Hyderabad fails to be disabled-friendly

 

Despite various schemes and programmes being organised, many government offices, hospitals, bus stations and public spaces do not have facilities that cater to them.  Ramps, lifts or even offices on the ground floor to create a barrier-free environment for them are missing across the city.

 

The list includes dearth of affordable medical facilities to mentally-impaired patients, no government-appointed psychologists or specialists for their rehabilitation, lack of braille literature for visually-impaired people etc.

 

This December 3, on International Day for Persons with Disabilities, people from this section of the society are looking to “breaking the walls of silence”.

 

Telangana State has one specific college for hearing and speech-impaired students and five government schools. While 3 per cent reservation has been called for, many posts are either vacant or in some cases filled up by people who are not entitled for the reservation.

 

Dr Hanumant Rao, chairman, Sweekar Academy of Rehabilitation Sciences said, “The needs of mentally-impaired people are very different. They need a lot of green space, fun methods and play to progress.

 

All institutions must have some green space for them to adapt and learn, which is hardly the case. While, when it comes to the hearing impaired, employment is very difficult. The government has not been giving any kind of support to them. There is hardly any scope of higher education for them, despite being very talented.

 

The government has not identified their potential. They must build more specialised schools and colleges and provide basic equipment and develop a community development system. Instead, they are treated like a burden.”

 

Rajashekar from the Vikalangula Hakkula Jatiya Vedika, said, “Universities have facilities for  the disabled, but many educational institutions do not have ramps or a lift.”

 

 

 

There are over 548 inclusive education resource teachers (IERTs) who had been appointed on contract by the government under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan to teach differently-abled children for inclusive education. It has been over 16 years and many are still waiting to be regularised. 

 

As per the district information of school education, 68,979 children with special needs (CwSN) are being educated in government schools in Telangana State and Andhra Pradesh. 

 

Kalpagiri Sreenu, general-secretary, inclusive education resource teachers association, said, “We are taking care of these CwSN in TS on contract basis. The TS government and commissioner and director of school education have been neglecting or omitting the inclusive education wing until now.

 

Short fall of secondary grade teachers and school assistants posts in TS and undivided AP have been made up by recruiting and adjusting salaries from Centrally sponsored schemes like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyaan schemes.

 

But we IERTs have been working for 16 years on contractual basis for services to CwSN in both, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana State. We are demanding that the government regularise our services into the IEDSS scheme sanctioned 616 school assistant (special teachers) posts.” 

 

As per the Right To Education Act,  2012, the CwSN student to teacher ratio should be 1:5 at primary level and 1:8 at secondary level.