Seventeen-year-old Samuel discontinued therapy required for his muscular dystrophy as he was unable to travel from Kannagi Nagar to NIEPMD in Muttukadu. With increasing age and weight, the commute to the Institute was taxing.
Recently, when Chief Minister M.K. Stalin opened Vizhuthugal, a rehabilitation centre started at Kannagi Nagar, Samuel was among the lucky few to get a motorised wheelchair.
The new vehicle will encourage him to go for therapy as the centre is located in his neighbourhood or seek the service at home.
An initiative of the Department for the Welfare of Differently Abled Persons, the opening of the centre is a big step towards offering a bouquet of services that persons with disability need on a regular basis.
Specialised services such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, special education and psychological counselling can be availed by residents of areas under Perungudi and Shollinganallur zones of the Greater Chennai Corporation.
The specialised services cover all the 21 disabilities mentioned in the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act including psychological counselling for caretakers as well.
Currently, through the social registry enrolment 1,400 people have been identified in these zones. “The challenge is in identifying more people and guiding them to get the Unique Disability ID Card so that they can avail the benefits available at the centre,” says an official, adding that this is a World Bank-assisted T.N. Rights Project.
The centre encourages people to seek appointment and book their slot. Currently, 75 people who have already been mapped are availing the services, which includes accessing the care they need followed by three weeks of therapy. They later continue the therapy at home.
The centre has community rehabilitation workers and community facilitators and the latter would visit homes to offer therapy.
Every block will have three facilitators as well. Social protection schemes such as scholarship, assistance in finding scribes and other support services can also be availed through the centre.
Many hesitate to avail such services because of the distance involved in travelling to get these services. “While Chennai already has three District Early Intervention Centres, some districts have none, so it is difficult for people to avail such services,” he says. Vizhuthugal, will supplement the district-level centres. A total of 273 such centres are to be established under the project, says a report in The Hindu.
With Vizhuthugal, those with locomotor disability have the option of opting for door-to-door service.
The facility has 14 people including a centre manager, a sign language interpreter and six staff involved in offering specialised services.
The centre functions from 10 a.m to 5.45 p.m. For details, call 044-29990320
Published – December 07, 2024 08:56 pm IST