Never-say-die, that's their spirit
By Karmayogi
CHENNAI: ‘‘We will
live, we will demonstrate it.'' There is nothing
unusual about this slogan unless you see 22-year-old Saktivel, who lost his
legs in an accident, use his hands to walk upside down at the Government
Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine (IGRM) premises on World Disability Day.
Or watch neurologically impaired children Anjana V S and M Abhishek from Vidya
Sagar enthusiastically perform in a skit at the Landmark outlet in Spencer Plaza on Wednesday to remind the world to not dismiss them as just people
on wheelchairs.
World Disability Day celebrations in the city were marked by the
survival spirit of these physically challenged people despite the lack of any
concrete and comprehensive official policy to deal with their problems.
The celebrations started in the morning with more than 1,200
children from 19 schools for the disabled acting, singing and dancing at
Kalaivanar Arangam. The function, organised by the Office of the Special
Commissioner for the Disabled, also saw Social Welfare Minister P Valarmathi
congratulating the self-help groups that set up stalls to sell their products
such as fruit preserves and juices.
Later in the day, Senthil Kumar from Government Higher Secondary School for the Blind at Poonamallee and S
Akilandeswari from Government Higher Secondary
School for the Blind at Puthur
received a cash prize of Rs 600 and merit certificate from the minister for
excelling in the SSLC examinations. The minister also distributed tricycles,
wheel chairs, callipers and other aids worth more than Rs 3 lakh.
At the Government Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine (IGRM) at K K
Nagar, Health Minister Thalavai Sundaram said the government had allotted
more than Rs 1 crore to IGRM last year to help the disabled patients. For
this year, the minister inaugurated a new ambulance.
However, according to a doctor at IGRM, the need of the hour was to
equip the patients with the more comfortable ‘fibre incorporated
callipers' than go about distributing the traditional aids and
appliances. ‘‘But to implement such advanced materials and train
the doctors in the field, there should be more allocation of
funds,'' the doctor added.
However, it was the offer of money that put off the volunteers
and students of Vidya Sagar, an organisation which deals with people having
neurological impairments.
Different teams had set up ‘solidarity booths' at the
Landmark outlet at Spencer Plaza, the Central Railway Station and the airport. They were armed with
placards announcing ‘Inclusion is our mission', a skit which
focussed on their ability to interact and survive in the society and a pledge
re-inforcing the potential of disabled people to be part of mainstream
activities.
‘‘The response is pretty depressing,'' said
special educator Ezhil Mathi who was with the Spencer Plaza team. Mathi and her colleagues say most of the people who visited
their booth missed the message – inclusion of the disabled in the
mainstream – but were busy offering the children money or gifts.