Success! No routine transfer to Govt employee having children with autism

Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) issued a circular 'Posting of Government employees who have differently abled dependents-reg' vide O.M No.42011/3/2014-Estt.(Res) dated 6th June 2014.

The Government order stated that a government servant, who is also a caregiver of disabled child, should be exempted from the routine exercise of the transfer.

Upbringing and rehabilitation of a child with disability requires financial support and “making the government employee choose voluntary retirement on the pretext of routine transfer or rotation transfer would have an adverse impact on the rehabilitation process of the disabled child”, the order had said. However, the order had left out developmental disabilities like autism.

Coordinator, Enabling Unit of UCMS & GTB Hospital wrote to Dr Jitendra Singh, MoS (PP), Department of Personnel and Training, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions to include developmental disabilities on 16th June in the following mail:

From: Satendra Singh <dr.satendra@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Jun 16, 2014 at 3:06 PM
Subject: Request to include left out disabilities in DOPT circular on transfer policy
To: mos-pp@nic.in
Cc: secy_mop@nic.in
Dear Dr Singh,

Ref: No.42011/3/2014-Estt.(Res.) dated 6th June 2014 on the subject: Posting of Government employees who have differently abled dependents — reg

​First of all accept my heartiest congratulations on the DOPT circular on transfer policy as quoted above. It was much needed for parents having a disabled ward. However, the circular doesn't take into consideration parents of the people with autism and developmental disabilities.​ Moreover, all 19 disabilities included in Rights of the Persons with Disabilities Bill should be included.

I request your office to kindly include necessary changes so that these excluded section is included too. Hoping for a quick action from your side.

with regards

Dr Satendra Singh
Coordinator, Enabling Unit (persons with disabilities)
UCMS & GTB Hospital Delhi

He also complained on their public grievances portal bearing the reference number ​DOPAT/E/2014/01622.


The media reported that government had received representations in this regard. It was argued that an employee raises a kind of support system over a period of time in the locality where he or she resides to help rehabilitate their disabled child.

Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh on Monday took the decision to include autism in a list with the Department of Disability, after the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) examined the scope of bringing the developmental disorder under the definition of disabled.

“Considering the fact that a child with autism spectrum disorder requires constant support of a caregiver and it would be imperative for government employees with such children to take of their child on a continuous basis, it has been decided to include ‘autism’ in the term ‘disabled’ in the office memorandum,” read the DoPT order 'Posting of Government employees who have differently abled dependents-reg' vide O.M No.42011/3/2014-Estt.(Res) dated 17/11/2014.

Its a success to all the caregivers posted in central government. Both the orders can be found here:

Circular portal of M/o Personnel, PG and Pensions

Amended circular is reproduced below:

No.42011/3/2014-Estt.(Res.)
Government of India
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
Department of Personnel & Training
North Block, New Delhi

Dated the 17th November. 2014

Office Memorandum

Sub: Posting of Government employees who have differently abled dependents – reg.

The undersigned is directed to refer to this Department’s OM of even number dated 06.06.2014 (copy enclosed) exempting a Government employee, who is also a care giver of disabled child, from the routine exercise of transfer/rotational transfer subject to the administrative constraints. The word ‘disabled’ includes (i) blindness or low vision (ii) hearing impairment (iii) locomotor disability or Cerebral Palsy (iv) leprosy cured (v) mental retardation (vi) mental illness and (vii) multiple disabilities.

2. The matter regarding the scope of ‘disabled’ has been examined in consultation with the Department of Disability Affairs. Considering the fact that the autism spectrum disorder child requires constant caregiver support and it would be imperative for the Government employees to take care of their autism spectrum disorder child on continuous basis, it has been decided to include ‘Autism’ in the term ‘disabled’, as defined in Para 3 of the above-mentioned O.M. dated 06.06.2014.

3. This issues with the approval of the MoS (PP).

4. All the Ministries/Departments, etc. are requested to bring these instructions to the notice of all concerned under their control.

sd/-
(G. Srinivasan)
Deputy Secretary to the Govt. of India

A must read post on the current controversy surrounding the Rights of PwD Bill.

Why you should care about the Disabilities Bill 

Amba Salelkar DNA,  January 29, 2014 

So there are people on crutches and wheelchairs at a candlelight vigil, asking for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill to be passed. Maybe you ignored it, and maybe rolled your eyes at the prospect of “more reservations”, because that’s all you hear anyone talking about.

Now, there is talk in the media about how the Disabilities Bill is bad, violative of some international laws and human rights, and maybe you wondered why there was a volte face. In any case, when “normal people” in India are suffering so much, how much would the government be able to do for people with disabilities anyway?

