‘Millions of disabled people left heartbroken, cheated’ : New Delhi

Javed Abidi, the honorary director of the National Centre for Promotion of Employment of Disabled People, is sad that all the hard work done by representatives of the Disabled Rights Group over the past four years has not yielded results as the new disability rights bill has not been tabled in Parliament.

“In the new law, the rights of disabled people are expansive. It gave a comprehensive definition of disability and includes learning disabilities, deaf blindness, haemophilia and thalassemia. For the benefit of persons with disability, the new law sought an increase in reservation from three to five per cent and accountability on the part of the private sector. The bill was cleared by the Cabinet but it has yet not been tabled in Parliament.”

Describing the new law as a rights-based legislation, Mr. Abidi said it firmly moved away from charity and pity. Mr. Abidi said had Parliament functioned till December 20, the new bill would have been introduced in Rajya Sabha. The sudden adjournment of the Upper House left millions of disabled people heartbroken and cheated, he added.

Noting the new law would have brought a paradigm shift, the activist said if today he wants to do a course in a private university he would not be able to do it.

“It must be remembered by all that disabled persons are not asking for monetary benefits but other benefits like curriculum in Braille and infrastructure like ramps . So many hotels, cinema halls and multiplexes are mushrooming across the country but they are not being built in a way that persons with disabilities can access them easily,” he told The Hindu .

According to Mr. Abidi, about five to six per cent of our country’s population comprising persons with disabilities has been denied employment in government as well as private sectors.

“The presence of persons with disabilities in private jobs is miniscule. Even after graduating from the Indian Institute of Technology and the Indian Institute of Marketing, they are being denied jobs. Imagine the plight of a visually impaired person who after clearing the IAS mains is turned down by a babu in the interview,” he said.

“I am proud to be an Indian but sadly the truth is that India is lagging behind countries like South Africa and Malaysia where disabled persons are not being denied the right to work,” added Mr. Abidi.



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 ~Disability rights bill gives a comprehensive definition of disability, includes learning disabilities, deaf blindness

~Seeks an increase in reservation from three to five per cent and accountability on the part of the private sector

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Source: The Hindu , 26th Dec 2013