Visually-challenged youth seek jobs

CHENNAI:People with visual disabilities on Tuesday staged a protest in the city, urging the government to clear the backlog of vacancies reserved for them. A few representatives from College Students and Graduates Association for the Blind have gone on an indefinite hunger strike. “There is a severe crisis of unemployment among blind graduates. Most people studied hard and qualified for various positions only not to be called by the government,” said Pattabi. There are several employment positions that have been reserved for the visually impaired.

Five youngsters including three girls have gone on an indefinite hunger strike, until they get a chance to meet with the Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami. They claim that multiple efforts to meet with him and present their demands have been futile.Activists and unemployed graduates with visual disability claim that they are not given the opportunity to work. They alleged that there are around thousand vacancies for people with visual disability, but they are yet to be filled.

B Rajendran, a graduate who has completed his Master of Arts and Bachelors of Education said, “I passed my Teachers Eligibility Test (TEB) in 2014. I was even informed that I would soon be called for posting. It’s been four years now and I haven’t heard back from the government,” he said. He added that about 250 graduates who cleared the exam have also not received any posting.

Students with visual disabilities said that they feel demotivated by lack of active communication from the government. “I want to take my Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission exam, but I don’t think I’ll get a job anyway,” said M Arumugam, a student with visual disability. He claimed that there were about 750 vacancies facilitated through the exam, which had not been filled.The Association that has been protesting has written a letter to the CM, urging him to meet them. They said that the protest would not be withdrawn until they met him.

‘No opportunity’

Unemployed graduates with visual disability claim that they are not given the opportunity to work. They alleged that there are around thousand vacancies for people with visual disability, but they are yet to be filled