KOCHI: There has been no change in the plight of visually challenged people in society as attacks are still taking place against them, says Kerala Federation of the Blind district president K J Varghese. He was referring to the attack on partially blind Joby John and his mother Eliamma Varghese at Mulanthuruthy over a land dispute. "We are not being led by any political group and have no political agenda. We are independent, irrespective of class and caste. All we demand is our right, which the law provides,” Varghese told Express. http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/Theyre-Still-Groping-in-the-Dark/2015/12/02/article3156687.ece The Federation has expressed its concern over the safety and security of the blind against the background of increasing threats to the life of blind people in the state. Joby John, a teacher at Aranyankavu Govt LP School, and his mother were allegedly attacked by their neighbours on November 25. A case was registered by the Mulanthuruthy police in this connection. “Even after years' long struggle for equal rights and reservations, visually challenged people in Kerala still face problems from various sections of society. They are being categorised as second-class citizens by the society even after attaining reservation rights. Only the blind from wealthy family backgrounds are able to pursue their higher education, whereas those from poor families get confined within the walls of their homes,” says Varghese.
“We now live in fear of another attack by the neighbours. Hence, we had requested for police protection. Though there are laws to ensure safety of persons like me, it was very unfortunate that such an incident happened,” said Joby John. Meanwhile, the accused also filed a complaint against Joby and family stating that they had called their caste name. An inquiry is on. -- Avinash Shahi Doctoral student at Centre for Law and Governance JNU Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
