Despite there being about 500,000 deaf-blind people in the country, their basic human rights are not fulfilled as deaf-blindness is yet not recognized under the Persons with Disability Act, said experts at the Goa Advocacy for Deaf-blind meeting held here on Friday.
“Nobody is aware of the unique needs of a deaf-blind person and they themselves are not able to advocate for their rights. State Advocacy meeting aims at making government, service providers and organizations aware and accountable,” Parag Namdeo, Senior Manager (Advocacy and Networks) of Sense International India, said.
It was also demanded here that the Rubella vaccine be integrated in the State vaccination programme.
The meet also recommended the Disability Directorate to identify deaf-blindness as a unique disability, and classify it as a separate category of disability. It also demanded that the State Employment Exchange and the Labour Department should ensure reservation in employment for the disabled, as per the rules.
To lessen the problems faced by the deaf-blind people, an interactive session under a sensitisation programme was held, which saw participation of officials from the Health, Education and Social Welfare Ministries, officials of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), medical professionals, representatives of local disability organizations, adult deaf-blind and their families. about reducing the problems faced by these people.
The stakeholders claimed that discrimination and neglect faced by deaf-blind people due their disability— even in the very essential things like food and shelter
