Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 15, 2008
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Online edition of India's National Newspaper Saturday, Mar 15, 2008 ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version |
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Tamil Nadu
Around 5 to 10% of India’s population is estimated to be differently abled, with only 2% of them receiving any health or educational services. A large chunk of then are from lower economic strata. The infrastructures for them are rare in urban and non existent in rural setup. Funds allocated by government are scanty and are not used productively. There is an acute shortage of trained personnel like therapists, teachers, doctors. A disabled person is considered worthless if he is not productive. The family and society exerting pressure on them along with their disability cause mental trauma from accusations and isolation even by the family members forced to live off on the non empathical family which form the large stream though there are families that support them in all their endeavors. With their concerns poorly represented they become ircreasingly frustrated. Temporarily disabled by fractures and other causes, people who develop permanent disability later in life by loss of any function need to be nursed with more physical and emotional care. When the differently abled happens to be a female the disadvantage is twice as that of the male with discrimination of gender is added up to that of the disability. It is not just the financial aid that they demand of us, an emotional support, inclusion and empathizing with them is the need of the hour. Family support along with that of friends is of extraordinary importance which helps the differently abled to realize their potential and have a positive outlook at life and increase their self esteem. The differently abled when provided the opportunity are more dedicated and often have compensatory skills There are no exact statistics on how many people with disabilities require assistive devices. However, there is a general agreement that only 15-20 percent of the need for assistive devices is being currently met. With only a few assistive device manufacturers in the country, the organized sector is known to meet just 5 to 7 percent of the requirement while the non profit organizations meet about 2-3 percent of the requirements. Very little is being done in both manufacture and research of assistive devices in the country. Research to encourage in the process of manufacture of assistive devices is a highly specialized task and requires a deep understanding of both physiology and the needs of differently abled. Assistive devices are expected to basically reduce the impact of disability. Most of the assistive devices developed thus far are by non-disabled people without much knowledge about the physically and physio-social impact of assistive devices. Often the device when provided to the differently abled needs to be customized to individual needs but this is rarely done. On an average, the government spends only about Rs.40-50 per disabled persons per year for assistive devices. As a result, most disabled must obtain expensive devices on their own rely on the benevolence of an NGO or manage without it. Like non-disabled people, differently abled too have tremendous potential, ambition and aspirations, however with only a few exceptions, most of them are restricted to their homes and irnn1ediate surroundings, simple because of the lack of assistive devices. While on the hand, there is a dire need to provide assistive devices to differently abled on the other there is an urgent need for research and development [R&D] so as to provide environment specific, user-friendly and customized devices. The Persons with Disabilities [Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation Act. 1995 Chapter IX on Research and Manpower Development in Section 48C makes only a passing reference that the appropriate governments and local authorities shall promote and sponsor research for the development of assistive devices, however other than the Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India [ALIMCO]. For example, if you went out to buy a wheelchair you would probably get it in just two sizes, one for adults and one for children and yet we all know that people vary in sizes. If a wheelchair is large for the person it can put additional strain on the arms. A wheelchair designed for an urban setting is rendered useless in a rural area. A badly designed wheelchair cushion can cause pressure sores. Thus poorly designed assistive devices can do more harm than good to a differently abled. R&D related to disability is not a profitable and so attracts little or no private interest. Another aspect is that nearly 75 percent of differently abled live in rural areas and need to be provided assistive devices at a highly subsidized rate. It is therefore up to the government to fund R&D related to disability. The neglect in the field of research is so gross that numerous NGOs working in the field of disability now run their known research units and produce their own low cost assistive devices. While there has been much complaining that the government has been providing few if any assistive devices, even those distributed with much fanfare at public events are known to be of poor quality and it is not uncommon to find users dumping them six months later. Thus, it is not just about providing differently abled with assistive devices but also teaching them the basics of maintenance and providing them places where they can get their devices serviced, especially for assistive devices like hearing aids which are know to be very delicate or prostheses that may crack with repeated use. The need of the hour therefore, is for the government to formulate a national plan for the manufacture and distribution of assistive devices in a given time-frame besides drawing up a plan for their maintenance. There is an urgent need for the government to refocus on R&D of assistive devices. These need to be manufactured in a cost effective way so as to meet the required scales. The educational syllabus, examination system, transport and other public and private facilities must accommodate the differently abled.
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