Disabled People in India
About Disability:
- It is a general phrase that encompasses participation constraints, activity limitations, and impairments.
- A disability is an issue with the structure or function of the body.
- An activity limitation is a challenge that a person faces when carrying out a task or action.
- A issue that an individual faces when participating in circumstances in life is known as a participation constraint.
India’s Constitutional Frameworks for the Disabled:
- Within the parameters of its economic capability and development, the State shall make appropriate provisions for guaranteeing the right to labour, education, and public assistance in circumstances of unemployment, old age, illness, and disability, according to Article 41 of the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP).
- The state list of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution contains specifics on the topic of “relief of the disabled and unemployable.”
Disabled people’s problems include:
Existing systems exclude individuals with disabilities since they are intended for people without impairments, leading to the following outcomes:
- greater rates of poverty.
- inability to access opportunities and education.
- informality as well as further social and financial prejudice.
- There are currently few occupations available for people with impairments due to limitations in the employment landscape.
- The way that jobs are now being filled reinforces prejudices that make it harder for people with disabilities to enter the workforce.
- restricted access to jobs and education.
- They are also excluded by some developmental programmes.
- Instead of being seen as autonomous individuals with the capacity to engage in decision-making, they are seen as charitable objects.
- Disability inclusivity is important.
- The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that the inclusion of people with disabilities in the economy can increase global GDP by 3% to 7%.
India and those with disabilities:
- The Central and State governments of India offer a range of programmes for people with disabilities.
- a unique identification card for people with disabilities (UDID) created under the 2016 Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act.
What actions must be performed?
- Raising awareness to guarantee last-mile connectivity for the government-listed benefits for individuals with disabilities
- strengthening the abilities of local authorities who can promote this at the grassroots level.
- This is particularly crucial in rural areas, where people with disabilities typically encounter more obstacles than their counterparts in cities.
- To create effective routes out of poverty, disability inclusion must be approached from the bottom up.
- Make sure that people with disabilities are accepted as contributing members of the workforce and community.
- One important factor in encouraging the employment of people with disabilities is the private sector.
- interaction between trade unions and employers’ federations, particularly those that represent small and medium-sized businesses
- It has proven to offer a lot of potential for advancing disabled people’s employment.
The SPARK Initiative:
- The SPARK project is being carried out by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the Women’s Development Corporation in Maharashtra.
- The priority was given to people with disabilities.
- After being selected from the villages, they will receive training to become Disability Inclusion Facilitators (DIFs).
- To increase knowledge of disability inclusion and challenges to it, the DIFs interact with the community, people with disabilities, people who care for people with disabilities, women from self-help groups, and other stakeholders.
- Through the DIFs, disabled women are identified and integrated into self-help organisations that are already in place for social and economic development. Through these groups, the women have been able to acquire capital to launch their own businesses.
- It has succeeded in bringing about a change in attitudes towards people with disabilities at all societal and administrative levels.
- When conceiving of action for fairness, disability as an identity and entity must take into account all of its many facets, including social, economic, and gender vulnerabilities.
- Ensuring the rights of individuals with impairments and acknowledging the financial advantages of inclusion are the cornerstones of disability inclusion.
- Without the inclusion of people with disabilities in all sectors of development, starting with rural areas and rural resilience, social justice cannot be realised.
- There ought to be more equitable possibilities and jobs in rural areas because evidence points to a bidirectional relationship between poverty, hunger, and nutrition.
- It is imperative that there be a major change in dedication, solidarity, funding, and action.
- We can improve the lives of India’s disabled population by ensuring that laws and policies are properly implemented and operationalized.
- Four areas need to be prioritised in order to guarantee this: disaggregated data, accessibility, funding, and awareness.
