It is well known that a person with mentally challenged does not require charity but opportunities. In order to provide a dignified life to them, it is necessary that they are given suitable vocational training and are adequately job-placed, so that they may become productive members of the community.
For all this, jobs need to be appropriately identified and training steps broken down in easy and manageable steps for adequate training. Before placing them in a job situation, sufficient work habits have to be inculcated in them for better work adjustment.
The United Nation Declaration on the Rights of the Challenged must be implemented in order to equalize opportunities.
Creation of awareness amongst general public, parents, employers in the government as well as non-governmental organizations would indeed promote early facilitative programmes.
It is not enough to merely provide services but also important to remove prejudices and discrimination towards people with disabilities.
India is a developing country and has its own constraints. Resources, wherever we can tap, have to be optimally utilized. Research and development efforts are required in order to develop models of services suitable for our people.
Generally the special employment exchanges do not register persons with mentally challenged, as there is no reservation of jobs for them. This has to be modified.
The shortcomings in the vocational training and employment services have to be minimized and also streamlined. It is seen that the curriculum for vocational training and vocational trades chosen for training, rarely match the job opportunities in the market. Consequently the person with MR finds it difficult to get an opportunity to work in the open employment situation.
More recently, the emphasis is towards placement in the integrated community settings. Supported employment has gained prominence as a new vocational training and placement option. This concept includes paid job in an integrated setting.
The challenges before us are many but we have to continue to explore innovative methods, which will expand employment opportunities for people with mentally challenged.
