Helping the Disabled

Dr. Vishiesh Verma
International day of the Disabled
December 3 is observed as the International Day of the Disabled. Initially proclaimed to commemorate the anniversary of the General Assembly’s adoption of the World Programme of Action concerning the disabled. It is meant to promote understanding of the gains derived from integrating the disabled into every aspect of life. According to World Health Organization around 15% of the World’s population, live with disabilities. By definition, disabled are those persons who deviate physically, functionally or both bio-functionally from a meaningful norm, for instance blindness is physical deviation, mental retardness is functional deviation and sudden loss of sight or any bodily organ is a bio-functional deviation. The disabled are classified into five categories, 1. Visually 2. Orthopedically 3. Hearing 4. Mentally retarded and 5. Leprosy cured.
It was way back in 1976, the United Nations General Assembly had proclaimed 1981 as the International Year of Disabled Persons. It called for a plan of action at the national, regional and International levels with an emphasis on equalization of opportunities, rehabilitation and prevention of disabilities. General Assembly proclaimed 1983-1992 as United Nations Decade of Disabled persons. The General Assembly proclaimed 3th December as the International Day of the persons with Disabilities.
Realizing the problems of disabled citizens Indian Government has included their welfare in five year plans and from one plan to another, there is enhanced outlay. Besides, the article 41 and 46 of Indian constitution also insist on the ‘all round betterment’ of the disabled. Towards empowering the disabled, India signed the UN convention on the Rights of persons with disabilities on 30th March, 2007, the day it opened for signature. It was also among the first countries to ratify it on 1st October 2007. The convention has come into force from 3rd May 2008.
The purpose of the convention is to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedom by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity.
The national Policy for the disabled, adopted in 2006, has spelt out the goals towards full acknowledgment and exercise of all human rights of persons with disabilities as well as promoting a broad commitment to accessibility, and equality of opportunity for them.
For the persons with disabilities ‘Equal opportunities, protection of Rights and full Participation Act’ came into force on February 7, 1996 providing a minimum 3% reservation in jobs- 1% each for persons suffering from blindness, or low vision, hearing impairment and locomotors disability or cerebral palsy.
The 3% reservation is to be implemented by all government departments, PSUs and government firms. From education to employment to promotion the Act lays down that no discrimination should be practiced against people with disabilities. Regarding promotion in service the Act clearly states that no promotion shall be denied to the person merely on the ground of his disability. In India the problems of the disabled are directly connected with poverty and unhygienic conditions to which life of millions of people of our country is exposed. According to a report more than 80% of blind people of India suffer from malnutrition which is the direct result of poverty. According to the census of 2001, India is a home of 2.19 crore disabled persons. The cause of the concern is that almost 70 to 80% live in rural areas. They are often comprised of most neglected and marginalized who usually are denied education. Majority of them live below the poverty line and are unable to pay for their treatment, 4.6 million disabled need artificial limbs to walk and 1.4 million require crutches and canes. Only five percent of people with mobility problems receive artificial limbs, 80 percent of rehabilitation facilities are in the big cities and towns, 78 percent of people of disabilities live in the countryside remote from these facilities.
Only 0.1 percent of people with disabilities have jobs in Government institutions. Only about five percent of children with disabilities go to school. The disabled people in our country still remain an invisible group in a political wilderness. A vast number of 40 to  90 million of the disabled are excluded from existing welfare programmes meant for them. Studies show that they are the poorest of the poor, the most illiterate and shunned by the society. In 2008 World Bank reported that education and employment of disabled people is last on the list of government expenditure. As far as education of children with disability is concerned over 75% of them are out of the network of such services. The adult disabled are the most excluded from the job market their employment rate declined from 43% in 1991 to 38% in 2002. Female illiteracy among the disabled is 64% and among the male it is 43%. Even in the better performing states like Kerala, disabled children account for 27% and in Tamil Nadu for over  34% out of school children. It has been calculated that it would not be possible to achieve the target of 100% enrolment under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan without getting the disabled children into the neighbourhood schools.
Based on the NSS(National Sample Survey) 58th, the report showed that nearly a third of children with mild disability were out of school, despite the fact that they needed no aids to attend school. In 2010, Rajya Sabha passed the Bill to include children with disabilities in the ambit of Right to Education (RTE) Act. The amendment Bill covers children with disabilities. As a result children with disabilities have option to receive home based education. Supreme Court judgement April (2012) on RTE has also recommended home based education as best option for children with disabilities along with the 25% reservation in private schools for poor students may also be availed by these children.
There are no two opinions regarding the importance of quality education and training in Society. How it helps the disabled to improve their life style, 1  quote one of the examples of a school for visually impaired students at Sundararajanpatti near Madurai. On 4.5.2013 the school made the News in National papers for its SSLC(matriculation) results. All the 23 students had secured more than 70% and 13 students had secured more than 80% marks and 3 students had secured 90% marks. Responding to the questions of the press reporters the founder secretary of the school said, “This is not unusual, our school presents such results every year, all the required equipment to teach visually impaired students is available in the school, well qualified teachers work hard to maintain the standard of the school”.
Certainly such schools can produce students like Stephen Hawking, a British Scientist who despite being quadriplegic certainty made the science proud and is presently working as the Director of Research in the Department Of Applied Mathematics and theoretical physics at Cambridge University.  Human history is replete with instances where proper social milieu and other opportunities provided to the disabled have resulted in their brilliant performance and great contribution to the human history and civilization. Franklin D. Roosevelt – the great President of America was disabled. Alexander the great and Thomas Alvia Adison were also disabled; Dr Helen Keller set the example of serving the humanity in spite of her own disability. Many more instances in this behalf can be counted. Can anybody close his eyes on the contribution of these great personalities made in the history? Although Central and State Governments are quite alive to the problems of disabled, people also need to form various voluntary organizations to help the deprived class of the society.
(The writer is a former Reader Coordinator of University of Jammu.)

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