Chennai: Multiple visits to three govt hospitals, calls to disability rights activists, three days’ leave from school, and a race against time — this was the ordeal Saidapet resident G Rajagopalan and his hearing-impaired daughter, 15, endured to get a doctor’s attestation on her disability certificate for the Class X board exams in Feb. When Rajagopalan first approached the state resource-cum-training centre near ESIC Govt Hospital in KK Nagar, he was directed to Stanley, where doctors were unavailable. Finally, at Rajiv Gandhi Govt General Hospital, a date for testing was scheduled on Nov 1, by when the deadline would have expired.“My daughter has a 60% hearing disability, and she possess a govt disability certificate from 2017. Why should she undergo another test?” he said. According to the Right to Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, students with disabilities needing assistance for board exams such as scribes or extra time must obtain a certificate from a designated govt medical authority even if they possess a certificate confirming disability or the Unique Disability ID Card (UDID) provided by the centre. While Rajagopalan eventually received the attestation on Saturday, after disability rights organisations intervened and urged the hospital to expedite the process, activists have flagged gaps to be addressed.“In the name of rules, several student with disabilities are made to run from pillar to post and take a series of tests just to sit for exams. The govt must cancel additional certification required for PwDs, and recognise a state govt certificate or a UDID instead,” said P Simmachandran, state president, Federation of TN Differently Abled Association.S Madhumathi, secretary, commissionerate for welfare of differently abled, said the person concerned just had to visit the resource centre in KK Nagar to get the certificate. A commissionerate official said, “Certificates for hearing disability are issued on Mondays. The person may have visited the centre on any other day, and that may have led to the delay.”.
