A group of individuals with special needs got vaccinated by a private institution on Friday.

Several parents said the initiative by ICanFlyy made these individuals with special needs less vulnerable to infections as they did not have to visit a hospital or vaccination centre. It also saved the parents the hassle of making their wards wait in queues for hours and “feel anxious”.

The institute organised the vaccination camp on its premises for young adults with special needs, their siblings, teachers and staff. “Some of these individuals have low immunity and their parents do not want to take them to hospitals or centres and wait in queues,” said Minu Budhia, a psychotherapist and the founder of ICanFlyy.

“These young adults are apprehensive about taking an injection but the institute is a familiar place for them, which helped.”

Some parents shared their experience of getting their wards vaccinated. “My son has down syndrome and it is difficult for him to express his uneasiness. If he has any symptom he will not be able to communicate unless it is fever or some other visible symptom which I can see. This makes him more vulnerable,” said Vineeta Singhania.

She said these children needed to get vaccinated as they were dependent on caregivers, which made them “more vulnerable”. “I wanted to get my son vaccinated but could not get a slot for the last 10 days.”

Another parent said he was not sure of taking his daughter to a hospital or a vaccination centre because of the threat from the disease. “Moreover, she would get restless while waiting for her turn,” he added.

A parent said he had to wait for four hours to get his mother vaccinated but was not sure whether his child would be able to do that to get the jab.

ICanFlyy made the experience enjoyable for these individuals by distributing chocolates and setting up a photo booth.

A private hospital in Calcutta organised a vaccination drive for individuals with autism recently.

Parents said more organisations need to come forward to get this group vaccinated or have slots at centres dedicated only for them.