Comparative Evaluation of Awareness among Armed Forces Personnel in Respect of Special Provisions and Benefits Applicable to Children with Disabilities

Introduction Mental retardation ranges from the borderline to mild to very severe. Fortunately, the majority (80%) are in the mild range that endows the individual the capacity to lead a simple, yet fruitful life once provided with a means that are conducive to their learning styles. Children with a more severe disorder can achieve remarkably if their unique talents are recognized and nurtured to the fullest. Aim We conducted a study among armed forces personnel in a large city in Maharashtra. This community has many peculiar and special features. They are from different ethnic, religious, and linguistic backgrounds and live together as a cohesive unit. The general socioeconomic and educational awareness toward facilities and concessions available for the differently abled children is assumed to be high. Materials and methods Detailed interaction with 27 parents having special children was conducted and further data were collected. Each parent was individually interviewed. This group was named parents having differently abled children (PHDAC). Group discussions consisting of 15 families in one group that had no special children in the family were conducted. A total of such eight groups (120 families) were, thus, interviewed. This group was named parents having normal children (PHNC). Each family was verbally questioned regarding the facilities available to special children thoroughly and responses were recorded. Results and discussion Overall, it was found that among the PHDAC, the awareness was much better, but some were circumspect of the facilities provided for their wards by the land of the law. Most of them felt that the benefits coming to them were due to their service with the Army. The PHNC were not aware of most of the provisions. However, during the interactions with the researcher, they evinced interest in the matter and were happy to know that special provisions are existent in various Government sectors for special children. How to cite this article Roy C, Roy P. Comparative Evaluation of Awareness among Armed Forces Personnel in Respect of Special Provisions and Benefits Applicable to Children with Disabilities. Indian J Phy Med Rehab 2017;28(2):64-68.