You are part of the 85% or so of the Indian population who are persons without disabilities. You might also be, relatively, a privileged person, since you are reading this article, which is in English and which you found on the internet, most likely through social media. Sure, there is a link between disability and poverty; so most persons with disabilities in India hover around the poverty line. 

This is not, however, why you should care about the Disabilities Bill. You should care about it, because it will, without a doubt, affect you, even if not directly.

The Disabilities Bill is perhaps yet another legislation aimed at the protection and empowerment of yet another minority group. Unlike many other minority groups, however, membership to the minority of persons with disabilities is always open. And unlike other minority groups which do have open membership, however, membership to this minority is rarely – if ever – out of choice. 

You finish reading this article, walk out of your office and, in an unfortunate turn of events, get hit by a bus. You are unable to walk without assistive devices. You find yourself slowly excluded from your friend circles since you cannot join them on the usual Saturday night dinner-drinks-and-a-film plans because most restaurants, bars and theatres are not disabled-friendly, and therefore inaccessible, and it is too embarrassing for you to ask friends or completely untrained staff members for help all the time. You try to see if there is some way to enforce these private players to provide ramps and other means of access, but the law only requires government establishments to be accessible to the disabled.

You have a child who is diagnosed with autism. Like all parents, you believe your child has promise despite the “unfortunate” label of disability, and you want her to go to a regular school and interact with other children, and be given the additional support she needs. The Right to Education Act says children have a right to inclusive education, doesn’t it? Your child has started going to the neighbourhood school and you perceive that she actually enjoys, and is quite insistent, on her daily routine. A few weeks later, you receive a strange bureaucratic order of sorts, declaring that it has been deemed “necessary” that your child goes to a special school. You are appalled and go to a lawyer. You find, much to your horror, that this exclusion is valid in the law. 

Your parents are old, and you work abroad. Your mother is losing her eyesight and your father, his hearing, and both disabilities are quite severe. Since everything is so inaccessible, they have their fair share of mishaps, which their maid notices. She narrates this story to many people, and one self-appointed “social worker”, purportedly acting on their behalf, goes to an assessment board with an application saying your parents are people with “high support needs” since they need intensive support for daily activities and to access facilities, and are thus unable to live on their own. 

Accordingly, because they are so vulnerable to the inaccessible environment around them, the board’s idea of “high support” is to move them into an institution for the elderly disabled. You come back in a frantic hurry. You find your parents do not have a right to insist on what living arrangements they want, and that India has a law which allows an assessment board to determine the support they require without even consulting them, let alone you. Luckily, your parents are ultimately released, quite crudely, into your “custody”. 

Your best friend, who has been coping with mental health issues for a while, has finally been diagnosed with bipolar depression. You know he has his moments of vulnerability, but for the most part, knows how to take care of himself, much like everyone else. His relatives disagree and, armed with medical certificates from doctors certifying he is “of unsound mind”, approach a court to have one of themselves appointed as guardian. 

The atmosphere of the court and the sheer frustration of the process triggers your friend to have an episode in court, and the court accordingly holds that he is “incapable of taking legally binding decisions” for himself. His bank accounts, assets – everything – is taken away from him and solely managed by a guardian appointed from amongst his relatives, with less than noble intentions. They are taking advantage of him, and he has no recourse because a court has actually certified that he is of unsound mind. 

His guardian is now selling off a flat that belongs to him, though your friend wants to hold on to it. You look at the law that governs the guardianship, and find that there is no way to appeal the appointment of a guardian. There is a promising section which says the guardianship is limited, and that the process should be consultative between the guardian and the person. But if there is a clash of opinion, you find that there is no way to address this. Your friend is helpless. 

These aren’t conjectures – they are borne out of extremely real scenarios and how they would play out against the lacunas in the law. And if we had a law that was entirely compliant with the UNCRPD, all of these situations would have happy endings. And even if we have to wait, we are still hoping for one.

Amba Salelkar is a lawyer, who moved into disability law and policy after six years in criminal litigation. She works with the Inclusive Planet Centre for Disability and Policy. She tweets @mumbaicentral.

Red Flags for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurological and developmental disorder that affects how a person acts and interacts with others, communicates, and learns. ASD affects the structure and function of the brain and nervous system. Because it affects development, ASD is called a developmental disorder. ASD can last throughout a person's life. People with this disorder have problems with:

• Communication
• Interactions with other people (social skills)
• Restricted interests and repetitive behaviors

The symptoms of one person with autism can be very different from the symptoms of another person with autism. Health care providers think of autism as a spectrum disorder - a group of disorders with a range of similar features. 

