Demand to Arrange Personal Caregivers for Deafblind and Profoundly Disabled Persons
Kathmandu — On the occasion of the Second International Deafblind Day, stakeholders and parents have urged the government to arrange personal caregivers for persons with profound disabilities.
On Saturday, 27th June 2026, persons with all types of disabilities, including physical, intellectual, deaf, and deafblind disabilities, held a rally by circling Ranipokhari with placards bearing various slogans. The rally was jointly organized by different organizations.
At the program, National Assembly member Padam Pariyar expressed solidarity for implementing personal assistance services for deafblind persons and other persons with profound disabilities. He also committed to strongly raise the issue with the concerned bodies.
Similarly, House of Representatives member Prem Bayak said that, according to the latest census, persons with disabilities make up 2.2 percent of Nepal’s total population, but they have been left behind in terms of rights.
More Than 10,000 Deafblind Persons, Most Confined Indoors
Last year, the United Nations declared June 27 as “International Deafblind Day,” targeting the group of people who cannot hear and cannot see.
According to the data of the 2078 BS Census, there are 10,187 children and adults with deafblindness in Nepal.
However, according to Lakpa Nuru Sherpa, chairperson of the Deafblind Parents’ Society, only around 200 people are currently in contact with the society, while the rest are forced to remain confined inside their homes.
As deafblind persons try to understand their relatives and the surrounding environment through smell and touch, it takes time to provide them with practical knowledge. However, the society stated that they can learn through continuous learning.
Parents Forced to Remain Engaged in Care
Children such as the seven-year-old deafblind son of Jaljala Rai, originally from Sakela Rural Municipality of Khotang and currently living in Lalitpur, and Sain, the son of Lakpa Nuru Sherpa, need constant assistance in all activities of daily life.
Since they cannot be left alone even for a moment except when sleeping, parents, especially mothers, are compelled to remain fully engaged in their care.
Day Care and Resource Classes in Operation
The Deafblind Parents’ Society, which has long been involved in the campaign to provide such children with access to education, training, and day services, is currently operating day care centers in Kathmandu, Rupandehi, Morang, and Pokhara.
Likewise, the society is currently conducting resource classes under inclusive education at Bal Byabasayi Kendra Secondary School in Sifal for deafblind persons from Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, and Kathmandu. The classes provide training necessary for daily life.
Saturday’s program was jointly organized by the Deafblind Parents’ Society, Nepal Association of the Blind, National Federation of the Deaf Nepal, Nepal Disabled Women Association, and the Federation of Women with Disabilities Nepal.
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