More facilities sought for differently-abled kids

Even as Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) is marking the silver jubilee of UN Convention on Rights of the Child (UNCRC), special children in Karnataka are far from getting benefits of policies meant for them.

Lack of facilities to travel to school and absence of ayahs, inaccessibility to medicines, are among several challenges faced by them. At a meet on ‘Voice of Special Children’ organised as part of the ‘Children Silver Festival’ by KSCPCR, on Friday, parents complained about the absence of child-friendly facilities in schools. They urged the government to make schools suitable to the needs of special children. 

Lakshmi, a parent from Peenya II Stage, whose child finds difficulty in standing and sitting owing to health issues, said she had to visit the school during lunch time to help her child use the toilet. Primary school students at Hegganahalli Government School sit on the floor and this becomes more difficult for special children. Preethi (name changed), a Class VII student from Chikkaballapur, who faced a similar health problem requested the officials to provide transport facilities to commute to school.

Krishna Nayak of Grameena Abhyudaya Samsthe said: “Children suffering from polio cannot get inside buses. In rural areas, people mostly depend on private buses. Absence of healthcare at taluk level is another major issue. “There is no speech centre or medical assistance for the blind at taluk level. One has to go to Mysuru or Bengaluru. There is a dearth of psychiatrists too, the parents complained.