Special children make incense sticks during the week-long World Disability Day celebrations at Deepshikha in Ranchi on Thursday. Picture by Prashant Mitra

Ranchi, Dec. 4: It’s time that the school and college students came out to help their brothers and sisters who are differently abled.

It is with this aim that Deepshikha, one of the first institutions in the state to work for the mentally and physically challenged, began it’s sensitisation programme in various schools and colleges of the city today.

Trainee teachers and instructors from Deepshikha visited DAV, Hehal, Central Academy, Army School and DAV, Bariatu. They not only made the students aware of the problems of the disabled, but also distributed badges and cards. The visits were a part of the week-long commemoration of World Disability Day and International Day of Mental Retardation.

“Every year, we organise cultural shows and fun activities on Disability Day, which was celebrated yesterday. This year, we planned to do something fruitful. Instead of just talking about the problem for a day and then forgetting it, we thought of making it a week-long affair. Through the various programmes, we want to tell the youth that the disabled are a part of our society and one must pledge to get their rights restored,” said Sudha Leelha, the executive director of Deepshikha.

“The response we got from the children and their principals was overwhelming. After we finished our lectures, so many young students volunteered for help. Even the school authorities co-operated and gave us enough time to talk to the students,” said Uma Sengupta, the co-ordinator for sensitisation programme. Ten schools and two colleges of the city had been selected for the campaign.

Earlier in the day, a painting competition was organised for the students of Deepshikha by Novaratis, an ITC drug company. An awareness camp for Administrative Training Institute trainees was also held, where Class I officials were taught how to handle the disabled.

The other programmes scheduled till December 8 include a district-level athletic meet (Special Olympics) and a workshop on “Employable Opportunities for the Disabled in the Hospitality Sector”.