NEW DELHI: The irony was laborious to overlook on Friday when the Central Well being Schooling Bureau invited consultants for its session on ‘Assistive Expertise Module’ to enhance the lives of individuals with disabilities. The session, supposed to highlight progressive methods to boost accessibility, was marred by a evident lack of it on the venue. Outstanding incapacity rights activist Dr Satendra Singh was unable to succeed in the second-floor venue as a result of absence of an elevator or different assistive provisions, spurring him to precise deep frustration on the hole between rhetoric and actuality.
The Central Well being Schooling Bureau (CHEB), which hasn’t responded to Dr Singh’s expertise, is beneath the Union well being and household welfare ministry’s Directorate Normal of Well being Providers. Its key areas are well being training, well being promotion, capability constructing, growing info, training and communication supplies and behavioural analysis.
On Friday, the physique invited consultants to “vet” its newest module on assistive know-how gadgets listed within the Nationwide Listing of Important Assistive Merchandise geared toward offering a “supportive setting for individuals with incapacity”. Amongst them was Dr Singh, who has a leg impairment. He mentioned that when he reached the venue and noticed a ramp, he was joyful. “Solely after I tried to entry the ramp did I realise that the doorway to which the ramp is linked was locked. Once I questioned this, the guard mentioned he didn’t have a key and the doorway had been locked for a very long time,” Singh mentioned on X. “After I known as the organisers and informed them this was unacceptable and made them open the gate, I discovered that the door had been closed by holding planters there.”
A much bigger shock awaited him. Quickly after Singh entered the constructing, he realised that the assembly was on the second flooring and the constructing was not fitted with a carry. “It was not potential for me to climb the 2 flooring,” he mentioned. “The well being training physique additionally has a employees member with a hip substitute who claimed that he was additionally pressured to climb the steps as a result of absence of a carry. I requested them if they might shift the session to the bottom flooring, however that was not achieved.”
He fumed, “A constructing that has posters throughout on accessibility lacked the very primary for folks with disabilities. Many buildings within the metropolis have put in stair lifts, however right here there was nothing.” He mentioned he had left together with his head held excessive and refused to compromise on his dignity however was deeply disenchanted on the expertise.
“How are we alleged to contribute to coverage when probably the most primary bodily obstacles cease us from even coming into the constructing? This exclusion is occurring proper beneath the ministry’s nostril!” he wrote on X. “What number of extra years should we waste demanding accessibility from the well being and household welfare ministry when it’s already a authorized mandate beneath the Rights of Individuals with Disabilities Act? This isn’t a favour — it’s the LAW. But, we’re nonetheless combating for primary rights. Sufficient is sufficient.”
TOI reached out to the CHEB director to hunt his touch upon the matter, however acquired no response.
