The Hindu : They showed they were not different

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 16, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

They showed they were not different

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, MARCH 15. They sang, danced, and presented a flute recital. The visually impaired and physically challenged people who performed as a prelude to the seminar on "Disabled India - Right and Facilities" here on Sunday, showed that they were not at a disadvantage, but only differently abled.

The seminar was organised by the Visually Impaired People's Fellowship to create awareness among persons with disabilities about their rights and the facilities and benefits available to them.

Speaking on the occasion, M.S. Christopher, general secretary of the fellowship, said the Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995 provided for equal opportunities and benefits for the disabled but a lot needed to be done for proper implementation of the Act.

The facilities that persons with disabilities were entitled to had reached only four per cent of them.

The former Director-General of Police, H.T. Sangliana, said society had a responsibility towards persons with disabilities and steps should be taken to see that they lived in a free environment.

They should be treated with love and compassion, he said.

Inaugurating the seminar, Swami Shivanand Shivacharya of Hiremath, Tumkur, said the differently abled persons did not need people's sympathy.

They needed equal opportunities and a chance to prove their abilities, Swami Shivanand Shivacharya said.

Many times it was the able-bodied persons who acted as if they were disabled, as they took everything around them for granted, he added.

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