By Shruti Pushkarna
2023 is almost over. It’s that time of the year when everyone looks back and reflects on the months gone by and resolves to do things differently in the upcoming year. And come January, all is forgotten, and we all slip into old habits and mundane routines.
But if there is one thing that has constantly been changing, is the way we look at disability and the related issues. The change might be slow, sometimes barely noticeable but it is consistent. At least from where I’m looking.
No longer is disability only perceived as a karmic fault, the conversations have evolved into more medical, clinical, and social contextualisation. Technological innovations are being devised and shared as solutions to overcome barriers. Products are being developed to sell at better affordable rates.
The government with its laws, policies and guidelines has managed to push people to think beyond reservations and quotas. Non-profit organisations, skill councils, trainers, rehabilitation professionals, private sector, are all propagating empowerment over entitlement. As a result of skilling programmes, companies are hiring candidates with disabilities, focusing on ability and talent.
While constant change is happening, some things remain the same. And one of those is the lack of empathy at a larger societal level, for those who we assume to be ‘less’ than us, in any way. Mindsets of people are still disabling for those who live with an impairment.
If you were to look at mass media coverage on disability and related issues in the year gone by, you will find topical news like paralympics tally, revised pension for disabled soldiers, reduced annual budget allocation for disability, and so on.
There is little coverage to raise awareness around the subject and an entire community. All transformative actions and work being undertaken by both private and public entities, is not reported in its entirety. People outside of the disability domain hardly know how much technology has advanced to create a level playing field in all aspects of living, including, entertainment, education, employment, et cetera.
Our understanding of the lives of disabled people is quite shallow. How many of you know that the Goa government will be hosting the second edition of Purple Fest in January 2024? It’s a festival exclusively dedicated to disability that sees participation from all stakeholders including, persons with disabilities, government, media, students, corporate sector, NGOs and so on.
Like I said, a lot is happening in this space to alter the way we think of disability. But for inclusion to become real, it needs to seep into our day-to-day ways of doing things. And for that, we need more awareness. Here’s hoping that 2024 will create more empathy in the mainstream society.
You can close this year by taking this short quiz to find out your Disability Quotient and making an individual resolution to get better next year!
1. What’s the correct term to address someone who has a disability?
1. Differently abled
2. Physically challenged
3. Person with disability
4. Specially abled
5. Handicapped
2. What percentage of the global population has some form of disability?
1. 5%
2. 15%
3. 7%
4. 5%
5. None of the above
3. How many medals did India win at the Special Olympics World Games 2023?
1. 76
2. 230
3. 51
4. 202
5. 39
4. What colour is used to champion the rights of the disabled community?
1. Purple
2. Red
3. Orange
4. Pink
5. Green
5. How can TV content be made accessible to viewers with disability?
1. Closed captioning
2. Audio description
3. Sign language interpretation
4. Large size font
5. All of the above
6. When was the first Disabilities Act passed in India?
1. 1995
2. 2016
3. 1989
4. 2021
5. 1976
7. Which of these is not a recognised disability by the law?
1. Bipolar disorder
2. Parkinson’s disease
3. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
4. Low Vision
5. Sickle Cell Disease
8. Which of these is an assistive device/technology used for reading and writing?
1. Magnifier
2. Braille typewriter
3. Audiobooks
4. Optical Character Recognition
5. All of the above
9. What is the term coined by the Narendra Modi-led government for persons with disabilities?
1. Viklang
2. Divyang
3. Handicap
4. Differently abled
5. Saksham
10. How do persons with vision impairment access a smartphone?
1. Touch
2. Text to Speech
3. Speech to Text
4. Voice command
5. All of the above
Answers:
1-C, 2-B, 3-D, 4-A, 5-E, 6-A, 7-C, 8-E, 9-B, 10-E
So how did you score?
0-3: Your DQ is below acceptable levels which means disability is far outside of your comfort zone. You need to educate yourself!
3-7: Your DQ is average but a good start. Now step outside and interact with a few disabled folks to learn more!
8-10: Congratulations on a winning score! Now you have the task of educating others around you and building a more empathetic ecosystem.
Wondering why MxMIndia publishes a disability advocacy column? Well, we strongly feel that the media can dramatically transform the world for persons with disabilities. This series attempts to help bring forth issues that the media must champion to create a truly inclusive and accessible India. Writing this column is Shruti Pushkarna, a former journalist and now a disability inclusion advocate based in New Delhi. Her views here are personal. To access the archives of her 80-plus columns, please visit: https://www.mxmindia.com/category/ columns/shruti-pushkarna/
If you have a view on the issues raise or would like to align with MxMIndia on this cause, write to us at editor [at] mxmindia.com.