Assam, Meghalaya, Sikkim and Tripura Comes Together for Empowerment of Persons with Deafblindness

Guwahati: A Regional Network meeting organised by Deafblind Regional Centre (DbRC) Shishu Sarothi with support from Sense International India was held from 27th to 29th of September, 2021. The meeting was attended by persons with Deafblindness, Parents and special educators from the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Sikkim and Tripura.

They discussed issues related to the empowerment of Persons with Deafblindness. Around 50 participant members attended the Regional Meet comprising of members from the Udaan Network of Adults with Deafblindness, Members of Prayaas Network of Parents, AbhiPrerna Network of Special Educators and family members of Children with Deafblindness.

Adults with Deafblindness discussed the challenges they faced during the covid ranging from issues related to healthcare,difficulties in communication,lack of accessible information about Corona virus,financial constraints,barriers in accessing online education .Ketaki Bardalai, Executive Director of Shishu Sarothi said, "Shishu Sarothi has been working extensively in awareness-raising, legal counselling and litigation services and we need to raise our voice at different levels and look for opportunities to strengthen the network of Young Adults with Deafblindness, Parents Network and Abhiprerna the Network of Professionals and educators.'' She also said- "We are building the capacity of the region and increasing our reach through the training conducted by the Sparsh Programme of Deafblind Resource Centre which started in 2015." Akhil Paul,Founder and Director of Sense International India extended his wishes to everyone and said " We need to work towards building a future for Children with Deafblindness and have to be aware about all the policies and strategies for supporting them."

In the North East Regional Network Meeting cum Training for Adults with Deafblindness, Government Officials from various departments like Mr Debeshwar Borah State Commissioner for the Persons with Disabilities, Shri Ram Kishore Sharma, Assistant Director, Employment of the National Career Service Centre for Differently Abled were present.

Mr Debeshwar Borah, Commissioner for the Persons with Disabilities said, "All the challenges faced by the persons with disabilities need to be viewed and through establishing a joint venture by the institution with other organizations the capacity of all the members can be enhanced". Shri, Ram Kishore Sharma, Asst. Director, National Career Service Centre for Differently Abled said 'It is very important to build a stronger network particularly for the persons with Deafblindness." He added, "Our team at National Career Service Centre for Differently Abled, Guwahati provide support through scholarships and certificates and develop their expertise and train them in specific areas based on their skill sets ".

The 3 days Training revolved around discussions among the participants on issues related to understanding the rights of Persons with Deafblindness, roles and responsibilities of Regional Local Networks and ways to strengthen the network. Adults with Deafblindness gain hands-on experience through their exposure visit to Vocational Rehabilitation Centre, Guwahati.

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