City would soon see hi-tech care homes for differently-abled with the State government expected to facilitate their construction at IT Park near Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Shamshabad.
The residential facilities would have reading rooms for visually-challenged, ramps for the orthopaedically-challenged and user-friendly lavatories for people with disabilities. The park would come up on 10 acres of government land to be built on a public-private partnership mode between the Telangana State and Vindhya E-Infomedia Private Limited.
The Department of Welfare for Disabled and Senior Citizens would be roped in to provide aids and amenities that include tricycles, wheelchairs, calipers, artificial limbs, motorised vehicles, crutches, hearing aids, laptops, mp3 players and Braille books.
The visually-impaired would be offered software-assisted reading devices. While the park is expected to employ 2,000 persons with disabilities in the next five years, the residential facilities would cater to families too.
“The private party will contact the welfare department to identify persons with disabilities who are qualified to work. We are ready to offer our support in compiling the list,” said B. Shailaja, Director of Welfare Department for Disabled and Senior Citizens.
Apart from job training, people with disabilities would also be trained in activities such as shopping, cooking, money management, weight management and healthy food habits to make the employees and dependent families self-sufficient. On the campus, the residents would also be given health evaluations, health services that include routine check-ups, primary medication and treatment systems. “The department might also provide skill training as an additional support,” Ms. Shailaja said.
The blueprint of care homes has not yet been finalised. The welfare department is expected to offer its expertise and suggestions in the matter.
The IT-park, which was announced on December 3 this year, is an addition to the welfare homes run by the government. The State currently has 19 homes where students with disabilities reside. One home for the differently-abled runs exclusively for senior citizens. About 80 NGO-run homes also cater to the needs of the differently-abled population in the State.
The park would be established in two phases in the next two years.
