<p>It’s been two years since the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act, 2016, was passed by Parliament. The Act is truly a landmark event in the lives of persons with disabilities all across India.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It has provisions regarding accessibility, reservations, protection and seeks to empower persons with disabilities. But the law can’t change the life of the disabled, unless it is implemented.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Two years after the Act was enacted, it is yet to be notified by most states. About ten have notified the state rules under the RPWD Act, 2016. This not only reflects indifference towards persons with disabilities, but also reveals apathy towards basic human rights guaranteed by this Act.</p>

<p>If you are a person with disability, living in India can become an act of everyday struggle. If like me, you suffer from a locomotor disability, the fear of not finding a ramp or a lift can be debilitating. Buildings with only stairs, disabled-unfriendly bathrooms, roads with chaotic traffic and people constantly staring at you become part of daily experiences.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It is true that persons with different disabilities have varied experiences. A person on a wheelchair has a different bodily experience from a person with visual impairment. Nonetheless, there is a common shared experience that binds them together: the experience of being excluded and even marginalised.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The root of the problem often lies in the idea of ‘normality’. Everything around us is built on the normative ideas of an able-bodied world and thus for the disabled, everyday things are often inaccessible. For the society, persons with disabilities simply don’t fit into the predefined ideas of what is ‘normal’ and are thus either pitied or completely ignored.</p>

<p>There are many challenges that the disabled face. Even the process of getting a disability certificate is full of obstacles. Apathetic doctors, a callous bureaucratic government machinery and lack of awareness make life very difficult. Getting to school is even harder. In ‘special schools’, the quality of education and attitude towards the disabled students remain dismal.&nbsp;</p>

<p>If one somehow gets over all these hurdles, finding a job for a person with disability can be a traumatic experience. There are only a handful of organisations across sectors willing to accommodate the needs of the disabled or treat them as equals.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The situation gets worse depending on the caste, class and gender of the person. But, even if you are privileged, you are still excluded and marginalised in one form or the other. The forms and ways of marginalisation may vary, but each adds to the everyday physical and psychological trauma.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Though laws in themselves won’t change the society’s perception towards the disabled, they will definitely make life more dignified. &nbsp;</p>

<p>By ensuring accessibility, promoting educational and job opportunities and preventing discrimination, the law can enable them to live a more fulfilling life. That, in turn could lead to a more visible and vocal disabled community, which may lead to a change in how they are treated and perceived in society.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The implementation of an Act like RPWD would at least work towards a better future for the disabled. It would ensure that roads and buildings are accessible and if not, people can raise their voice against it on a legal forum.&nbsp;</p>

<p>One of the more progressive aspects of the present law is that it makes harassment of a person with disability a crime. It also makes promises about livelihood and education. No matter how all this transcends on ground, this law will certainly enable persons with disability to assert themselves.</p>

<p>This law is a small step in that direction, but it cannot be effective unless it is notified and implemented by all states. It is essential that states come on board and urgently notify rules according to the Act. By not doing so, they are not only being indifferent towards persons with disabilities, but are also robbing them of their basic human rights.</p>

<p><em>(This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-implementation-of-rpwd-act-is-a-step-in-empowerment-2696834">original article</a>)</em></p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)</em></p>


It’s been two years since the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act, 2016, was passed by Parliament. The Act is truly a landmark event in the lives of persons with disabilities all across India.

