Residential schools for persons with disability from next year across Karnataka

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Monday announced State government is planning to start residential schools for persons with disability from next year across Karnataka. CM was speaking at the International Day for persons with Disability where he gave awards to individuals as well as organisations who are working for persons with disability. He said similar to Kitturani Chennamma girls residential schools, government plans for persons with disability to start residential school at every district.

The same will be announced in the State budget presented in March. Government is also keen in increasing salary of teachers working at disabled schools and also persons with disability at Gram panchayaths. While Minister for women and child Jayamala Ramachandra said there are more than 13 lakh disabled persons in Karnataka as per 2011 census. That time State government considered seven type of disability which now has 21 categories.

She urged CM to conduct a special survey for physically challenged so that various schemes can be reached. She also urged CM give an additional monthly honorarium to the bedridden patients along with the monthly honorarium. Prior to this, CM released Braille calendar for the year 2019 for visually challenged.

Its a 12 feet pole, almost three times their height, around 17 visually challenged from Jnana Sindhu visually challenged residential school in Hole Alura village in Rona taluk of Gadag district performed by climbing Mallakambha at the Freedom Park in front of CM. Manikanta one of the participants who is a visually challenged and studying the seventh standard when asked is he not afraid of climbing that high, he said they practice.

"When I go up, I feel good and can listen to people's claps,'' he said. Shivanand Kelur, their teacher and the founder of the school has done post graduation in Yoga who has travelled across the globe to teach Yoga. How do they teach, its just touch and feel method? The team has performed at Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and also at Mysuru during Dasara. "We are now invited to perform at Ameria,'' Kelur said.