It is shocking to note that a differently-abled person pursuing a vocational course at the Sanjay School in Porvorim was seriously injured on Wednesday when a railing gave way and he fell off the second floor of the building.
He sustained grievous injuries and was shifted to the Goa Medical College Hospital at Bambolim for treatment. It is learnt that he suffered injuries to the spine.
He was reportedly studying in the school for the past 20 years. Sadly his efforts to complete the studies and live a normal life could have been affected.
It must be said that institutions that cater to differently-abled students need to have special facilities. To suit the special needs of differently-abled persons, institutions have to create special facilities such as ramps, rails and wash-rooms and make other necessary changes to suit the special needs of them.
The construction plans should clearly address the accessibility issues pertaining to disability. Since the Sanjay School in Porvorim is an old building carrying out a structural stability study seems mandatory.
It also seems prudent to carry out necessary repair works of the structure in order to prevent such accidents. Differently-abled students may have difficulty in moving about in the building and having a railing that has collapsed is unacceptable.
The authorities concerned need to be more considerate to the facilities to be provided to students with special needs.
