Page 231 - DEDU506_SPECIAL_EDUCATION_ENGLISH

Unit 32: Rehabilitation of Exceptional Children: Role of Community, Role of Government

CBR is that disabled people should have the right to a good life. The help should be available to them, Notes
at a low cost. It should be offered to them and their family in a way that suits their usual way of
living, whether in a village, a town or a city. They should have education like everybody else. They
should be able to take up jobs and earn their living. They should be able to take a full part in all the
activities of their village, or town or city. The idea of CBR is that, even if people learn very slowly, or
have problems seeing or hearing, or find it hard to move about, they should still be respected for
being men and women, girls and boys. Nobody should be looked down on, or treated badly just
because they have a disability. Houses, shops and schools should be built in such a way that everyone
can easily go in and out and make use of them. Information should be given to people in a way they
understand, not only in writing, which is hard for people who cannot read or have problems seeing
it. Information should be given in spoken forms as well, so that everyone has a fair chance to use it.
To do all this would mean a lot of changes. But they would be good changes, because everyone could
live a better life, helping each other and respecting one another.

Between 5 and 10% of Indians have some impairment or disabling condition. This means
that India has a huge population of disabled people.

32.1.1 Different ways to CBR
Most people agree that disabled people should have a better life. But people have different ideas
about how it should be done. Around the world, people live in many different ways, and have
different beliefs about what people should do. So, people use the CBR in many different ways. Some
people think the government should take money away from the city institutions, and use it to pay for
more people with healing and counselling skills in villages. Some people want specialists to go out
from the city and travel round the villages, giving everyone a chance to see them. Some people want
to send village healers to the city for training, so that they could go back to the village with a lot more
knowledge and skills.
Self Assessment
1. Fill in the blanks:
(i) ....................... should be given to people in a way they understand, not only in writing, which
is hard for people who cannot read.
(ii) ........................ is essentially meant to ensure that disabled people, wherever they are not
discriminated against or deprived.
(iii) City......................... are far away and cost too much for disabled people.
32.2 Role of Government in Rehabilitation of Exceptional Children

The Government of India offers special concessions to the disabled in the following areas:
1. Travel: The Ministry of Railways offers a discount of 75% on fare for all classes, and 50% on
season tickets to a person with disability on production of a valid Certificate of Disability.
Concession is also allowed for an escort accompanying a disabled person. Those with visual
impairment and locomotor disability are eligible for 50% discount on airfare if they travel by
Indian Airlines.
2. Communication: Blind literature and packages are exempt from postage and postal fees under
prescribed conditions. Persons with visual and locomotor disability get preferential allotment
for running STD/PCO telephone facilities.
3. Customs concessions: Import of special learning and mobility aids for personal use of persons
with disability are exempt from customs duty.

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