Focus not on money, but on altering mindsets: Phal Dessai | Goa News
Panaji: Social welfare minister Subhash Phal Dessai on Monday said the success of Purple Fest cannot be measured by talking about the expenditure on it and what the state has achieved. “It’s not entertainment or enjoyment. It’s a noble cause and cannot be measured with any scale. It’s about changing perceptions and mindsets of people towards accepting persons with disabilities and creating a platform for them to get together and make them feel they’re equal and can live a dignified life,” he said.
The success of Purple Fest is what happens after the festival, the minister said.“It’s a revolution, not an event. It’s a movement.”
State government has identified 1,400 schools to be made accessible to persons with disabilities. “We have conducted an audit of these schools to see what’s missing. The National Education Policy provides for inclusive education and if we don’t provide this infrastructure how will we go ahead?” Phal Dessai said.
In addition to this, tgovernment has identified 22 government buildings in Panaji and is installing ramps and braille signboards.
Phal Dessai said stigma is still prevalent and prevents parents from addressing issues in their children. “When our child doesn’t speak till the age of two or three years, parents say he’s saying ‘mama’ and ‘papa’. They don’t agree there could be a speech impairment,” he said. Similarly when a child doesn’t hear properly or has low vision, parents are worried about stigma. “And when the child crosses 5 or 6 years and the issue persists, early detection and intervention has not happened,” he said, adding that this has to start early to ensure that children don’t have problems in the future.
The minister also spoke about atrocities against persons with disability who are sometimes locked up at home. He appealed to parents to help their growth.
The success of Purple Fest is what happens after the festival, the minister said.“It’s a revolution, not an event. It’s a movement.”
State government has identified 1,400 schools to be made accessible to persons with disabilities. “We have conducted an audit of these schools to see what’s missing. The National Education Policy provides for inclusive education and if we don’t provide this infrastructure how will we go ahead?” Phal Dessai said.
In addition to this, tgovernment has identified 22 government buildings in Panaji and is installing ramps and braille signboards.
Phal Dessai said stigma is still prevalent and prevents parents from addressing issues in their children. “When our child doesn’t speak till the age of two or three years, parents say he’s saying ‘mama’ and ‘papa’. They don’t agree there could be a speech impairment,” he said. Similarly when a child doesn’t hear properly or has low vision, parents are worried about stigma. “And when the child crosses 5 or 6 years and the issue persists, early detection and intervention has not happened,” he said, adding that this has to start early to ensure that children don’t have problems in the future.
The minister also spoke about atrocities against persons with disability who are sometimes locked up at home. He appealed to parents to help their growth.