President distributes calipers to disabled children

Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, Sep 22 (UNI) President A P J Abdul Kalam today distributed lightweight calipers among disabled children from rural areas in this district and called upon NGOs, corporate, academics, philanthropists and the government to came together to find a lasting solution to make productive the lives of 20 million people, who suffer from different types of disabilities.

Speaking at a function here to rehabilitate 100 polio-affected children, Dr Kalam said efforts should be made to make the technological tools available to the disabled through societal mission at an affordable cost.

Pointing out that there were ten million visually-challenged and six million with movement diability in the country, he said all the efforts should be directed towards finding technology tools for removing these two impairments.

He said rehabilitation process should aim at enabling the disable to reach and maintain their optimal physical, sensory, intellectual, psychological and social functional levels. It should include from more basic and general rehabilitation to goal-oriented activities, for instant vocal rehabilitation.

The President said the composite product technologies helped the disabled to have lightweight artifical limbs or FROs (Floor Reaction Orthosis).

Similarly, if the software and hardware for the visually challenged people were available at an affordable cost, if the software was accessible through web, then certainly it would reach the needy and would be of help to them, he added.

Dr Kalam greeted the members of the Lions Club of Kadayanallur and Courtallam, who have worked in partnership with DRDO, Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences, ALIMCO, Joints Jaipur and the district authorities to organise the function.

UNI CR KD KP1640