It’s been two years since the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act, 2016, was passed by Parliament. The Act is truly a landmark event in the lives of persons with disabilities all across India. It has provisions regarding accessibility, reservations, protection and seeks to empower persons with disabilities. But the law can’t change the life of the disabled, unless it is implemented. Two years after the Act was enacted, it is yet to be notified by most states. About ten have notified the state rules under the RPWD Act, 2016. This not only reflects indifference towards persons with disabilities, but also reveals apathy towards basic human rights guaranteed by this Act. If you are a person with disability, living in India can become an act of everyday struggle. If like me, you suffer from a locomotor disability, the fear of not finding a ramp or a lift can be debilitating. Buildings with only stairs, disabled-unfriendly bathrooms, roads with chaotic traffic and people constantly staring at you become part of daily experiences. It is true that persons with different disabilities have varied experiences. A person on a wheelchair has a different bodily experience from a person with visual impairment. Nonetheless, there is a common shared experience that binds them together: the experience of being excluded and even marginalised. The root of the problem often lies in the idea of ‘normality’. Everything around us is built on the normative ideas of an able-bodied world and thus for the disabled, everyday things are often inaccessible. For the society, persons with disabilities simply don’t fit into the predefined ideas of what is ‘normal’ and are thus either pitied or completely ignored. There are many challenges that the disabled face. Even the process of getting a disability certificate is full of obstacles. Apathetic doctors, a callous bureaucratic government machinery and lack of awareness make life very difficult. Getting to school is even harder. In ‘special schools’, the quality of education and attitude towards the disabled students remain dismal. If one somehow gets over all these hurdles, finding a job for a person with disability can be a traumatic experience. There are only a handful of organisations across sectors willing to accommodate the needs of the disabled or treat them as equals. The situation gets worse depending on the caste, class and gender of the person. But, even if you are privileged, you are still excluded and marginalised in one form or the other. The forms and ways of marginalisation may vary, but each adds to the everyday physical and psychological trauma. Though laws in themselves won’t change the society’s perception towards the disabled, they will definitely make life more dignified. By ensuring accessibility, promoting educational and job opportunities and preventing discrimination, the law can enable them to live a more fulfilling life. That, in turn could lead to a more visible and vocal disabled community, which may lead to a change in how they are treated and perceived in society. The implementation of an Act like RPWD would at least work towards a better future for the disabled. It would ensure that roads and buildings are accessible and if not, people can raise their voice against it on a legal forum. One of the more progressive aspects of the present law is that it makes harassment of a person with disability a crime. It also makes promises about livelihood and education. No matter how all this transcends on ground, this law will certainly enable persons with disability to assert themselves. This law is a small step in that direction, but it cannot be effective unless it is notified and implemented by all states. It is essential that states come on board and urgently notify rules according to the Act. By not doing so, they are not only being indifferent towards persons with disabilities, but are also robbing them of their basic human rights. (This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Implementation of RPWD Act is a step in empowerment

<p>Today, my morning started with a very mixed feeling. It happens to be the National Organ Donation Day, and coming from a family with a large number of Diabetic patients, this day is of crucial importance to me. Diabetes slowly gnaws away one&#39;s body, rendering the organs dysfunctional, the skin fragile and itchy, and the muscles languid. When you watch your nearest and dearest ones suffering from kidney failure or losing the eye-sight, you do wish the world was more sympathetic and supportive to the cause of organ donation.&nbsp;</p>

<p>People without a properly functioning organ are akin to physically disabled people. Someone with a dysfunctional kidney is as much helpless as one without eyesight or amputated legs and arms. Thus, closely coupled with this very personal concern for people with disability is a larger anxiety about how we respond to disability in India.&nbsp;</p>

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<h5>India does not behave well with physically disabled.</h5>
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<p>India does not behave well with physically disabled; we have little time, patience or empathy for them. Society considers them as a burden and little ones as much as old people suffering from disabilities are subjected to ridicule. Bollywood is no exception. In fact, the tinsel town has added to society&#39;s mockery of the disabled by making slapstick comedy scenes in movies, such as Humshakals, Golmaal 2 and Houseful 3.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In a country where diseases are often linked to sins committed in either this life or in the past life, if not by the person concerned then by his/her parents, disability is seen as a bane, a burden. But instead of empowering these people so that they could live a life of independence, our apathy is pushing them further into oblivion and into a dark dungeon of pessimism.</p>

