Getting nod for Disability ID a big task

CHENNAI: Adding to the woes of the differently-abled, authorities now refuse to accept their National Disability ID cards as proofs of disability during college admission processes and applications for competitive exams like UPSC and TNPSC.To make matters worse, the process to obtain these ID cards from the medical board is long and strenuous. The differently-abled often feel their employment and education prospects are affected in the absence of this medical board certification. Arunadevi (33)  who is a visually challenged post-graduate in Social Work along with an M Phil found that her 2008 interview result for TNSPC was withheld as she had failed to obtain the certificate. However, Arunadevi reappeared in 2009 and reached the interview level. On Wednesday,  she filed a petition in the High Court stating she should not be disqualified again under the pretext of not having obtained the  certificate.Arunadevi said, “Even when I sat for semester exams in college, I had to produce a certificate from the medical board. The TNPSC says  that during the time of application, we need to attach a certificate from the medical board stating that our disability will not affect our official duties. The medical board refuses to give a blanket certificate without the specification of the job and TNPSC on this ground is rejecting us.”Muthuselvi faced the same problem during her TNPSC 2009 selection process. Arunadevi says the authorities should be directed to take the National Disability ID Card as a proof of evidence of disablilty as it states the type of disability along with the percentage of it.Shimmachandran, general secretary, Tamil Nadu Differently abled Association, says the concerns of the differently-abled were true. He hoped the Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK government will take timely action in this regard.