities on how to change society’s perceptions and develop a society which is equal for all

disability in kashmir

World Disability Week Valley has 6 lakh disabled population, 1 lakh are children ‘Government still quotes 2001 census figure’


published 12/1/2011 10:12:00 PM by D S AHMAD

0



comments

Share SRINAGAR, Dec 1 :The world disability week beginning today might witness seminars and other grand functions but the people with disabilities in the state continue to be ignored lot.

As per the census carried out in 2001, there were at least 3,50,000 people suffering from different types of disabilities out of whom 45000 were the children between the age group of 4 to 14.

Though the government continues to quote the same old figures but NGOs and sociologists working for the welfare of the disabled maintain that the disability rate in the state has alarmingly gone up.

Chairman of the ‘Helpline’ a non-governmental organization working for the welfare of the disabled, Javed Ahmad Tak said, “ The number of children with disabilities between the age group of 4-14 was 45,000 in 2001 but this time their number is around 95,000.

Out of 95,000 hardly 9,000 have been rehabilitated, that too by the NGOs and the rest continue to be the victims of the callousness of the government.”

He said that the discrimination towards the disabled children by the authorities has completely isolated them from the society.





“Though the Disability Act (DA) is in force in the state which guarantees rehabilitation and education to the children with disabilities but no successive government in the state implemented the act in letter and spirit,” he said.





“In almost all the south Indian states there are special schools and the rehabilitation centers for the disabled children where they are educated and rehabilitated but here the government considers such children as useless,” Tak lamented.

A noted sociologist Bashir Ahmad Dabla talking to Kashmir Times said that the state government still goes by the figures of the 2001census.





“As per my study the number of disabled population in the state has doubled since 2001 making it six lakh out of which nearly 1 lakh happen to be the children,” Dabla said.





He said that government’s callous and discriminatory approach towards the disabled is evident from the fact that it has not conducted any survey on the disabled population during last 10 years and still the quotes the figures of decades old census.





“Though the rate of the disabled population in the valley is much more than other Indian states but the government so far has not taken any steps for their rehabilitation,” Dabla said.





He cited the armed conflict as the main reason for increase in the number of disabled population in the valley.

“Due to the armed conflict in the state the numbers of movement and mental disability cases increased manifold particularly in the border districts but only fewer cases having political influence have been rehabilitated and the rest continues to face discrimination,” Dabla added.





He also said that though many schemes were launched at the national level for the disabled persons but in Jammu and Kashmir no such scheme was implemented properly

disability in kashmir

World Disability Week Valley has 6 lakh disabled population, 1 lakh are children ‘Government still quotes 2001 census figure’


published 12/1/2011 10:12:00 PM by D S AHMAD

0



comments

Share SRINAGAR, Dec 1 :The world disability week beginning today might witness seminars and other grand functions but the people with disabilities in the state continue to be ignored lot.

As per the census carried out in 2001, there were at least 3,50,000 people suffering from different types of disabilities out of whom 45000 were the children between the age group of 4 to 14.

Though the government continues to quote the same old figures but NGOs and sociologists working for the welfare of the disabled maintain that the disability rate in the state has alarmingly gone up.

Chairman of the ‘Helpline’ a non-governmental organization working for the welfare of the disabled, Javed Ahmad Tak said, “ The number of children with disabilities between the age group of 4-14 was 45,000 in 2001 but this time their number is around 95,000.

Out of 95,000 hardly 9,000 have been rehabilitated, that too by the NGOs and the rest continue to be the victims of the callousness of the government.”

He said that the discrimination towards the disabled children by the authorities has completely isolated them from the society.





“Though the Disability Act (DA) is in force in the state which guarantees rehabilitation and education to the children with disabilities but no successive government in the state implemented the act in letter and spirit,” he said.





“In almost all the south Indian states there are special schools and the rehabilitation centers for the disabled children where they are educated and rehabilitated but here the government considers such children as useless,” Tak lamented.

A noted sociologist Bashir Ahmad Dabla talking to Kashmir Times said that the state government still goes by the figures of the 2001census.





“As per my study the number of disabled population in the state has doubled since 2001 making it six lakh out of which nearly 1 lakh happen to be the children,” Dabla said.





He said that government’s callous and discriminatory approach towards the disabled is evident from the fact that it has not conducted any survey on the disabled population during last 10 years and still the quotes the figures of decades old census.





“Though the rate of the disabled population in the valley is much more than other Indian states but the government so far has not taken any steps for their rehabilitation,” Dabla said.





He cited the armed conflict as the main reason for increase in the number of disabled population in the valley.

“Due to the armed conflict in the state the numbers of movement and mental disability cases increased manifold particularly in the border districts but only fewer cases having political influence have been rehabilitated and the rest continues to face discrimination,” Dabla added.





He also said that though many schemes were launched at the national level for the disabled persons but in Jammu and Kashmir no such scheme was implemented properly

we have rights

Sunday 16 September 2012


Home



Visually impaired hold demos against Govt ‘apathy’Published Wednesday 04 January 2012





‘In JK blind people are treated as beggars’



Shafat Farooq

Srinagar, Jan 04: Demanding protection of their rights, hundreds of blind persons from across the valley Wednesday protested here at the Press Enclave on World Braille Day.

The protest was organized by Humanity Welfare Organization Helpline Bijbehara in collaboration with Zaiba Appa Institute of Inclusive Education, wherein blind people from various places rallied to highlight their issues.

Talking to Rising Kashmir Chairman Humanity Welfare Organization Helpline, Javed Ahmed Tak said, “According to census 2011,





there are more than two lakh blind people in the State who crave for opportunities of education, employment and civil as well as political rights.”

He said the whole world has adopted ‘Braille’ technique for making blind people educated but the State government has not adopted it yet. “Today whole world is taking advantage of this technique except Kashmir, where blind people don’t enjoy Braille facility. Our educational institutes lack this technology,” Tak said.

Holding placards and shouting slogans against the authorities, scores of of visually impaired children participated in the rally despite chilling cold.

Another protester Bashir Ahmed said, “Jammu and Kashmir Persons with Disabilities Act-1998 which guaranties equal opportunities, protection of rights and full participation to blind persons is not fully implemented on ground. We have no accessibility to government schools, courts, hospitals and banks. Disabled people feel discriminated in our society and don’t enjoy the basic privileges of a common man. It’s really sad that in our state, blind are treated as beggars