Goa: Call for easy certification of disabilities intensifies

PANAJI: With the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (PwD) Act 2016 notifying 21 disabilities, most of which were not recognised by the earlier Act, the state is working to identify all persons, especially children, with disabilities.
However, certification continues to be a major hurdle in the state, with some parents having to wait for anywhere between 15 days and nearly two to three months to complete the process.
“Children with disabilities need to be certified and their difficulties need to be sorted out so that they can seek the right help and stand on their own feet,” minister for social welfare Subhash Phal Dessai, said.
Speaking at a webinar on ‘Interaction on divyang welfare awareness and related schemes’ organised as part of the Swayampurna 2.0 programme, Phal Dessai highlighted the importance of early detection and intervention in children with disabilities.
He said that many parents face difficulties in getting the disability of their children certified, and that schools must help identify such children. He also encouraged field workers to identify such children by going door-to-door.
Commissioner for PwD Guruprasad Pawaskar too stressed on the importance of early detection and intervention. He appealed to Swayampurna mitras to bridge the gap between parents and the medical boards so that children do not face difficulties in completing their certification. “Without certification, one cannot avail of any schemes. Once certification is done, proper intervention can be given,” he said.
Phal Dessai said no government offices should create obstacles for PwDs to receive their benefits.
He further appealed to headmasters to not deny admission to slow learners and students with disabilities. Instead, he said, remedial classes must be set up to ensure that they cope.
The government is in the process of converting textbooks into audio formats to make them more accessible to students with disabilities.