Tourism facilities, electoral reservation for persons with disabilities discussed at Abilities India Expo

Abilities India Expo, the first comprehensive national exhibition showcasing products and services for persons with disabilities, as well as products made by them, will be held at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Kochi and will conclude on Sunday.

The three-day exhibition organised by Walshal Abilities and Assistive Technologies has also hosted discussions on the considerations that should be given to persons with disabilities in different public spheres.

Dr V Venugopal, former director of the National Museum Department, led a discussion on the considerations that should be given to persons with disabilities in tourist facilities.

Dr Jayakar Johnson Joseph, a UN consultant and a project leader at the WHO, focused on how IT can be utilised for the benefit of persons with disabilities. He emphasized the use of IT to disseminate essential healthcare information for their well-being.

In a seminar on the rights of persons with disabilities, Dr F M Lazar, chairman of This-Ability Mission Kerala and a member of the expo team, along with expo coordinator Rajan Kaippallil, discussed the lack of electoral reservations for persons with disabilities, despite the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, mandating a 4% reservation in employment and a 5% reservation in education.

It demanded that persons with disabilities should also have reservations in elections, similar to those provided for women, SC, ST, and other backward communities from local self-governance to parliament.

The seminar emphasised that for the government to consider the rights of persons with disabilities seriously, there should be elected representatives from the community itself. Saturday’s event concluded with a musical performance by Vaikom Vijayalakshmi.