08 Apr 2024|Noida | Amity University, Noida
“Each University should include, specialize and hand hold one Disability for Rehabilitation”, opined Dr. Sharanjeet Kaur, Chairperson, Rehabilitation Council of India, New Delhi, at Amity
Amity Institute of Rehabilitation Sciences (AIRS), Amity University Uttar Pradesh, organized a two-day International Conference on “Inclusion Through Sports” in collaboration with ‘Special Olympics Bharat’ and ‘Rehabilitation Council of India’ from 8th April to 9th April 2024 at AUUP, Noida Campus. The main objectives of the Conference were to create a forum for Special Educators and practitioners to share their knowledge and expertise on promotion of sports through inclusion and to transform the community attitude about persons with disabilities, by focussing on the role of NEP 2020 in fostering sports-integrated learning. The Conference saw participation by professionals, registered as Rehab Professionals at RCI, including clinical psychologists, Special Educators and Physical Education Teachers from North India.
Addressing the gathering during the Inaugural Session, Chief Guest, Dr. Sharanjeet Kaur, Chairperson, Rehabilitation Council of India, New Delhi, averred, “It is easier to talk about inclusion as a topic, but it is very difficult to achieve inclusion at the grass-root level. There are 21 disabilities in India, wherein mental disabilities are not even accounted for. If 21 Universities work on 21 different kinds of disabilities, which exist today and take responsibility of the disabled persons, then inclusion of disabled persons can be achieved very easily. 10 crore people in India suffer from mental disabilities and at least 3 persons in their families are equally affected, especially women who are very sensitive. It is necessary to sensitize the common masses to include the disabled persons in the mainstream society by providing them with equal opportunities and treating them at par with other individuals. If disabled persons are invited for events as Chief Guests and there is no discrimination towards them, that will be the real inclusion. It should be the mission of educational institutions like Amity to provide admission to disabled persons, educate and empower them and create a stress-free environment for them. In addition, Mentor-Mentee programmes must be conducted by institutions and there should be global exchange of thoughts and ideas regarding disabilities, across institutions in different parts of the world. The goal of Viksit Bharat cannot be achieved if we do not include special children in the mainstream society and if India becomes a “Vishwa Guru” in Disability Rehabilitation, only then it can be called a truly developed nation.” She called upon volunteers from various fields to register on RCI website and work on a particular topic of their choice, with regards to inclusivity so that through collective efforts, we can change the world and create a more progressive society.
Speaking about Government Interventions with regards to Inclusion, Guest of Honour, Ms. A Srija, Economic Advisor (SE&L), Ministry of Education, Govt. of India, stated, “NEP 2020 has a separate chapter on inclusivity. A lot of interventions have been made by the government of the inclusivity of special children, for e.g., students are provided with transport facilities. In addition, digital interventions have also been made by the government in the form of digital teaching and learning modules. However, only 22 lakh children with disabilities have been identified, and all three government departments of sports, healthcare and education, need to work together to identify more disabled people and ensure better facilities, schemes and programs for them. Higher education institutions must come forward and work actively to address the needs of special students.”
Dr. Balvinder Shukla, Vice Chancellor, Amity University Uttar Pradesh said, “Amity University’s vision aligns with the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047 and the first and most important requirement for that is to empower the people. Amity University lays a strong emphasis on inclusion of all sections of the society, including the disabled persons and sport education has been a part of higher education from the very beginning. Amity University is engaged in a big way with Special Olympics Bharat and is working closely with them for the inclusion of disabled persons into sports. Community engagement is a part of the curriculum at Amity and the University organizes various activities such as Diwali mela, club and cultural activities, wherein special children participate actively. Sports will play an important role in achieving the goal of Viksit Bharat@2047 and we all have to work collectively to achieve that goal.”
Ms. Chitra Shah, Vice President, Special Olympics Bharat, said, “Special Olympics is the only Sports Program for special children, not only in India but across the world. Young Athletes Program, Unified School Program and many other programs are conducted by Special Olympics Bharat to include disabled persons in different sports activities, at national and international level. It is extremely crucial that players are treated equally, on the playing field, regardless of their disabilities. We need to include disabled people not only in sports but in mainstream society, in order to create a developed society and country.”
Guest of Honor, Mr. Dipak Natali, Regional President and Managing Director, Asia Pacific (SOI), said, “Nearly 50% of disabled people are unlikely to access school and are deprived of education. In order to create an inclusive environment, we need to provide equal opportunities to disabled people, including players with disabilities, so that they can showcase their skills and talent on the field. If we are able to use sports in the right way, it can actually act as a catalyst for acceptance and change and create a value-led society where everyone can contribute.” Also present during the Inaugural Session were Dr. Gurinder Singh, Group Vice Chancellor, Amity Universities, Dr. S.K. Srivastava, Head, Amity Foundation for Developmental Disabilities, Prof. (Dr.) Jayanti Pujari, Director, Amity Institute of Rehabilitation Sciences (AIRS), students of psychology and AIRS, amongst others.
During the two-day Conference, Panel Discussions on topics such as ‘Developing Effective Partnership for Social Inclusion’, ‘Strengthening Social Inclusion through Sports Activities’, ‘Research in Inclusion Through Sports: Present Status and Future Prospects’, ‘Celebrating Success: Unified Champion School Program’ and ‘Developing Inclusive Health Systems and its impact on Sports’, will be held, wherein experts such as Dr. Kalpana Sharma, NIS Patiala, Mr. Deepak John Nayak, Sports Consultant, Ms. Ambreen Khan, WWF and Dr. Karthikeyan Ramachandran, Principal Investigator & Associate Professor, SRM University, will deliberate upon these issues.