A project for disability management among tribespeople will be piloted at the Vithura grama panchayat in the district as part of the Scheduled Tribes Development Department’s Comprehensive Tribal Development programme.
Persons with disabilities face innumerable challenges, including discrimination and limited access to education, health care, and livelihood opportunities. In the case of tribespeople, those with disabilities suffer more owing to acute poverty and isolation.
The Disability Census 2015 conducted by the Social Justice Department puts the number of persons with disabilities among the Scheduled Tribes at 16,639.
The project for disability management in tribal areas is a component of the Statewide Comprehensive Tribal Development programme under which need-based projects are proposed to be implemented in 100 grama panchayats.
Prepared by the Kerala Social Security Mission, the project for disability management will adopt a holistic approach to achieve convergence of health and social rehabilitation strategies to create a physical and social environment conducive to the differently abled.
The pilot project will be implemented by the State Initiative on Disabilities through preparation of individual care plans to provide medical services, assistive devices, and continuous follow-ups.
In Vithura, of the 663 differently abled people, 88 belong to the tribal community. These include people with cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, visual and hearing impaired, kyphosis, dwarfism, locomotor disability, and speech and language disability.
Team of facilitators
Individual care plans will be prepared by meeting them in person and ascertaining their needs. The first step will be identifying a team of facilitators and data collection through house visits and preparation of care plans. The support of elected representatives will be ensured and camps will be held for disability certification and technical assessment before procurement and distribution of equipment.
It is estimated that 25-odd persons may need locomotor support devices and 15-odd may require hearing and visual aids, and so on. The cost of assistive devices is expected to come to ₹20 lakh.