Author: Drina Fernandes| November 4th 2022
PARENTING – Disability certificate
Last December my son turned 18 so it was time to get his documents and certificates updated. One of them was the Permanent Disability Certificate, issued by the IPHB. Transitioning to new places was one of the major challenges my son faced and I knew that I had to prepare him thoroughly prior to the visit. During the last 18 years, this was the fourth time we would be visiting IPHB. Our first visit was in 2008 and the subsequent visits were for renewal every 5 years. I knew for a fact that 3 visits were required to be made prior to actually getting a certificate.
The first one would be for the screening at the children’s OPD, the second would be with the psychologist for the IQ testing and the third one would be for the collection of the certificate. But as a part of my prior preparation, I visited IPHB to know if there were any changes incorporated in the procedure that I was unaware of. And yes there was a slight change in the procedure that was required to be followed so it was well worth the time going in person to find out. As my son was now 18 years old, the first visit would be to the adult OPD, the second would be for IQ testing, and the third would be a check-up with the physician. In addition to this, audiology and optical tests were also required to be done.
I knew that I had to plan the initial visit very carefully. Before our visit, I drove my son to IPHB for two consecutive days, allowed him to explore the place from the outside, and told him that he would be going there soon. I showed him the pictures of shapes and colours and conveyed to him that he would be asked to do these activities when he goes there. While returning back home I rewarded him with his favourites; a pizza on one day and pringles and soft drink on the next.
One of the prerequisites of the visit was to have an early appointment. A neighbour of mine kindly agreed to go early in the morning and It was a token system. Anyone can stand in the queue on your behalf. This is applicable only to those patients who have been previously registered with the hospital. My son was registered in 2008. But in case any child is applying for the Disability Certificate for the first time and is not previously registered with the IPHB then an appointment needs to be made in person.
My son, our home help and I set off to reach in plenty of time – I carried along with my son’s favourite snacks, a fidget toy and played soft music in the car while we travelled from home to IPHB. We sat in the car until we were called in. Once I reached the hospital my neighbour who had gone earlier handed over the token to me and I waited outside the consulting room. Meanwhile my son was attended to by my house help outside. I was also asked to apply for the UDID card at the same time. The basic requirement to apply for an UDID card is a Disability Certificate , Aadhaar Card and 2 photographs. I carried all these so I could apply for the UDID card.
The procedure of the application was done by the staff. This was a bonus to me. I never thought that our visit would be so smooth and fruitful. Our next two visits to the psychologist and the physician were also hassle free since my son was, by then well acquainted with the place and the staff were very cooperative. The audio and vision test is yet to be done. But I am sure that if I prepare my son in advance, these too will be done smoothly.
The basic intention of this write up is to encourage the parents to apply for a Disability Certificate. It is seen that parents often hesitate to apply because it is a government hospital, there will be a long wait to consult the doctor and with our kind of kids it seems to be very tedious. I also wanted to share that unlike other governments set up, the staff there were very cooperative.
And yes I also want to share how a child can be prepared prior to the visit to a new place. We also need to convey to the parents that it is very important that their child have a disability Certificate issued by IPHB or Directorate of Health services ( Govt. of Goa). It is required to apply for UDID card and other govt. concessions. It is also required to be produced to the school if the school demands so.
Many children on the autism spectrum get anxious in new places and situations and parents find it challenging to manage them. Taking the child to the place they would be visiting, reading a social story about the visit, showing a picture of the place and the activities that would take place in advance are some of the strategies parents can use to prepare their child. it certainly works for us.
Interested in joining The Parents Support Group? Reach out to me [email protected] or [email protected]– we welcome feedback and suggestions on Sethu’s current services and how together we can help provide new and researched based services for our children and timely necessary support for parents.