With eyes glued to the windows and excitement writ large on their faces, around 260 children took a Metro ride from Egmore to Airport and back on Monday evening.
The experience for differently-abled children from across the State was facilitated by the Chennai Metro Rail Limited in association with the Commissionerate for the Welfare of the Differently-abled, ahead of the International Day for People with Disabilities.
For Dharshini, a student of the Anbalayam Special School in Karur, this was the first time she travelled on the Metro.
As the train went closer to the airport station, Santhosh and Bharath, students of the St. Louis School in Chennai, excitedly pointed to the runways and aeroplanes.
Several children even broke into an applause in sign language.
Children from special schools in Chennai, Karur, Tirunelveli, Coimbatore, Kanyakumari and Theni, who are in the city to participate in a series of cultural programmes held by the Social Welfare department, went on the Metro ride and later, got to watch the film Frozen 2 at Sathyam Cinemas.
Students from the Government Middle School for the hearing impaired also got an opportunity to visit the Air Force Station in Tambaram.
‘Future is accessible’
Johny Tom Varghese, Director for the Welfare of Differently-abled, said that the theme this year for the International Day of People with Disabilities was ‘The future is accessible’. “The children today were able to enjoy experiences in places which were accessible and we continue to work towards creating better accessibility in both government and private facilities,” he added.
