Karnataka: No reserved seats for disabled in cinemas, plight not understood

Bengaluru: "There are no reserved seats for those with disabilities in cinemas, and unfortunately, even those patrons on wheelchairs who cannot stand up for the national anthem are assaulted in cinemas (Salil Chaturvedi). Such is the sorry state of social awareness about disability. Anyway, theatres and other places of entertainment are largely inaccessible to the disabled," said Ms Hema Subhash, founder of One Step At A Time (OSAAT), on the plight of the differently abled in the country.

Taking the plight of differently-abled people into account, the Department of Health and Family Welfare Services in coordination with the Department for Empowerment of Differently Abled and Senior Citizens has created an "online portal" where information pertaining to differently-abled persons, like details, pension, aid and appliances, will be updated on time.

In all, 36,091 differently abled need aid and appliances that will be provided by the state government over the next one year as promised at a recent meeting conducted by the health ministry.