A rehabilitation and research institute organised a Covid vaccination camp for children with disabilities on their premises on Friday.
Manovikas Kendra in association with Kolkata Municipal Corporation organised the camp that eased the process for their students and parents to get the jab in a “familiar environment” in the presence of their teachers.
The centre had about 36 students eligible for the vaccination between 15 and 18 years of age and on Friday 27 of them got vaccinated.
Some of the students could not get the jab because they were running a temperature, the authorities said.
“Parents had requested us to hold a camp in school and we were in conversation with the civic body. The school is a familiar environment for our students and they are at ease in the presence of their teachers and known surroundings,” said Anamika Sinha, the director of Manovikas Kendra.
Individuals with autism, ADHD and hearing impairment got their first dose on Friday. A parent Mita Biswas said that it would have been difficult for her to take her son with autism to a medical centre for vaccination.
“He does not like injections and I don’t know how he would have reacted in a new set up. At least the school is a familiar place. The last two years of the pandemic has made him more hyper,” she said.
Biswas said that if the school could not have arranged it as soon as it did she would have been forced to make other arrangements. “It took us just 15 minutes to complete the formalities and get the vaccination done,” said a mother whose 15 year old has autism.
Manovikas Kendra had also organised the camp for their students last year for those above 18 years of age at a time when there were long queues outside vaccination centres.
Often waiting in a queue in an unfamiliar environment amongst a crowd can make those with some disabilities restless, a special educator said.
“If an individual gets restless there could also be an inclination to open the mask which could expose them to risk,” parent said.