Focus on promoting skills of special children sought

VISAKHAPATNAM: Around 1,500 special children from 28 schools in the city participated in a programme organised by the department of welfare of disabled and senior citizens on Monday in Vizag, to commemorate the International Day of the Disabled, who also displayed their skills by showcasing various handicrafts in stalls put up specially for the occasion.
“The government and NGOs are doing a good job of taking care of these children but there needs to be sharper focus on developing and nurturing their special skills so that they can prove themselves superior to normal children,” district collector and magistrate V Sheshadri said on the occasion.
Pointing out that the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan was an all-inclusive medium catering to the needs of these children, including providing them home-based training, he said special camps for assessment of orphans with disabilities would be held for pension, medical treatment and scholarships. “The NGOs should submit a proposal to the government regarding this,” he said.
Various schools for the children with mental and physical disabilities put up 13 handicrafts stalls that displayed wares like soft toys, diyas, woollies, cane crafts, paintings, embroidery works, wind chimes, replica of fruits and vegetables, wax flowers and flower vases. The children with disabilities also showcased their flair for music, dance and drama. Children from participating schools included Hidden Sprouts Special School for the mentally challenged children, Sunflower Special School, Pimhans for the multiple handicapped and spastics, Shreya Foundation’s Ashrayadham, Lebenshilfe School, Omkar and Lions School for the deaf, Integrated vocabulary training and rehabilitation centre for the disabled, S V School for the deaf among others.
Apart from the district collector and additional joint collector, who inaugurated the stalls put up, officials from AU, NTPC and HPCL also attended the programme.