<p>India&#39;s prime minister Narendra Modi in his Maan ki Baat speech to the nation has congratulated the Indian blind cricket team for winning the T20 World Cup for the Blind. This is a very fine gesture. For a very long time, we have celebrated the winning performance of our able-bodied male cricketers. The fact that even a team of blind players can make the nation proud, is definitely a game changer. This shows a shift in our attitude to excellence in sports and our ideas about victory.&nbsp;</p>

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<h5>But simply congratulating the winners who have made India proud at the international arena will not make India more habitable for the physically disabled.</h5>
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<p>I am hoping that the prime minister did not choose to congratulate the cricket team because it won a thrashing victory against Pakistan. I believe the prime minister chose to celebrate the indomitable spirit of these people rather than one win against India&#39;s arch nemesis as he also mentioned, in the same speech, the Indian sportspersons who won medals at the 2016 Rio Paralympics. As a nation of people who are obsessed with their national cricket team led by superman Virat Kohli, this is indeed a welcome break. Though it is too early to tell, this may also mean that with the prime minister making special mention, players from other sports may get a better chance of getting sponsorship, media coverage and improved training opportunities. &nbsp;</p>

<p>But simply congratulating the winners who have made India proud at the international arena will not make India more habitable for the physically disabled. For that, we need a conscious effort, an informed team of policymakers, and commitment on the part of the state as well as the civil society to translate those policies into action. &nbsp;</p>

<p>As a nation, we are not sensitive to the needs of the physically disabled in the public spaces. I know many heart patients who have gone through a heart transplant and are scared to visit the malls. They can&#39;t climb steps and would definitely prefer a ramp to walk into the mall. Very few of Indian malls or for that matter almost none of the shopping complexes, comprising of small shops have ramps. Under the circumstance, how will someone with any form of disability be able to perform the normal functions of life? Already challenged by diseases, our callousness is making their lives even more challenging.&nbsp;</p>

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<h5>Our cinema halls, bus stands, libraries, marts and offices need to cater to the physically disabled.</h5>
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</div>

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<p>India desperately needs more disability-friendly public buildings. Our cinema halls, bus stands, libraries, marts and offices need to cater to the physically disabled.&nbsp; I have always wondered why there is not a single toilet in my office that is accessible to people with physical problems. Similarly, our public transports are equally apathetic. Buses in the uses all come equipped with automatic staircases which can come down to the level of the footpath, so that anyone with a disability can get into the bus in the wheelchair. I still remember in one of my cross-country bus journeys in the US, we waited for 3 hours because the stairs got jammed, preventing someone with an amputated leg to get into the bus. The bus did not leave without taking the passenger concerned.</p>

<p>India is getting all these fancy, air-conditioned buses with huge glass windows but none of these are equipped to serve better the physically disabled.</p>

<p>So, as a nation which is fast developing, it will be prudent to not only pay lip-service to the disabled. As we work towards encouraging more people to donate their working organs to those without, we should also strive to make the world more habitable for them. If India&#39;s public spaces are made more hospitable to people with special needs, it will definitely help to challenge the taboo against physically handicapped. Far from being a burden to the society, then they will become an asset. Even without being a trailblazer, such a person can be a valuable member of the civil society.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


If India's public spaces are made more hospitable to people with special needs, it will definitely help to challenge the taboo against physically disabled.

