Pune takes a step forward in preventing disabilities

An “early awareness kit” to help parents detect signs of disability in their children has been launched by Ekansh, a  charitable trust. The kit comprises information about pre and post pregnancy precautionary measures to be taken by the mother and the family members of the infant to prevent disabilities at an early age.

Ekansh, which seeks to create awareness and acceptance for disabilities, has launched the kit in Marathi. The kit comes in the form of CDs that can be used for printing calendars, flip-charts and booklets.

Addressing a press conference on the occasion of International Day for Persons with Disabilities, Ekansh’s founder and managing trustee, Anita Iyer, said, “The government does not have an accurate data of disabled persons in the country, as parents of disabled children do not part with the correct information about their child’s disability to the census information officer.”

A volunteer with the trust, Gitanjali Joshi said,   with awareness, many disabilities and disorders can be prevented, detected, understood and managed in time.

“We are seeking funds to make the kit available in print and it will be circulated in rural, slum and semi-urban areas,” she said.