With the completion of the wheelchair ramp and railing facilities, students of Draktsho Vocational Training Centre for Special Children and Youth in Trashigang have better accessibility now. Until now, they have been depending on a helper to move due to the lack of such a facility on campus. The centre is located at Shinangkhar in Kanglung Gewog.
From going to the classroom, washroom and hostel, the students can now move around independently. Thanks to the wheelchair ramp and railings. There are 16 wheelchair users and two students depending on railings.
“Without a wheelchair ramp in the past, I used to stumble even with a helper. It was a difficult life. We couldn’t reach the dining hall during meal time. Now I can go to the dining hall and classroom, all by myself. This has immensely benefited us,” Tenzin Wangchuk, a student.
“The railing has benefited me when I am walking around. Without such a facility, life was difficult. I have a problem with my leg and so without a railing, I cannot walk around,” said Phuntsho Dorji, a student.
The construction of the facilities started in 2016 and was completed in 2020. But it was inaugurated on Saturday.
Besides those facilities, the students also got new a dining hall, a library an academic block and a hostel.
‘Open Your Heart to Bhutan,’ a UK-based charity in collaboration with other donor agencies funded the construction of the facilities worth over Nu 14 M.
The Training Centre provides vocational skills to persons living with disabilities.
Sonam Darjay, Kanglung
Edited by Tshering Zam
