According to WHO estimates, 15% of the world’s population lives with some form of disability, of which over 80% live in low- and middle-income countries. India is home to over 1.36 billion people, of which over 2.2% live with some form of severe mental or physical disability. In today’s progressive era, where integration and inclusion of all people are emphasized as a gateway to sustainable development, targeted measures for the health and well-being of persons with disabilities are becoming increasingly essential. Conceptually, disability status is temporary rather than static, so there is no universal definition of what constitutes a disability or who is considered a person with a disability. In India, the list of criteria for classifying people as disabled was revised in 2016 and came into force with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (RPwD). This is an established list of disabilities consisting of 21 criteria. As per the 2021 census, the revised definition under the RPwD Act, 2016, also includes recognizing physical deformities and injuries related to acid attacks as disabilities, and these victims are entitled to various forms of government assistance and support.
Disability and poverty
In India, there is an inextricable link between disability and poverty for a majority of the population, especially those living in rural areas. In effect, the former exacerbates the latter, increasing the vulnerability and social ostracism of these groups. The key indicators that influence the degree of disability and the social exclusion of persons with disabilities are health, employment, education and standard of living. Moreover, a factor that aggravates the impediment to integration of persons with disabilities is the presence of social prejudice that still exists in the county. According to estimates by the National Bureau of Statistics, the prevalence of disability among rural men is the highest in the country. Mobility disorders, which mainly affect bones, muscles and joints and lead to restriction of extremity movements of the body, are the most common form of disability among men.
Public Attitude
The majority of the population has a generally negative perception towards people with special needs. In poorer sections of society, people with disabilities are often isolated and rejected by their families. This is due to deep-rooted social and cultural prejudices, lack of awareness about the rights of people with disabilities, and lack of government assistance and support. There is an urgent need in India to educate the general public about disabilities while at the same time ensuring that people with special needs have access to mainstream facilities such as schools and healthcare. For example, in some mainstream schools, audiovisual tools such as learning aids and trained teachers for students with special needs are largely nonexistent.
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