Accessibility And Disabled People
By Kapil Kumar
25 February, 2016
Countercurrents.org
In the era of human rights, each individual is entitled to a dignified life. Dignified lifeimplies a respectable life worth living which each (he, she and other)deserves.
We have seen in the recent case of RohitVimula(a dalit student of Hyderabad university), how hurdles are erectedby the society in the way of individuals striving to achieve just a dignified life. Grim or worse situation can be seen in the case of disabled of the country.
According to the census 2011, the total population of disabled persons in India wasestimated to be 2, 68, 10,557, constituting about 2.21% of the total population. But, as has been reported every now and then in various reports and newspapers recently, that society still holds a negligent attitude towards the disabled persons.Attitude of society in general towards the disabled persons is more readily reflected when seen from care towards basic needsof the disabled.When it comes to appropriate implementation of 3% quota reserved for disabled people, this argument becomes more evident. This quota in the spheres of education and employment is assumed to provide either a better life or increasing their chances of improving their status in the society.
These both the spheres, education as well as employment would remain ineffective, by the time, proper accessible environment are not provided. Several examples are present to prove that how still after getting well educated or a good job for that matter, how disabled persons on daily basis being compelled to lead undignified lives. Their capabilities are not being recognized and put to use. In a way, they are kept deprived of their basic right to work in a barrier free environment. Which harms in two ways one, depriving the disabled from the claim they are entitled to and secondly perishing the skill and talent which could have been a boon to the society writ large. Apathy of society bleeds the society itself for reasons of reluctance towards care.
It is well known,that in (The persons with disabilities [equal opportunities, protection of rights and full participation] Act, 1995) and in the United nations convention on the rights of persons with disabilities (UNCRPD) 2006, which India ratified in September, 2007, provisions accessible environment were endorsed.Moreover, last year on 3rd December, 2015, P.M. modi initiated accessible India campaign, but, fruits of these provisions have not been realized yet. Those disabled persons irrespective of their disabilities, working in different institutions or studying in different reputed universities of the country, have to face infrastructural barriers. Sometimes, these barriers were constructed due to lack of awareness and sometimes, deliberately, thus halting their journey towards dignified life and subsequently success. In case of disabled persons; “job without work” is a good example of it. It’s not the case, that these disabled people who are employed are not willing to work, but, it’s the attitude of the employers who do not attempt to comprehend their potentials and provide them work accordingly. This condition, at daily routine demotivates or demoralizes people with disabilities and sometimes, forces them to lead a distressed life.
Most of the government buildings either colleges or schoolsare still inaccessible to disabled persons. If their basic needs are not taken care of in these buildings; of providing barrier free mobility, living and functioning, then how it can be expected that enrollment of the disabled students would increase in schools and colleges.Also in the case of those disabled employees who are already employed,how can it be expected that they will be able to work efficiently in the absence of these basic infrastructural facilities.
It is need of the hour that accessibility to disabled persons must be ensured at the earliest. And those (institutions and otherwise) who do not comply with the instructions of the government, must be punished. And this all can become possible only by creating awareness in the society and making it sensitive towards the needs of disabled people. It must be kept in mind here, that disability is not acquired only by birth, it can occur to any individual in/at any point of his or her life.
Kapil Kumar, Ph.D. Researcher Department of Political Science, University of Delhi