The Association for the Mentally Challenged (AMC), Bengaluru, initiates discussions to help Karnataka emerge as the beacon for the rest of the country to uplift persons with special needs
Bengaluru : On the occasion of International Day of People with Disabilities, The Association for the Mentally Challenged (AMC) organized a seminar on “Not all disabilities are visible: Evolving new approaches for people with IDD” to discuss on new approaches to support caregivers and their families, that are bravely meeting the challenges of bringing up individuals with intellectual disability. The chief guest of the event Prof. Y.S.R. Murthy, Founding Vice Chancellor, RV University addressed the gathering. Representatives of the state government, voluntary organisations, philanthropists and parents of children with special needs attended the conference.
Professor Y.S.R. Murthy, Founding Vice Chancellor, RV University, stressed the importance of strict implementation of laws for securing the rights of persons with disabilities, their universal coverage in the matter of issue of disability cards and proper collection of data for policy making and spreading of awareness.
In his address as the Chief Guest at a function organised by the Association for Mentally Challenged to mark Disability Day in Bengaluru, Professor Murthy pointed that persons with disabilities are entitled to enjoy their full rights on par with others but expressed serious concern over the gap between them and general population in the matter of right to education, health, work and social security.
Prof. Murthy said, “At stake are right to equality, life with dignity, non-discrimination, provision of reasonable accommodation, equal enjoyment of rights by Women and children with disabilities, age-specific and disability appropriate support, protection from all forms of abuse, violence and exploitation, inclusive education, 5% reservation in education and 4% reservation in public employment, as provided in the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.”
Referring to the non-filling of critical positions like the Chief Commissioner for persons with disabilities, Chairperson of the National Trust for Autism and State Commissioners in several States for many years, Dr. Murthy expressed serious concern that it affected the implementation of policies at various levels.
He stressed the need for the Government to go beyond token or symbolic steps like observing Disability Day on one day in an year and forgetting them for rest of the year. “Calling them Divyangjan is fine but the Government must take more substantive steps”, he said.
The conference paved the path for Karnataka to emerge as the beacon for the rest of the country in terms of uplifting individuals with special needs who constitute two percent of India’s overall population.
AMC has the unique distinction of leading voluntary organisations in launching innovations for the care of persons with developmental disabilities and their families/ legal guardians. ENRICH (Empowering families to fulfil their needs and rebuild families through information and caregiving skills for families’ holistic development) is in tune with the leadership position of AMC/ novel methods introduced by AMC.
The Association for the Mentally Challenged, Bengaluru, is India’s second oldest special needs organisation. Prof. D. L. N. Murthy Rao, Mental Hospital, Bangalore, established AMC in 1962. He authored some of the country’s first scientific papers on special needs.