Parents should play the important role
Parents play the most important role in guiding children with mental disabilities to come up in life, said M.N.G.Mani, secretary general of the International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment and the president of UDIS Forum, a network that assists the disabled in finding jobs.Speaking at a meeting of parents of persons with disabilities organised by Saarathy Pammac, an association of parents of persons with mental retardation, multiple disabilities, autism and cerebral palsy here on Sunday, he said that without the whole-hearted support, strength and guidance by the parents, the children would not be able to cope with the disability.While philanthropists and non-governmental organisations were ready to offer help to the disabled, the families of such people should also be aware of the options open to them, he said. For instance, a leading company had offered to set up beverage vending machines that could be operated by persons with disabilities. Their parents too could assist them and earn a steady income.The Christoffel Blindenmission International (CBMI), a service organisation based in Germany, specialising in the prevention of blindness, and the education and rehabilitation of disabled persons, was already carrying out discussions with ‘Parivaar,’ the parents’ association at the national level to create awareness among them regarding disability issues and their rights.Parvathy Viswanath, General Secretary, Parivaar, Tamil Nadu branch, listed out the various benefits available to the disabled in the Government schemes and requested the parents to register themselves with the District Rehabilitation office so that correct statistics could be submitted to Government. It was important for the parents to be aware of the rights of their disabled children, she pointed out. Ms.Parvathy also stressed the need for formation of self-help groups among the parents to safeguard the interests of their children and evolve a better method of income generation. More than 150 parents attended the programme.
