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NEW DELHI:As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage across the world, people from all walks of life, including the differently abled, are profoundly impacted by the new normal. The Morning Standardspoke to RN Mohanty, CEO of Sightsavers India, on the kind of impact the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown have on the sight-impaired in India.

How did Sightsavers begin? What was the mission then, and has it changed since?

After being blinded in an accident at age 12, Sir John Wilson spent his life advocating for people with visual impairments. He began plans to establish a non-government organisation to address the prevention of blindness and provide rehabilitation of those whose sight couldnt be saved. And so, on January 5, 1950, the British Empire Society for the Blind, as Sightsavers was originally known, was born. Since 1966, in India, Sightsavers has been working to eliminate avoidable blindness and that the irreversibly blind people are supported adequately to lead lives of independence and dignity. Sightsavers focusses on collaborating with various state government departments to scale up operations for the three core areas of work: eye health, inclusive education and social inclusion.

How are the facilities for the sight-impaired in India, especially compared to other countries?

India is home to a third of the worlds blind population. The country has about 12 million individuals with visual impairment as against the global total of 39 million, according to a report published by the National Programme for Control of Blindness (NPCB). Despite this, when it comes to accessibility of education, healthcare and employment, the visually impaired are cut off. Only 29.16 percent of the blind in India are part of the education system as per a survey conducted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). The prevalence of blindness is higher among population having lower socio-economic status. Females are found to have a higher preponderance of blindness as compared to males, and the prevalence is significantly higher in rural areas.

What are some of the professions that you help the sight-impaired get into?

We work to change the attitudes of communities, schools and governments by ensuring they adopt socially inclusive policies towards people with disabilities so that they are treated with dignity and are not denied their rights to appropriate healthcare, education and income. We work to equip people with disabilities with the skills (daily living, vocational training), tools and assistance they need to earn a living and lead an independent life. Animal rearing, agriculture, small businesses, poultry farming, shops for daily needs and groceries, tailoring, teaching, and computer operators are a few of the jobs and roles that our beneficiaries undertake.

Has the ongoing pandemic brought up new hurdles for the sight-impaired?

On a global level, Sightsavers is focusing on the impact of COVID-19 on people with disabilities, who are being disproportionally affected, both in terms of potentially being more at risk and less able to access health services, and also in terms of impact on the support services they require. Activities include coordinating with partners, and if needed governments, to ensure responses to the global pandemic are inclusive of people with disabilities; taking extra precautions to safeguard staff and partners in a higher risk category of developing serious symptoms from COVID-19. We will be reviewing and updating these activities as the pandemic continues as appropriate.

How can the authorities help alleviate conditions for the sight-impaired in the pandemic?

People with disabilities may be at greater risk of contracting COVID-19 because of barriers to implementing basic hygiene measures, such as handwashing. They may have difficulty in enacting social distancing because of additional support needs, barriers to accessing public health information.People with disabilities may also be disproportionately impacted by the outbreak because of serious disruptions to the services they rely on. Hence, they need additional considerations during these times.

See the original post here:
INTERVIEW | Sight-impaired in India are more affected by COVID-19 pandemic: RN Mohanty - The New Indian Express

This entry was posted on May 7, 2020 at 7:50 am and is filed under Blindness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |