To make education accessible for the differently-abled, the Sarva Shiksha Abiyan- along with the Spastic Society of Tamil Nadu and Vidhyasagar- on Tuesday conducted a screening camp for the differently abled children in the Triplicane zone.
This is part of an ongoing screening programme which is conducted in all the zones of the city and Thiruvalluvar district as an annual exercise to identify disability and to provide them with supportive aid to make them stay in mainstream education. Jeeva, coordinator, Spastic Society of India, said, “ Most of these children go to mainstream schools. Through these screening camps, we identify the extent of the disability and provide them with supportive aid. We don’t want an orthopaedically-challenged child to drop out of school for the lack of a wheelchair. Our aim is to enhance their quality of living, so that they continue their education.”
On Tuesday, a team of specialists screened 189 children in the Triplicane zone, out of which 48 are mentally challenged. Jeeva said, “After this initial assessment, we take stock of what the requirements of the children are. We will conduct the next camp in the same area in a couple of months to do what is necessary. If the doctors recommend surgery, we will refer them to the concerned person to do the needful.”
They also issued Identity cards for the first timers. Some of them also filled in forms to apply for the Rs 1000 maintenance grant given by the state government.