The United Nations General Assembly unanimously declared 2 April as World Autism Awareness Day. On the eve we present before you certain valuable information for mass awareness. 

ASD includes: 

·         

• Autistic disorder ("classic" autism). Autistic disorder is often what people think of when they think of autism.
• Asperger syndrome. This ASD usually involves milder symptoms, mostly related to social behaviors.
• Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS, or "atypical" autism). PDD-NOS includes some, but not all, of the features of classic autism and/or Asperger syndrome.

One person with autism may have mild symptoms, while another may have more serious symptoms, but they both have ASD.

Despite the range of possible symptoms, there are certain actions and behaviors that are common in ASD and could signal that a child is on the autism spectrum. Parents and caregivers who notice these "red flags" should speak to their child's health care provider about autism and screening the child for ASD.

In general, the main signs and symptoms of ASD relate to:

• Communication
• Social behaviors
• Routines or repetitive behaviors, sometimes called stereotyped behaviors

 Red Flags for ASD

Communication

Note about these red flags: Some of these red flags apply only at certain ages, so consider what's typical for other children your child's age. Some red flags are more strongly associated with autism than others. If your child shows any red flags for autism, talk to his or her health care provider right away.

• Does not respond to his/her name by 12 months of age
• Cannot explain what he/she wants
• Language skills are slow to develop or speech is delayed
• Doesn't follow directions
• Seems to hear sometimes, but not other times
• Doesn't point or wave "bye-bye"
• Used to say a few words or babble, but now does not

Social Behavior

• Doesn't smile when smiled at
• Has poor eye contact
• Seems to prefer to play alone
• Gets things for him/herself only
• Is very independent for his/her age
• Seems to be in his/her "own world"
• Seems to tune people out
• Is not interested in other children
• Doesn't point out interesting objects by 14 months of age
• Doesn't like to play "peek-a-boo"
• Doesn't try to attract his/her parent's attention

Stereotyped Behavior

• Gets "stuck" doing the same things over and over and can't move on to other things
• Shows unusual attachments to toys, objects, or routines (for example, always holding a string or having to put on socks before pants)
• Spends a lot of time lining things up or putting things in a certain order
• Repeats words or phrases (sometimes called echolalia [pronounced ek-oh-LEY-lee-uh])

Other Behavior

• Doesn't play "make believe" or pretend by 18 months of age
• Has odd movement patterns
• Doesn't know how to play with toys
• Does things "early" compared to other children
• Walks on his/her toes
• Doesn't like to climb on things such as stairs
• Doesn't imitate silly faces
• Seems to stare at nothing or wander around with no purpose
• Throws intense or violent tantrums
• Is overly active, uncooperative, or resistant
• Seems overly sensitive to noise
• Doesn't like to be swung or bounced on his/her parent's knee, etc

Info Source: NICHD

Barfi: Commitment Despite Challenges!

Abha Khetarpal, President Cross the Hurdles and member, Enabling Unit, University College of Medical Sciences reviews the movie Barfi:

No wonder Barfi is all set to be sent as India’s official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film nomination for the 85th Academy Awards in February 2013.  Anurag Basu, the director, deserves much applause for making such a sensitive movie.

Though a romantic comedy, the movie deals with all the shades of human psychology and behavior. The plot basically revolves around the story of a man, the protagonist, Barfi, who is deaf and mute by birth. He is shown to be involved with two females at different points of time in his life. Relationship with both the girls, gives him two different perspectives of life.

The first one Shruti Ghosh/Sengupta, is shown to be amused by the antics of Barfi, amazed by the way how he copes with his challenges playfully and ultimately falls for him because of his out and out romantic nature. Like any other teenage girl she is infatuated by his endearing and happy-go-lucky nature.  She is stunned by the way he lives his life to the fullest and even despite of his disabilities he is able to take care of his old father. But this girl herself plays mute when she has to bow down to the pressures of her mother who thinks her daughter’s life would be destroyed by marrying a ‘’disabled man’’. The girl Shruti is shown to be submissive, doubtful and prone to fall for superficial abilities of a Bengali babu, whom she marries. She succumbs to the lures of the so called physical and monetary capabilities of another man. This man has a perfect body but has a disability of lack of emotions!

