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Tamil Nadu dwarfs denied disability benefits

This is becoming a major problem as the issue of accessibility is depriving them of education and sanitation.

CHENNAI: Though Tamil Nadu has a population of about 8,000 dwarfs, most of them do not avail disability benefits as doctors deny giving them certificates stating that they are only a little short and a bit disproportionate.

This is becoming a major problem as the issue of accessibility is depriving them of education and sanitation, as most of the institutions do not provide any special amenities for dwarfs.

“Though the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act grants specific recognition to dwarfs and states that they should be given few provisions, society has turned a blind eye towards us. The houses that the government allots are inaccessible to us and moreover there is an incorrigible bias in employment opportunities,” rues S. Sasidharan.

S. Namburajan, secretary, Tamil Nadu Association for the Rights of All Types of Differently Abled and Caregivers (TARATDAC), in a recent conference for the dwarfs rued that identity cards are not provided for most of them. They do not have proper housing facilities, sanitation or transportation facilities.

Some of the major demands put forth by them to the government include accessible and affordable housing, free bus passes, the rise in the monthly allowance to Rs 1,500 and a proper recognition on the whole.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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