chandigarh physically and mentally challenged live in their own world many of them play with imaginary friends they should be brought out into the world and made to interact with healthy children to further their personality development for this a beginning has to be made by bringing such children into the mainstream education system this view emerged strongly in a recently held national seminar on integrated education and employment in new delhi however non governmental organisations ngos working in this field question the practicality of this endeavour the seminar chaired by commissioner of disabilities uma tuli suggested that an integrated education system be introduced under which physically and mentallychallenged children could attend normal instead of special schools participants at the seminar felt that this could help these children get accustomed to how things really work and consequently not feel out of place while some independent experts agree that this is possible to a certain extent others dismiss the thought describing it as impracticalit is very important to determine the degree of disability in children before sending them to normal schools profound cases of disability can not be sent to normal schools but others like orthopaedically challenged can definitely be adjusted says j s saini professor in the technical teachers training institute in sector 26 who heads a programme integrating persons with disability into the mainstreamsuch a move would help inculcate the much needed confidence in special children and would help them mingle into the mainstream faster he adds