Though she likes Barfi, she could not gather guts to open her mouth and say even a word. Barfi is shown to be deaf, but this girl, with her actions, proves that she is nothing less than ‘’a dumb’’ human being. She is shown to have a greater disability of character when she says, ‘’Sach puchho to mujhe Jhilmil ke kho jaane ka dukh nahi tha, balki khushi thi ki ab Barfi mera hai’’ (She was not sad that Jhilmil was lost but rather happy that now she would be able to possess Barfi). She is shown to be envious when she says, “Barfi adhura tha, lekin uska pyaar poora tha’’. Now she, after having a nightmarish marriage with her chosen one who is an abled bodied man, realizes that how much able Barfi was and how incomplete her ‘’normal’’ man was! But still she could not develop that sensitivity to understand how much pain she has inflictedon him. When she meets him in Kolkata after six years, she could not even utter a single word. While Barfi is shown to have no complains and grudges against her. He is not at all bitter.

Aaah! The so called ‘’abled’’ world, how selfish you can become!  How easy it is for you to show your cocked up ‘’compulsions’’.

Relationship is a matter of convenience for the this normal group of people. This is skilfully shown by portrayal of the character of Shruti and through the characters of Jhilmil’s parents. They want their daughter because they want money left to her by her grandfather. Otherwise the treatment given to this autistic girl by her own parents is emotionally shocking. The parents are shown to be ashamed of the disability of their daughter. They themselves are not ready to accept. Nor do they believe in including the girl in social gatherings taking place in their own home. And this is not a fictitious revelation. This happens all the time around us. Anurag has just shown courage to bring out such heinous behavioral practices. The society too is shown insensitive which all the more disables a person. The people in the party do not hesitate to laugh at a girl who is enjoying the music, a girl who so innocent, a girl who does not even know the ways of this selfish and cruel world.  By making fun of this autistic girl, Jhilmil, they prove that it is the society that does not let people come out of the stigma of disability. And she shows her anger by yelling at them and crying out, “Chup karo’’( stop laughing).

The so called civilized and sophisticated group of people are shown to be nothing less than beastly creatures.

And the best part happens to be the second half of the movie. I must say it is has the best dialogues ever written, best dialogue delivery ever heard and the best music ever listened to! You must be wondering what I am talking about!

The conversations between the mute Barfi and autistic Jhilmil do not need any language nor are dependent on the ear catching love phrases. They both talk heart to heart.  Their expressions have greater verbosity. The love and relationship which they stand for echoes far away with higher decibels than we human beings can hear. They understand each other by looking into each other’s eyes. Love has no boundaries, no disability, no sham, no manipulations, no strategies…Its purest forms dwell in the hearts of those who believe in it. Barfi has his own ‘’trust test’’. He cuts the branch of the tree. First he stands with his friend under it. Then he stands with Shruti under it who gets scared being hit by it without trusting his love and affection for it. And when he stands with Jhilmil under it, Jhilmil just holds his shirts and  shows her trust. She knows she is safe with him. True love trusts and protects. It is not scared of the burdens, responsibilities and hardships coming its way. True love does not need ceremonies and rituals. When Shruti asks Barfi if they had exchanged rings, he tells her in sign language that when they had exchanged hearts, exchanging rings does not matter!

Barfi and Jhilmil, lived together. They were shown to be with each other till their old age caring and sharing all through their lives. Together they symbolize Commitment Despite Challenges!  They have the biggest ability in them and that is they are able to find happiness in togetherness.

A great movie, great performances by the actors and great music, Barfi deals with the complex mazes, darkest tunnels and brightest spots of human psyche!

Source: Mindful Cogitations (think differently)

Apple iOS 6 offers more access for PwD's

Apple announced at press event yesterday that the newest version of the company’s mobile operating system, iOS 6, will be available for users to download on September 19.

 The new iOS 6 looks to have gotten tons of new integrated features. One new feature that might be overlooked, but certainly deserves some attention, is the new Guided Access mode for iOS devices.

Guided Access is a form of accessibility software for operating system  and its make it easier for people with vision, hearing, learning and mobility disabilities to get the most from their iOS devices. Guided Access helps students with disabilities such as autism remain on task and focused on content. It allows a parent or teacher the ability to have full control of how an iOS device can be used. For example, the home button and all other hardware buttons can be locked, motion sensitivity can be disabled, or a certain portion of the screen can be made inactive toward touch.

VoiceOver, the screen reader for users who are blind and low-vision, is now integrated with Maps, AssistiveTouch, and Zoom.

“And we have some great enhancements for accessibility” said Scott Forstall at Apple press event. The update will be free and available for iOS devices 3GS, iPhone 4, and iPhone 4S; the 4^th generation iPod touch; and the 2^nd and 3^rd generation iPads.

By Aqeel Qureshi GAATES news