Persons with Disabilities

International Day of Persons with Disabilities 

The International Day of Persons with Disabilities is observed every year on December 3rd to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities and to raise awareness about the challenges faced by them in their daily lives. The day also aims to mobilize support for the dignity, rights, and well-being of persons with disabilities. It was first observed in 1992 by the United Nations General Assembly and is celebrated worldwide with various events and activities. 

Each year, the day has a specific theme related to disability rights and inclusion. For example, the theme for 2021 is "Leadership and participation of persons with disabilities for an inclusive, accessible, and sustainable post COVID-19 world". The day is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of persons with disabilities and to work towards creating a more inclusive and accessible society for all. 

Challenges 

Description 

Isolation 

Historically, disabled people have been pitied, ignored, vilified, and hidden away in institutions due to society's misperception that they are not normal. 

Discrimination 

Discrimination against disabled people still exists in important areas such as employment, housing, and basic rights, though there have been some positive changes through adjustments in legislation and public attitudes. 

Infrastructure 

Infrastructure is a major challenge for disabled people in India due to problems related to the design of vehicles, public and private buildings being built without proper provisions for disabled-friendly access, and the absence of disabled-friendly toilets, stairs, and other basic infrastructure in public buildings. 

Limited monitoring capacity 

The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) is the nodal department for issues concerning PwDs at the national level, but many of its schemes have a small allocation and limited monitoring capacity, making implementation through NGOs a major challenge. 

SDGs related to PwD 

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) include several targets related to persons with disabilities. These goals aim to promote social inclusion, economic empowerment, and accessibility for persons with disabilities. Here are some examples: 

• Goal 1: No Poverty - Target 1.3: Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable. 
• Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being - Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all. 
• Goal 4: Quality Education - Target 4.5: Eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations. 
• Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth - Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value. 
• Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities - Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
• Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities - Target 11.7: By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, particularly for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities. 
• Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals - Target 17.18: By 2020, enhance capacity-building support to developing countries, including for least developed countries and small island developing States, to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts.

These goals provide a framework for governments and organizations to work towards creating an inclusive and accessible society for persons with disabilities. 

Accessible India Campaign 

The Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan) is a flagship program of the Government of India launched on 3 December 2015, on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The campaign aims to make public places and transport accessible to persons with disabilities. Some of the key objectives of the campaign are: 

• Making public spaces accessible: The campaign aims to make all government buildings, public spaces like parks, airports, railway stations, and public transport fully accessible to persons with disabilities. 
• Sensitizing people towards disabilities: The campaign also aims to sensitize people towards disabilities and encourage them to make the necessary changes in their surroundings to create a more inclusive environment. 
• Encouraging private sector participation: The campaign also seeks the participation of the private sector in making their workplaces and public spaces accessible to persons with disabilities. 
• Setting up of Accessibility Index: The campaign also seeks to develop an Accessibility Index to measure the accessibility of public spaces and transport for persons with disabilities. 

To achieve these objectives, the government has initiated various measures like providing financial assistance to states, conducting audits of government buildings and public spaces, creating accessible websites, and providing assistive devices to persons with disabilities. The campaign has been a significant step towards creating a more inclusive and accessible environment for persons with disabilities in India.