Meeting on empowerment of persons with disabilities held at Shopian

Shopian : A meeting of District administration on empowerment of persons with disabilities was held here under the chairmanship of Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Shopian, Mushtaq Ahmad Simnani.
Delegation of persons with disabilities from Shopian district attended the meeting.
During the meeting, District Officers from almost all the departments listened to the problems faced by such persons. The disabled persons also presented a detailed charter of demands regarding disability rights.
The disabled persons highlighted several issues confronting them including issuance of fake disability certificate which they said has marred the rights of deserving persons, problems faced by students with disabilities in seeking standard assistive and supportive devices, travel and escort allowance, scribe in examinations, provision of special educators and proper functioning of resource rooms.
They also demanded proper composition of doctors in the district medical board.
The ADC said that there should be zero tolerance for issuance of disability certificates in favour of non-deserving candidates. He also issued on spot orders to Dy. CMO Shopian to ensure presence of neurologist and psychiatrist in the medical board and ensure functioning of the medical board on the ground floor to manage easy access for persons with disabilities.
The ADC directed for free admission of disabled persons and every facility in every government building and other public buildings with provision of Ramps lifts for orthopedic disabilities, tactile paths for persons with blindness, tag system for persons with hearing and speech disabilities with reserved parking slots.
The delegation requested the ADC to be kind enough while formulating developmental plans of the district that should include provision of an enabling environment and provision of quota in contracts to contractors with disabilities. There should be complete implementation for inclusive education, inclusive tourism, inclusive sports and inclusive recreation.
They also urged for inclusive and accessible rural infrastructure and provision of job cards and 5 percent quota in Prime Minister Aawas yojana.
The ADC said that it is the collective responsibility of all the stakeholders to redress the grievances of persons with disabilities on priority basis with empathetic approach.
Among others ADDC, DSWO, CEO, Dy. CMO, and other district officers besides a large number of disabled persons were present.