Mumbai’s Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital for Children launched a Center for Empowerment of Children With Disabilities (CECWD) on June 29, 2018. CECWD was inaugurated to mark the Helen Keller week.
Helen Keller was the first deaf-blind person who had earned a Bachelor’s degree in Arts. She was also a popular American author, political activist, and lecturer.
Service at CECWD would be provided by special educators like Anne Sullivan who will empower the lives of children with disabilities.
CECWD will disseminate all information related to disabilities like the applicable concessions and government schemes available, laws and their implications.
The centre will also provide special education, remedial education and vision rehabilitation. These facilities and other services will be provided at cost-effective prices.
According India’s 2011 census, there were 6,26,809 people in the age group of 0-19 living with disabilities, of them 44,083 were people living with multiple disabilities. There are very few centers, providing services to this large population.
Dr Minnie Bodhanwala, CEO Wadia Hospital, said: “Today, with new lifestyle choices adopted by people, there has been an increase in diseases, genetic conditions, and trauma at birth along with varied other causes there is an increase in the number of children with disabilities.”
Dr Bodhanwala addd, “At our hospital on an average we see 800-1000 children with disabilities a year. This made it imperative for us to have a CECWD, to enhance the quality of their life and empower them to overcome the limitations caused by disabilities
