The last person

For the disabled in India, life is that much more difficult thanks to the disabling environment in which they live. It is an environment w...

For the disabled in India, life is that much more difficult thanks to the disabling environment in which they live. It is an environment which 8212; apart from lacking in the most basic facilities for the differently abled 8212; almost invisibilises this category of citizens. Just a few months ago, there was the rather unedifying spectacle of the Registrar General of Census of the country arguing that disabled could not be counted as a separate category in the 2001 census operations because there was no provision for such enumeration. Only after a spirited and concerted campaign did the demand get translated into policy. Yet, a brief perusal of the Persons with Disabilities Act 8212; passed in 1995 and which ostensibly came into force in 1996 8212; would reveal that the intention of such legislation was to create a relatively level playing field for the disabled and the state was bound to take measures necessary to make this possible. The Act specifically endorsed the right of access for people with disability toeducation, vocational training and employment, among other stipulations, and recognised society8217;s responsibility to enable such individuals to overcome the various hurdles they routinely faced.

The fact is that India has a higher percentage of disabled people than most countries in the world, with 1 in 10 being handicapped by one physical impediment or the other. It is amazing therefore that precious little has been done for a category that numbers several millions. According to the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People NCPEDP, at least seven million people with disabilities are in need of jobs with only one million having found some employment thus far. One recent development should give rise to hope and that is the growth of the information technology sector. A recent event in Bangalore, the capital of Cyber India, organised by the NCPEDP and Cybermedia, in fact, underlined these very possibilities, with the CEOs of 32 IT companies coming forward to pledge support to this cause. The ideas generated on that occasion were extremely useful ones and worthy of being replicated in other states as well. They include evolving programmes to sensitise the corporate sector on theneed to provide equal opportunities to the disabled and setting up special labs in six schools in the state to train the disabled in information technology.

What was heartening about the Bangalore exercise was the enthusiastic support that the state chief minister displayed. Incidentally, S.M. Krishna has also stated that from now on it will be mandatory for all public buildings in Karnataka to have separate access and toilets for the disabled. He also promised that his government would work towards ensuring that three per cent of all jobs in the state would be made available to people living with disability. This, ultimately, is what the promise of modernity is all about: Working out ways to address the handicaps of the past. Clearly, though, a great deal of planning has to go into the process if it is to be feasible, including creating disability-friendly software and coming up with aids to help this promising partnership come about.