"Railway stations, bus stops, metro stations, and even the Supreme Court and Parliament don't want us," says social activist and founder of Disabled Helpline India founder Vikash Sharma. "In many places, they keep flowerpots on the trails for the disabled, and there are more ATMs which are not disabled-friendly than those which are. Voice systems don't work, and despite legislations and directives, no one bothers."
Sharma, who lost his legs to polio at birth, says these basic amenities are those which the disabled are entitled to as per law. "There should be no question of sympathy here; this is in the vein of social justice," he adds.
As per the census, 3-4% of the country's population suffers from some sort of disability. The World Health Organization bills it at 8-10%, as per conservative estimates. "It was only in the 2001 census that they started considering counting the disabled in a different section," says Sharma.
Odissi dancer Alpana Nayak, who has been teaching the dance form to disabled children for 15 years, says the biggest challenge for the parents of her students is the social stigma. "There is absolutely no awareness, and that compels parents to keep their children away from onlookers, and rude relatives. I know parents who lock up their children when they need to appear for a wedding," says Nayak.
The Right of Persons with Disabilities Bill, which has been pending in the Lok Sabha, was drafted in 1995 and aims to correct some of the discrimination. "The Bill left out many things, but what is shocking is that year after year, they keep the Bill hanging. The last UPA government kept on extending it from 2010 to 2014. And even though the BJP included it in the election manifesto, we are yet to see what will happen," says Sharma. The Bill is with the standing committee at the moment.
Nayak, who has seen many children with special needs find joy in the performing arts, feels that they should be given special attention in the early years. "We had a child come to us nine years ago with an IQ of around 60. He was declared mentally disabled, and no school would take him in. Today, his IQ is above 90, and doctors have now declared him mentally fit. In this time, he lost valuable years," she adds.
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