Census 2011: Enumerators told to be disabled-friendly

“This information (on disabled persons) will be used to ensure there are required facilities — education,employment,transport,assistive devices,health services etc,which will help you become more independent,participate and contribute equally in society,” said Bharadwaj.

Organised jointly by the state’s Directorate of Census Operations,UNICEF and the Disability Advocacy Group (DAG),the programme sought to tell people that accurate information on disabled family members must be provided to enumerators,and that enumerators must behave sensitively when asking questions about such members.

This is the first time that disability has been given such importance in the census,partly to check government statistics from 2001 that showed only 2.1 per cent of Indians are disabled,far behind WHO figures of 5 to 10 per cent. Developed countries like Australia and the US have close to 20 per cent of their populations as disabled.

According to the 2001 Census,2.12 per cent of Gujarat’s population had some form of disability,with 47 per cent of them with difficulties in sight. “There is a huge underestimation of the number of people with disabilities,as a result of which,people with disabilities do not have the necessary facilities,” Bharadwaj said,adding that individual information will not be shared with anyone,not even the courts of law.