Nanthakumar-Multiple disability boy needs help

Employ us, demand the disabled

By Our Staff Reporter , The Hindu
CHENNAI, DEC. 2. Employ the disabled and implement the Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995, was the demand of those with disability and activists on Thursday on the eve of the World Disability Day.
As per the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, three per cent of Government jobs should be reserved for them. But the Act has not been fully implemented so far.
On a day-long fast at Chepauk here to protest the Government's failure to meet their needs, the disabled called for filling up vacancies in the government by March 31.
"Nobody wants to hire a disabled person," said J. Deepa, a B.A. graduate who has done a course in computers. Earlier this year, she competed with participants from 13 countries to win silver and bronze medals at the Belgian Paralympics. Back home, she is unemployed.
"I want to appeal to private companies to hire disabled people," she said. Despite repeated efforts, she has not received any support from the Government.
The problem lies in the Government machinery and not in its policies, according to N.S. Venkataraman, Editor of Nandini - Voice for the Deprived. "There exists a big gap between the government and disabled people. The Government has to make itself more responsive to their needs," he said.
E. Alex Kannan, a visually impaired PCO operator, also believes the Government has the necessary schemes, but has not made them operational.
"The job of making announcements at railway stations should go to blind people according to a government order," he said. "But normal people are doing the job."
N. Balasubramanian from Ambattur asked why all typing and data processing jobs in the government could not be given to disabled people. "Even those who get the first few ranks in government-sponsored courses, don't find employment," he said.
"Under the National Handicapped Finance Corporation, around Rs. 450 crores has been allotted for self-employment, but the disabled have not benefited from this," said Mr. Balakrishna Nair from Nagercoil.
According to Mr. Venkataraman disability and poverty were linked. More than 90 per cent of the people with disability belonged to lower income groups. "Lack of access to quality education prevents them from getting jobs and coming up in life," he said.
The group called for more disabled people to be hired as district-level Rehabilitation Officers. "At present none of the Rehabilitation Officers are disabled. What we need is empathy, not pity," said A. Chidambaram from College Students and Graduates Association of the Blind.
The protest was organised by the Tamil Nadu Handicapped Welfare Federation Charities and Nandini-Voice for the Deprived.
The group demanded provision of unemployment allowance, unconditional loan facilities and free equipment such as calipers and wheelchairs.
They also called for ramps in public buildings.
BPCL gesture
On the occasion of World Disabled Day tomorrow, the Bharat Petroleum Company Limited (BPCL) will dedicate nine of its retail outlets in Chennai for the physically-challenged. These outlets will have wheel chairs, ramps, specially equipped toilets and friendly staff. The door sizes have been changed for easy manoeuvrability of wheelchair in the store.