TheVicePresident,ShriM. Venkaiah Naidu today called for a change in people’s mindset towards the Divyangjan community or the differentlyabled and asserted that it is the responsibility of the government and society at large to prevent any kind of discrimination against them. He stressed the need for creating an environment for them to thrive and excel. “They do not needour sympathy,they rightfullydeserveeveryopportunity to develop to their full potential”, he added. The Vice President was speaking at the National InstitutefortheEmpowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (NIEPID) in Hyderabad during his visit to theinstitute.ShriNaiduappreciated NIEPID for its work in empowering persons with IntellectualDisabilityandtheir families. Underlining that accessibility is an important area of intervention for the differently abled, Shri Naidu noted the positive impact of the ‘Accessible India’ campaign and called for more interventions in the areas of environment, transport, information and communication systems. Emphasising the need to makepublic spaces,transport and private buildings more accessible,ShriNaidusaidthat it was also important to sensitiseteachersandnon-teachingstaffinschoolstotheneeds ofthedifferently-abledchildren. Suggesting that it was important“toensurethattechnology does not exclude differently-abled people”, he urgednational institutionsand universities in India to accelerate their work relating to accessible smart technology. Shri Naidu called for allround efforts to make the Divyangjan people financially independentbyidentifyingand honingtheir skills fromayoung age. Reminding that the core values of India are those of ‘SarvejanaSukhinoBhavantu’ a n d ‘Va s u d h a i v a Kutumbakam’, he called upon everyone – including the government, private sector, civil societyandfamilies totakeinitiatives to empower the differently abled and fulfil their duty or ‘dharma’. Th e Vi c e Pr e s i d e n t stressed the importance of early detection and identification of children at risk for disability conditionsandcalledfor openingupmoresuchcentres such as the newly established Cr o s s -Di s a b i l i t y Ea rl y Intervention Service Center (CDEISC) in all states. He also suggested to NIEPID to have a tie-up with institutions liketheCentreforCellularand Molecular Biology for early detection of disability risk among children. He underlined the need for counselling parents in case of early detection of the risk for disabilities among children. Shri Naidu suggestedmorecollaboration betweenorganisationssuchas NIEPIDandCentreForCellular AndMolecularBiology(CCMB) for early detection and prevention of genetic disorders.