Secretariat gets disabled friendly with Braille signage

“Boards with braille signs have been set up at all the entrances of the building and on every floor. The details of the departments are mentioned in Braille letters and it will enable vision-impaired people find the right floor without the help of others,” an IAS officer, attached to the Public Department, said on request of anonymity.

The Secretariat, which is the power centre of the government, has two important buildings. The main building, which houses the offices of the Chief Minister, Chief Secretary and other Ministers. The Namakkal Kavingar building, has offices of various departments and the office of the Secretaries. Thousands of people, including the disabled, visit the office of various departments, on a daily basis, seeking various services.

“People with disabilities are usually shy and are not comfortable seeking others’ help. So, the Department came up with the idea of setting up Braille boards,” the official added.

The official’s brother is a disabled person. The official also has other plans up his sleeves. “Braille signage would also be set up in the toilets. We also plan to operate the battery-operated cars lying unused in the Secretariat campus and a vendor has already been approached to operate them,” the official added.

Once the battery-operated cars are repaired they would also be used to carry senior citizens.