Today, my morning started with a very mixed feeling. It happens to be the National Organ Donation Day, and coming from a family with a large number of Diabetic patients, this day is of crucial importance to me. Diabetes slowly gnaws away one's body, rendering the organs dysfunctional, the skin fragile and itchy, and the muscles languid. When you watch your nearest and dearest ones suffering from kidney failure or losing the eye-sight, you do wish the world was more sympathetic and supportive to the cause of organ donation. People without a properly functioning organ are akin to physically disabled people. Someone with a dysfunctional kidney is as much helpless as one without eyesight or amputated legs and arms. Thus, closely coupled with this very personal concern for people with disability is a larger anxiety about how we respond to disability in India. India does not behave well with physically disabled. × India does not behave well with physically disabled; we have little time, patience or empathy for them. Society considers them as a burden and little ones as much as old people suffering from disabilities are subjected to ridicule. Bollywood is no exception. In fact, the tinsel town has added to society's mockery of the disabled by making slapstick comedy scenes in movies, such as Humshakals, Golmaal 2 and Houseful 3. In a country where diseases are often linked to sins committed in either this life or in the past life, if not by the person concerned then by his/her parents, disability is seen as a bane, a burden. But instead of empowering these people so that they could live a life of independence, our apathy is pushing them further into oblivion and into a dark dungeon of pessimism. India's prime minister Narendra Modi in his Maan ki Baat speech to the nation has congratulated the Indian blind cricket team for winning the T20 World Cup for the Blind. This is a very fine gesture. For a very long time, we have celebrated the winning performance of our able-bodied male cricketers. The fact that even a team of blind players can make the nation proud, is definitely a game changer. This shows a shift in our attitude to excellence in sports and our ideas about victory. But simply congratulating the winners who have made India proud at the international arena will not make India more habitable for the physically disabled. × I am hoping that the prime minister did not choose to congratulate the cricket team because it won a thrashing victory against Pakistan. I believe the prime minister chose to celebrate the indomitable spirit of these people rather than one win against India's arch nemesis as he also mentioned, in the same speech, the Indian sportspersons who won medals at the 2016 Rio Paralympics. As a nation of people who are obsessed with their national cricket team led by superman Virat Kohli, this is indeed a welcome break. Though it is too early to tell, this may also mean that with the prime minister making special mention, players from other sports may get a better chance of getting sponsorship, media coverage and improved training opportunities. But simply congratulating the winners who have made India proud at the international arena will not make India more habitable for the physically disabled. For that, we need a conscious effort, an informed team of policymakers, and commitment on the part of the state as well as the civil society to translate those policies into action. As a nation, we are not sensitive to the needs of the physically disabled in the public spaces. I know many heart patients who have gone through a heart transplant and are scared to visit the malls. They can't climb steps and would definitely prefer a ramp to walk into the mall. Very few of Indian malls or for that matter almost none of the shopping complexes, comprising of small shops have ramps. Under the circumstance, how will someone with any form of disability be able to perform the normal functions of life? Already challenged by diseases, our callousness is making their lives even more challenging. Our cinema halls, bus stands, libraries, marts and offices need to cater to the physically disabled. × India desperately needs more disability-friendly public buildings. Our cinema halls, bus stands, libraries, marts and offices need to cater to the physically disabled. I have always wondered why there is not a single toilet in my office that is accessible to people with physical problems. Similarly, our public transports are equally apathetic. Buses in the uses all come equipped with automatic staircases which can come down to the level of the footpath, so that anyone with a disability can get into the bus in the wheelchair. I still remember in one of my cross-country bus journeys in the US, we waited for 3 hours because the stairs got jammed, preventing someone with an amputated leg to get into the bus. The bus did not leave without taking the passenger concerned. India is getting all these fancy, air-conditioned buses with huge glass windows but none of these are equipped to serve better the physically disabled. So, as a nation which is fast developing, it will be prudent to not only pay lip-service to the disabled. As we work towards encouraging more people to donate their working organs to those without, we should also strive to make the world more habitable for them. If India's public spaces are made more hospitable to people with special needs, it will definitely help to challenge the taboo against physically handicapped. Far from being a burden to the society, then they will become an asset. Even without being a trailblazer, such a person can be a valuable member of the civil society.

Opinion: Modi praises blind cricketers but is India sensitive to the disabled

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Implementation of RPWD Act is a step in empowerment

Opinion: Modi praises blind cricketers but is India sensitive to the disabled