<p>Without these certificates that describe any child’s level of disability, these children are not able to avail of entitlements such as admission in schools, scholarships and allowances under the Disability Act and the Right to Education Act.<br /><br />In all, 595 children in 142 DOE schools in south Delhi are disabled and 518 of them do not have the required certificates. The average thus reaches four children per school enrolled up to standard eight in the DOE and aided schools.<br /><br />“It is the responsibility of school principals or headmasters to issue certificates to children by co-ordinating with the medical board. But schools are not supportive and deny admission to these children,” said a member of Jan Madhyam NGO. <br /><br />The Persons with Disabilities Rules, 1996 states that a medical board in Delhi hospitals, constituted by the Central and the state government, is supposed to issue a disability certificate. These certificates are then sent to the Disability Commissioner’s office. <br /><br />The Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) believes that the process of getting certificates is extremely chaotic and confusing. <br /><br />Single window sought<br /><br />“Parents are forced to run from one department to the other. There should be a single window for certification,” said Shashank Shekhar advocate and member DCPCR.<br />NGOs say that hospitals that provide disability certificates in Delhi such as Dr R M L Hospital, Safdarjung, Lady Harding Medical College and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) are not considerate towards the parents. <br /><br />“Non-availability of psychiatrist, clinical psychologist or pediatrician at different medical boards has led to this situation. Plus the hospital staff are not supportive,” said Rajshree a member of Aarth Astha NGO.<br /><br />DCPCR and NGOs further allege that schools deny admission to children who do not have a certificate to support their level of disability such as orthopaedic disability, low vision, speech and hearing impairment, mental retardation, cerebral palsy, autism, and blindness.<br />DOE says the department is aware of the related issues. <br /><br />“Efforts are on and positive changes are happening, but more will be done to make the procedure parent-friendly,” said an official from the Department of Education. <br /><br />The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan’s 2009-2010 data states that certificates have been provided to only 0.27 per cent (8105) children with disabilities out of 24,318 specially-abled children in Delhi.</p>
<p>Without these certificates that describe any child’s level of disability, these children are not able to avail of entitlements such as admission in schools, scholarships and allowances under the Disability Act and the Right to Education Act.<br /><br />In all, 595 children in 142 DOE schools in south Delhi are disabled and 518 of them do not have the required certificates. The average thus reaches four children per school enrolled up to standard eight in the DOE and aided schools.<br /><br />“It is the responsibility of school principals or headmasters to issue certificates to children by co-ordinating with the medical board. But schools are not supportive and deny admission to these children,” said a member of Jan Madhyam NGO. <br /><br />The Persons with Disabilities Rules, 1996 states that a medical board in Delhi hospitals, constituted by the Central and the state government, is supposed to issue a disability certificate. These certificates are then sent to the Disability Commissioner’s office. <br /><br />The Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) believes that the process of getting certificates is extremely chaotic and confusing. <br /><br />Single window sought<br /><br />“Parents are forced to run from one department to the other. There should be a single window for certification,” said Shashank Shekhar advocate and member DCPCR.<br />NGOs say that hospitals that provide disability certificates in Delhi such as Dr R M L Hospital, Safdarjung, Lady Harding Medical College and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) are not considerate towards the parents. <br /><br />“Non-availability of psychiatrist, clinical psychologist or pediatrician at different medical boards has led to this situation. Plus the hospital staff are not supportive,” said Rajshree a member of Aarth Astha NGO.<br /><br />DCPCR and NGOs further allege that schools deny admission to children who do not have a certificate to support their level of disability such as orthopaedic disability, low vision, speech and hearing impairment, mental retardation, cerebral palsy, autism, and blindness.<br />DOE says the department is aware of the related issues. <br /><br />“Efforts are on and positive changes are happening, but more will be done to make the procedure parent-friendly,” said an official from the Department of Education. <br /><br />The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan’s 2009-2010 data states that certificates have been provided to only 0.27 per cent (8105) children with disabilities out of 24,318 specially-abled children in Delhi.</p>
