Hope David, a budding para-athlete, and her family say that they are shifting to Bengaluru from Dehradun. The reason is that they are denied admission by schools in Dehradun citing the absence of ramps and lifts for differently-abled students. Hope plays wheelchair racing and wheelchair tennis. She has also participated in marathons and the recent para-athlete event in Dubai. Her mother said, “We belong to Dehradun and were living in Gurugram for the last four years. We faced the same situation when Hope was 4 years old. We wanted to come back to Dehradun and continue her education. We approached the renowned schools of Dehradun but were sent back. They told us that their school is not equipped and accessible for wheelchair users. We have complained to the Child Rights Commission. Since we could not get admission here, we approached schools in Bengaluru and they welcomed us. We have decided to shift to Bengaluru.” “The child's parents contacted us. Hope suffers from Spina bifida by birth due to which she has undergone multiple surgeries and can’t walk. She has won a medal for India in a para-athlete event in Dubai. We summoned all the schools, that denied them admission, on June 2. But only two showed up. I found there was a complete lack of sensitivity towards a differently-abled child who has brought laurels to the country. We have written to DG Education for the schools to give us a status on the disability-friendly measures. We will take strict action against schools that denied her admission,” said Dr Geeta Khanna, Chairperson, Uttarakhand Commission for Protection of Child Rights.