BHUBANESWAR: Observing the ‘International Day of Persons with Disabilities,’ Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) department organised a photography competition and exhibition at IDCOL auditorium, Monday, which saw photos from all over Odisha themed on disability.
Celebrated every year December 3, the day aims to promote an awareness of disability issues and the fundamental rights of persons with disabilities. The two-day event also saw disability awareness film festival 2019 which was also held at IDCOL auditorium. The SSEPD received 70 short films on disability from film directors from all over India of which seven feature films were screened.
Films like, ‘I am able’, ‘Samarthya’, ‘Swabhiman’, ‘Mu bi Sakhyama’, ‘Urbashi’, ‘Sakuntala’, ‘Attitude’, ‘Autobala’, ‘Choti Soch’, ‘Deaf and Dumb’, ‘Do before you die’, ‘Love shots’, ‘Let’s Bicycle Together’, ‘Odisha Inner Eye’, ‘One Feet’, ‘Stand for Respect’ and ‘What I Feel’ were screened. Students from more than 20 educational institutions joined the event to watch the films on disability during the two-day festival.
“It is important to integrate disabled persons in the main stream of society. Disabled persons are often discriminated which is never an ideal condition. Society must take adequate steps to involve persons with disabilities in the main stream of each aspect of the social, political, economic and cultural status of their communities,” said Bhaskar Jyoti Sharma, secretary, SSEPD.