Since last one week I have been tirelessly digging many Journals to find if any study has been done which captures the harsh living experience of visually challenged people in the valley; and You'll be flabbergasted to know that have found nothing. Please, if any of you is aware about any study about visually challenged people in the J &K Please do inform me at the earliest. I wonder why persons with disabilities from conflict-ridden state have been ignored by all. Time has come We, residing in relatively safe and secure environment do some introspection. http://southasia.oneworld.net/news/kashmir-girls-without-sight-without-a-future#.Ue-5gM_rbIU Sana Altaf/Women's Feature Service
There is severe lack of educational opportunities for the physically challenged in the conflict-ridden Kashmir Valley in India as only a handful of institutions are equipped to deal with the specific requirements of special students. Srinagar, India: Ten-year-old Mariya has never been to school. She has no friends, no cherished dreams and aspirations and her whole existence is confined to the four walls of her home. Mariya's 12-year-old sister, Zohra, leads a similar life. Their father, Rafiq Ahmad, a Srinagar-based businessman, spends sleepless nights pondering over the dark future of his two visually challenged daughters who have no avenues of education before them. "I do not know if my children will ever be able to receive an education. We have no facilities for them here. Due to the negligence of the government, my daughters may never be able to step into a classroom. How can they ever become independent?" laments Ahmad. Mariya and Zohra are not the only ones left without support. Twenty-one-year-old Anam, too, is visually challenged and she spends her entire day doing household work simply because her quest to educate herself and become independent was never fulfilled. She rarely leaves her home or visits relatives. She feels closest to her younger brother, Shabir, who she believes understands her the most. All Anam wants is the ability to stand on her feet – an extremely important consideration given that she, like many other women without sight in the Valley, is a single woman. "I feel useless," says Anam, adding, "If I get vocational training for an activity that keeps me busy and independent, I would be at peace." There is severe lack of educational opportunities for the physically challenged in the Kashmir Valley today. Only a handful of institutions are equipped to deal with the specific requirements of special students. For instance, while Braille, Daisy Formats and audio software integrated with Information Communication Technology have made it easier for the visually challenged to read and write, in Kashmir there are hardly any dedicated schools to develop such capacities. Unfortunately, the idea of providing inclusive education in regular schools too hasn't been put into practice here. The Abhinanda Home, which is the most prominent school for special children located in the heart of Srinagar, has only four visually challenged students and not more than 100 deaf and dumb children on its rolls. Moreover, it holds classes for regular students as well. Says Nisar Ahmad of Srinagar’s Association of the Blind, "Kashmir has one of the highest populations of visually challenged people but we have no educational system for them – not even Braille schools forget vocational training facilities centres for blind women. This has left them helpless and dependent on others." According to the 2001 Census, the state has 330,670 disabled people of which 40 per cent are women. In 2000, a central government-funded Composite Regional Centre was established in Srinagar, as a rehabilitation centre. But this facility has failed to cater to the needs of disabled girls. "There are only six Composite Regional Centres across India and we were lucky to have one of them in the state. Unfortunately, due to mismanagement, it has been rendered ineffective," opines Javed Tak, Chairman of Humanity Welfare Organisation Helpline, an NGO working for disabled persons. Composite Regional Centres (CRCs) have been established by the Union Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, under The Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995, for the rehabilitation and human resource development of disabled people. The Kashmir CRC has two branches at the district level. As per its mandate, the CRC was to be taken over by the government, but so far this has not happened and no permanent staff has been appointed yet, according to Tak. The CRC, as it exists today, offers education up to Class V in two crammed rooms for about 50 children. It has no facility for blind mobility training. While other disabled pupils are offered degree and diploma courses in rehabilitation therapy, there is no such provision for the blind. Moreover, no special facility exists to cater to the needs of women and girls. Tasleema, who teaches the blind at the CRC, says parents are not ready to send their children to CRC because of the lack of facilities. Says the committed teacher, "The absence of transport is a major hurdle, as the disabled find it difficult to travel alone." She insists that special classes should be held for girls. "Women face discrimination in society, and when they suffer from a disability, they lose all support," she observes. The CRC had tried to set up a dedicated school for the blind on three occasions but failed each time. Funds are certainly a major problem. Officials admit that the centre cannot bear the transportation costs that would have made it easier for parents to send their children to the facility. Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare has tried to project that it is doing its best to cater to the needs of the physically challenged in the state, and promises to try and set up a school for special children soon. There are a few groups in the Valley which have taken on the tough task of providing some hope for the visually challenged. Women like Yasmeena are fighting all odds to remain self reliant with the help of the training gained from the Zaiba Appa Institute of Inclusive Education. Although illiterate and visually challenged, she is single-handedly supporting her elderly mother by knitting fine woollens. "I have passed through a very frustrating phase. But I was determined to fight back and I have that," says the gritty 39-year-old, who manages to earn a modest Rs 3,000 (US$1=Rs 55) per month. Yasmeena, a single woman, who has travelled to many parts of the country and interacted with people from different walks of life, aims to care for her mother and family until her last breath. Women like her don’t need sympathy. They need support in order to lead a life of dignity. SOURCE: Women's Feature Service -- Avinash Shahi Programme Executive at Score Foundation To know more,Why not visit our Website: http://www.eyeway.org/ And M.Phil Research Scholar at Centre for The Study of Law and Governance JNU Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] with the subject unsubscribe. 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