PANAJI
The first-ever online state advocacy meeting for deafblind inclusion was organised to converge with initiatives of relevant State government departments, skill development agencies, and civil society organisations for the inclusion of persons with deafblindness.
The meeting was organised by Caritas-Goa, the social arm of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman, with the support from Sense International India, The Hans Foundation, Sense International and Thomas Cook Children’s Charity.
A total of 131 participants-parents, special educators and persons with Deafblindness interacted with government officials on a common platform to find a solution for the rehabilitation needs of persons with deafblindness. CSOs, NGOs and colleges also attended the meet.
On the occasion, Sense International India Executive Director Akhil Paul said, “When SDGs and United Nations are talking about ‘Leaving No One Behind’, how can we leave people with deafblindness behind?”
Shrutilata Singh, Officer-Advocacy, Sense International India who is also a person with deafblindness said, “Many people with Deafblindness are not so fortunate to receive support whether emotional or financial. So, what we ask from our government bodies is to build an ecosystem of support that fosters and nurtures our skills.”
Officials from government bodies like the Department of Women and Child Development, Social Welfare Department, doctors from Goa Medical College (GMC), District Early Intervention Centres, Paediatric Neuro Rehabilitation Centres, members of various panchayats in Goa attended the meeting.
Crediting the Anganwadi workers, Caritas-Goa Director Fr Maverick Fernandes said, “What we want to see from different government bodies is to support the identification of people with deafblindness. Some panchayats have been very successful in identifying them and much of the credit goes to Anganwadi workers who believed in leaving no one behind.”
Most of the discussion was around a faster certification of the children with the right disability written, transport facilities, inclusion in schools and medication procured at the health centres.
The GMC doctors were thanked for providing support to parents of children with deafblindness by giving them disability certificates. They also said that they intend to make separate queues for people with disabilities and make more infrastructural changes to make the hospital accessible.
With support from Sense India, the parents were encouraged to make a network. They also discussed life after them for their children, acquiring medicines, education, certification and inclusion for people with deafblindness which were taken up in the state advocacy meeting.
