A Failure to Enable

The Indian Express     3rd December 2020     Save    

Context: An analysis of the state of disabled persons in India on the annual International Day of Persons with Disabilities (3rd 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.