Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 28: A protest rally by parents of deaf and dumb children including men and women, organized today under the banner of ‘Association of Parents of Hearing Handicapped (APHH)’ was taken out from Samaj Kalyan Kendra, Shahidi Chowk to Press Club, demanding setting up of residential schools at district level in all the districts of the State for the children having 100% hearing and speech impairment.
The protestors including deaf and dumb children along with their parents or guardians, carrying banners and placards highlighting their demands were raising slogans against the Government for adopting negligent attitude towards deaf and dumb children.
Addressing the rally, president, APHH, Bashir Ahmad Dar, alleged that the State Government has altogether ignored these deaf and dumb children and denied even right to education to them. To support his statement he said that there is not even a single Government School in the entire J&K State for the children having 100% hearing impairment despite the fact a direction was issued on March 25, 2010 by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for setting up of two residential schools, one at Srinagar and other at Jammu.
He said that the Disability Act 1998 provides 1% reservation and various other benefits for the rehabilitation of this section of the society but unfortunately under SRO 62 by devising a new term of partial Deaf benefit of the Act, all these benefits were provided to the persons having ordinary problem of hard of hearing and even a single individual of having 100% disability in hearing and speech was not appointed in any department of the State Government.
Dar, on behalf of parents or guardians of deaf and dumb children, appealed Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to intervene personally for the implementation of Disability Act 1998 ensuring 1% reservation for persons with 100% hearing and speech disability in Government jobs besides other benefits promised therein. He also urged CM to set up residential schools for these children at district level in all the districts of the State.
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