Guwahati: Thousands of deaf people took to the streets on Tuesday afternoon, taking part in a silent protest organised by the Assam Badhir Sangram Parishad to express their dissatisfaction with the govt’s implementation of various provisions for their community and demanded immediate resolution of these issues.
The protesters pointed out that despite the establishment of disability commissioners’ offices and other authorities, they still face problems accessing their rights. Some of these issues include delays in issuing disability certificates, pension irregularities, employment hurdles, and educational and communication barriers.
“The Right of Persons with Disabilities Act was enacted nationwide in 2016. However, Narendra Modi’s ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ initiative has lost its relevance. Despite numerous protests from various disability communities, the govt has failed to uphold our rights,” said Madhurjyo Borgohain, the president of the association.
The members included 35 demands in their new memorandum for their benefits. Some of the important ones are: implementation of strict guidelines in educational institutions and offices to create a barrier-free environment for persons with disabilities, the creation of special counselling centres for disabled women with proper assistance systems, the appointment of at least one permanent resource teacher in each school to assist disabled students, and the inclusion of sign language subjects in all institutions.