Club planned for disabled children

By Our Staff Correspondent

MANGALORE, OCT. 16. While efforts have been made by social organisations in Dakshina Kannada District to improve the quality of life of mentally and physically-challenged children, such efforts have not paid off, the main reason being the social stigma attached to the birth of mentally-challenged children. A rough survey conducted by Asha Jyothi, (a school for the mentally-retarded) nine years ago showed that there were more mentally-challenged children than actually reported.

To increase awareness especially in parents and to give a better opportunity to the mentally retarded, Seva Bharathi plans to start a recreation club, (the first of its kind in the district), for disabled children. The club will be a common forum in which children can interact and learn skills that will help them grow better, the president of Asha Jyothi, Mr. Srinivasa Rao, said. He was addressing a press conference here on Monday.

He said Asha Jyothi would organise a day-long mela to enable greater participation by disabled children and their parents. This was the third year the mela was being organised. It was well received earlier by the children and their parents.

The mela would have two parts: one for participating children and the other for parents, who would be briefed about the benefits available for the handicapped child, to educate them about the problems involved and to interact with them the difficulties regarding the problems in bringing up handicapped children.

Mr. Rao said it was disturbing to note that most parents were unable to accept their mentally-retarded children. Even today the plight of most such children was disturbing as they had not learned to be self-sufficient. When a disabled child lost its mother it was forced to fend for itself.

An awareness had not been created in society to prevent the mentally or physically-handicapped children from being isolated. It was proven that the handicapped person could do the same quantum of work done by an average individual if he was given the right education and adequate support, but both were not available in most cases.

He said the mela would be open for all handicapped children. It would stage games and other forms of entertainment, both of the body and of the mind. Asha Jyothi was planning to set up a residential school for the handicapped in which the children would be taught academics and vocational subjects.

The school was at present, conducting programmes every fortnight in which the club members took part. Mr. Rao said until there was an awareness in society of the problems of the handicapped, help would not be forthcoming.

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Section  : Southern States
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