Hyderabad, April 17 : Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday said that accessibility is an important area of intervention for the differently-abled and called for more interventions in the areas of environment, transport, information and comm cation systems. Speaking at the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (NIEPID), he stressed on the need for creating an environment for them to thrive and excel. He also asserted that it is the responsibility of the government and society at large to prevent any kind of discrimination against them. “They do not need our sympathy, they rightfully deserve every opport ty to develop to their full potential,” he pointed out. Underlining that accessibility is an important area of intervention for the differently-abled, Naidu noted the positive impact of the ‘Accessible India’ campaign and called for more interventions in the areas of environment, transport, information and comm cation systems. Emphasising the need to make public spaces, transport and private buildings more accessible, the Vice President said that it was also important to sensitise teachers and non-teaching staff in schools to the needs of the differently-abled children. Suggesting that it was important “to ensure that technology does not exclude differently-abled people”, he urged national institutions and versities in India to accelerate their work relating to accessible smart technology. Naidu called for all-round efforts to make the Divyangjan people financially independent by identifying and honing their skills from a young age. He stressed the importance of early detection and identification of children at risk for disability conditions and called for opening up more such centres such as the newly established Cross-Disability Early Intervention Service Center (CDEISC) in all states. VV RNJ