India, the so-called democratic nation has it’s own double standards too. Where people are talking about freedom and equality, there are some who are still struggling for their identity.
This doesn’t seem like a legitimate article as I am not dealing with sex, emotion or politics, right? But still, try to scroll and read.
Globally, 15 percent of the population faces some form of disability and there’s a UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which India signed in 2007.
Since 1995, we also have a piece of legislation called Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act. What’s the percentage of the disabled population in India?
Society sometimes thinks that disabled people can’t do anything. But that misconception has been blown out of the water by successful people who have disabilities.
According to a report on the 2014 census of India, approximately 2.1% of the population is born with physical and/or mental disorder. Some call them disabled, we call them specially-abled.
I relate to this because my brother is has cerebral palsy. He cannot walk on his own feet and can’t perform his daily routine for himself.
We tried to make his passport and Aadhaar Card (UID) but unfortunately, we did not succeed because, according to the government, a person who does not have his senses cannot have a UID, which means he cannot vote, he cannot travel, there is no identity.
None of the spastic society or schools for specially-abled give him admission as he cannot walk.
I am writing this article with a belief that the people who will go through this will try to share the message to the concerned authorities that specially-abled need special facilities.
In the Nation Capital of Delhi, there are only 69 registered schools for spastics and those with cerebral palsy. This is not just my story or that of my brother. It is a story of struggle, perseverance and confidence.
My family and I even tried to get in touch with the authorities in every way possible. Nothing happened. We often say life is harsh, too much trouble, but just think for a second…
There is a boy who cannot walk, cannot defecate by his own, can not drink water by himself, sitting on a single wheelchair for the last 27 years.
If his family takes him out, people stare at him like if he is an alien. Nobody wants to take him as human, think of the mental trauma that boy is going through. That’s the real struggle, I guess.
Even the family of these children has to suffer a lot. Try and think of those families who have a specially-abled child or people.
We are undoubtedly measuring it better, but we are still not measuring it properly. One reason is obvious. We still approach disability from a medical or pathological angle, focusing on a condition regarded as “abnormal”.
In contrast, in most developed countries, the focus has shifted to a social approach, highlighting institutional and social arrangements preventing those with impairments from leading normal lives.
Consider the Disability Act. To be classified as “disabled”, you need a medical certificate, specifying the extent of the disability. To become “disabled”, your functioning must be 40 percent or less than whatever is regarded as “normal”.
They deserve better treatment, not sympathy. This article is for those who probably cannot reply.