A Failure to Enable

Context: An analysis of the state of disabled persons in India on the annual International Day of Persons with Disabilities (3^rd Dec), established by the United Nations in 1992.

General facts on disability:

• Prevalence:
  • About a billion people internationally live with a disability (80% in developed nations).
  • World Bank estimates that there are over 40 million people living with disability in India.
• Institutional Initiative: In 2007, the UN passed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; India is a state party to it.

Measures taken in India to support disabled persons

• Domestic legislations:
  • The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (2016): has helped shift the treatment of disabled persons in society towards rights-focussed thinking.
  • The Mental Healthcare Act (2017) recognised persons with mental health conditions -
    • Expanded the presence of mental-health establishments across the country,
    • Restricted the harmful use of electroshock therapy,
    • Clarified the mental-health responsibilities of state agencies such as the police,
    • Effectively decriminalised attempted suicide.
  • Extraordinary work of civil society: Activists like Mithu Alur and Javed Abidi, India have made some progress in the right direction.
  • Government schemes:
    • The Assistance to Disabled persons for purchasing/fitting of aids/appliances (ADIP) scheme: for improving access to disability aids.
    • The Accessible India Campaign: aimed to make public transport, buildings and websites more accessible.
  • Changing attitudes:
    • Support by mainstream media: Media Started showing positive representations of people with disabilities. E.g. In movies like Taare Zameen Par and Barfi.
    • Achievements of Athletes with disabilities: Many Athletes with disabilities have reached the pinnacles of sport. E.g. four athletics won medals at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Issues faced by disabled persons:

• Negative Attitude towards disabled:
  • Others treating them with disdain; for e.g. A “person with quadriplegia” is often treated as a quadriplegic, where the disability defines the person.
  • Political leaders often use discriminatory language: and derogatory comments on them.
  • Recent government decision to render people suffering from cerebral palsy ineligible for the Indian Foreign Service(IFS) is insulting to them.
• Poor implementation of the law:g. India is largely devoid of ramps on its footpaths or government buildings even after passing the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act in 2016
• More vulnerable to poor social and economic development:
  • High illiteracy rate: 45% of their population is illiterate
  • Lack of political representation: Since Independence we had only 4 parliamentarians and 6 state assembly members who suffer from visible disabilities.

Conclusion: The government should work with civil society and individuals with disabilities to craft an India where everyone feels welcome and treated with respect, regardless of their disabilities.