PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY IN INDIA- AN ISSUE

India has some 40 to 80 million persons with disability. But low literacy, few jobs and widespread social stigma are making disabled people among the most excluded in India. Children with disabilites are less likely to be in school, disabled adults are more likely to be unemployed, and families with a disabled member are often worse off than average. With better education and more access to jobs, people with disabilities can become an integral part of society, as well as help generate higher economic growth that will benefit the country as a whole.

In the years to come, the number of disabled people in India is expected to rise sharply as age related disabilities grow and traffic accidents increase. This is borne out by the fact that internationally, the highest reported disability rates are in OECD countries.

India has a growing disability rights movement and one of the more progressive policy frameworks in the developing world. But, a lot more needs to be done in implementation and “getting the basics right”. Newer thinking and better coordination of programs is called for. Preventive health programs need to be deepened and all children screened at a young age. People with disabilities need to be better integrated into society by overcoming stigma; disabled adults need to be empowered with employable skills; and the private sector needs to be encouraged to employ them. The scale of disability in India needs to be better understand by improving the measurement of disability. Most importantly,persons with disabilities should themselves be made active participants in the development process.

Negative attitudes held by the families of the disabled, and often the disabled themselves, deter disabled persons from taking an active part in the family, community or workforce. Those suffering from mental illness or mental retardation face the worst stigma and are subject to severe social exclusion.

People with disabilities are considered ineligible to marry those without disabilities unless “adjusted” by high dowry. Disabled girls are usually married to older men, leading to a higher incidence of widowhood. Showcasing success stories of people with disabilities can challenge these deep rooted negative perceptions.

While the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)has made a concerted affort to promote the inclusion of children with special needs, the system faces challenges in identifying these children and responding to their needs. Only around 1% of funds under SSA are spent on inclusive education. And, the budget for educating children with mild to moderate disabilities in regular school settings has not increased commensurately since the focus on inclusive education began in the 1970s.

Coordination between the Ministries of Human Resource Development and Social Justice and Empowerment, the Rehabilitation Council of India and the general teacher training system needs to be improved. State-wise strategies on education for children with special needs need to be devised.

Though centrally sponsored anti-poverty programmes have reservations for people with disabilities, the numbers who have benefited are well below the minimum laid down. The new National Rural Employment Guarantee Act has dropped reservations for the disabled entirely, though some states (e.g. AP) are making efforts to include disabled people. Few people with disabilites are aware of such programs and many states lack focus on social protection for PWD.

While the presence of self-help groups is encouraging, an ambitious Social Security Bill for the unorganised sector could deliver real benefits.

Physical accessibility in buildings, transportation and the like, as well as assess to services is key for persons with disability. Guidelines already exist for buildings that are friendly for both the disabled and the elderly. But these guidelines need to be adopted into building bye-laws to make them legally binding.