Vaccinate the differently abled at their home, say para-athletes
Suvarna Raj, an international level para-athlete, recently got her first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, and tweeted: “...The process was smooth & accessible. But faced difficulty to get appointment on #Cowinportal.the #Cowin App & Portal are not accessible for #Divyangjan @socialpwds. @MOHFW_INDIA. plz make these #Accessible on a priority basis (sic).”
Raj’s demand has opened up Pandora’s box on the need to facilitate vaccination at the residence of the differently abled, including para-athletes, due to “accessibility” issues. She has written to Delhi’s chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, and health minister Satyendra Jain about it. With the Paralympics slated for August-september, this year, several paraathletes agree with Raj.
Javelin thower Devendra
Jhajharia says, “All state governments should facilitate vaccination at home for the differently abled.” High jumper Mariyappan Thangavelu also suggests having a dedicated vaccination facility for those with spinal injuries.
Gursharan Singh, secretary general, Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), says Raj’s request is “genuine” and also points out the lack of transportation during the lockdown.
Rio Olympic silver medallist and para-athlete Deepa Malik, who has got both the doses of the vaccine, says, “We can have a provision for those who are physically challenged and from the marginalised sections.” She also expresses concern for those without a smart phone “as registration for vaccination is another challenge” and suggests the software to have “a provision to upload a BPL card and section where it says that one is non-ambulant, underprivileged and physically challenged or senior citizen(s).”