Disability Inclusion in India

Why in news:

There need to be more inclusive opportunities and employment in the rural areas as a majority of persons with disabilities live there.

Synopsis:

• Disability is not a standalone issue but intersects with social, economic, and gender vulnerabilities.
• Recognizing and addressing the multifaceted nature of these vulnerabilities is crucial for effective action.

Quantum of disability:

• Globally, 1.3 billion people (which is equivalent to nearly the entire population of India) live with some form of disability.
• Of them, 80% live in developing countries; further, 70% of them live in rural areas.

Issues with the current approach to address concerns of disability:

• Current systems are often designed without considering the needs of persons with disabilities, leading to exclusionary practices. This lead to:
  • Higher instances of poverty,
  • Lack of access to education and opportunities,
  • Informality and other forms of social and economic discrimination.
• The current employment scenario not only creates entry barrier for people with disability but also gives only limited opportunity to disabled.

Disadvantaged faced by rural population:

• They have  limited access to education and employment.
• Some developmental schemes, too, exclude them.
• They are viewed as objects of charity and not as persons with agency with an ability to participate in decision-making processes.
• Various challenges in rural areas further increase their vulnerability such as:
  • High agricultural dependence
  • Risk of climate calamities arising from rising sea levels, reduced access to clean water and food, hurricanes, heatwaves and floods.

Various steps taken to address the concern of disabled people:

• United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, advocates changing attitudes and perceptions towards persons with disabilities and viewing inclusion from a social development dimension.
• Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (2016) ensures a unique id for persons with disabilities (UDID) card.

Steps that are needed:

• Disability inclusion is rooted in assuring the rights of persons with disabilities and recognizing the economic benefits of inclusion.
• To ensure this the first step is awareness to ensure last-mile connectivity of the benefits enumerated for people with disabilities by the government.
• It begins with the capacity-building of community leaders who can advocate for this at the grass-roots level.
• A bottom-up approach to disability inclusion is crucial to build productive pathways out of poverty and ensure that persons with disabilities are recognized as active members of society and the economy.
• The private sector holds a key in promoting the employment of persons with disabilities. To ensure this following steps need to be taken :
  • Engage with the private sector and build the confidence of companies to hire and retain workers with disabilities.
• Additionally, engagement of employers’ federations, including small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as with trade unions have great potential to promote the employment of persons with disabilities.

Conclusion:

• The goal of social justice cannot be achieved without the inclusion of persons with disabilities in all spheres of development, starting with rural areas and rural resilience.
• Evidence shows a bi-directional link to poverty, nutrition, and hunger therefore, there needs to be more inclusive opportunities and employment in rural areas.
• Given the historic marginalization of persons with disabilities and the backsliding of the progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, a fundamental shift in commitment, solidarity, financing and action is critical.
• It is about time that the voices and needs of persons with disabilities be prioritized at the center of the global development agenda.

Subject: Social Justice

Topic: Vulnerable section of the society.

Issues: Welfare schemes, mechanisms, laws and institutions related to disabled.