Scrutinise applications from differently abled without delay, officials told

TIRUNELVELI

The District Differently Abled Welfare Officers (DDWOs) should scrutinise applications submitted by petitioners without delay so that welfare assistance can be given to them at the earliest, Secretary, Department of Differently Abled Welfare, R. Anandakumar said.

 Chairing a State-level meeting of the DDWOs held here on Friday, Dr. Anandakumar said the DDWOs should strive hard to take the welfare schemes to the beneficiaries to improve their living conditions.

 Impressed by the resource centre established for the differently abled persons in Palayamkottai by Collector V. Vishnu, the Secretary urged the DDWOs to take steps for creating similar facilities in their districts.

 For the first time in southern Tamil Nadu, the district administration has created a ‘sensory park’ at the Resource Centre with play equipment for improving physical and mental health of the intellectually challenged children through play-way method. The centre also houses an Early Intervention Centre for intellectually disabled children, Redington Training and placement centre for equipping the physically challenged youth with employable skills and also a vocational training centre.

 The Early Intervention Centre for children between 0 to 7 years of age now has 20 children from Tirunelveli and Palayamkottai, all suffering from autism, Down’s syndrome, hyperactivity, cerebral palsy and other intellectual disability. Besides giving these children speech therapy, the trainers here give the children physiotherapy, basic training like brushing the teeth, going to toilet, bathing, eye-hand coordination, sensory activities and other occupational therapy.

 The experts assess the children’s intellectual ability with proven tools at the time of admission and start the training to improve their living conditions. Since these children have to attain physical and mental strength, the sensory park with the play equipment has been established

 Even the swing installed in this park has been designed to safely accommodate the intellectually challenged child who will otherwise fall from a normal swing when it is pushed gently. As the children are made to walk without footwear on the 8-shaped structure with pebble flooring, the protruding pebbles press the tiny feet mildly to ensure increased blood circulation which would strengthen the legs, the trainers say.