MxMIndia

Category: SHRUTI PUSHKARNA

  • Changes in the physical environment happen only when attitudinal shifts have been brought about and the media has the power to change perceptions towards disabilities, writes Shruti Pushkarna

    Shruti Pushkarna: Changing the Discourse on Disability

    By Shruti Pushkarna

     

    It’s 2020. As we cheer for new beginnings, it’s also time to reminisce on the years gone by.

     

    The last decade witnessed some significant changes in how we look at ‘disability’. When I was still in my twenties (now don’t try to guess my age!), there was hardly any mention of terms like ‘access’ or ‘inclusion’. In fact, the most commonly used term for disabled people was ‘handicapped’.

     

    Fortunately, we have seen a gradual shift come about in the past few years. Thanks to government campaigns and the latest Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, newer terms have been added to the general media usage when it comes to disability-related issues.

     

    Of course awareness levels aren’t the same across media. I still see reports using the word ‘lame’, ‘retarded’, ‘dumb’ etc. That’s more of an oversight due to lack of awareness. It’s ignorance more than ill-intent.

     

    Clearly, there is a need to sensitise society, so it becomes more welcoming of persons with disabilities. Media can help transform how we perceive disabled people, not as outcastes but as equal citizens.

     

    Wheelchairs and ramps have been around for some time now and we’ve been exposed to seeing orthopaedically-challenged people in public spaces. But in the last five to six years, society has been introduced to the concept of ‘access’ for people with varied needs.

     

    Two flagship campaigns of the ruling government — ‘Digital India’ and ‘Accessible India’ — have triggered significant changes in the physical and the virtual space. Access to basic services like hailing a cab, booking movie tickets, catching a flight, making online payments, has become more of a reality compared to the distant dream it was.

     

    Once these businesses acknowledge their new clientele, they will need to make conscious efforts to cater to this target group. For instance, wheelchair-bound people and persons with vision impairment access movies. It could be in the cinema hall or on online platforms like Netflix, Hotstar, Amazon etc. Content developers and distributors need to recognise their specific needs and include them as part of their overall outreach plans.

     

    In my experience, changes in the physical environment happen only when attitudinal shifts have been brought about. Media has the power to change the discourse of this and the coming decades.

     

    Let’s admit it, people turned empathetic towards anyone suffering from autism after ‘My Name is Khan’ and ‘Barfi’. Dyslexia became acceptable after ‘Taare Zameen Par’. Back in the day, movies like ‘Koshish’ and ‘Sparsh’ also introduced people to the challenges of living life with hearing, speech and vision impairment. But the lack of social media in those days limited the impact of such cinema.

     

    We now have a powerful digital media which can sow the seeds of a new idea and create a tsunami of threads around it in the blink of an eye. End-result: people start talking of things they have otherwise not encountered. Once it reaches dinner-table conversations, objective achieved. So much needs to be done in terms of informing people, sharing data points, helping them form clear opinions, washing away archaic misconceptions. And who better to do this job than our media.

     

    Today, our society has reached a point where we are questioning almost everything. Our leadership, judiciary, journalism and democracy on a whole seem to be on a shaky ground. I see this as an opportunity to build something new.

     

    At a time when we are receding towards hatred and intolerance, I see an opportunity for the media to build on empathy for all Indians. The debate on equality has been initiated with the ongoing protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. There is room for widening the scope of this discussion and integrating all those sections of people who haven’t so far been treated ‘equally’ or ‘fairly’.

     

    Let this decade denote a fight against all ‘discrimination’ and creation of a ‘New Empathetic India’.

     

     

    Shruti Pushkarna is a former journalist (part of the founding team of MxMIndia). who has now moved full-time to the social sector. She heads operations of the New Delhi-based Score Foundation where she works as Director-Programmes & Communications. She writes for MxMIndia every other Thursday. Her views here are personal. She can be reached via Twitter at @shrutipushkarna

     

  • On World Disability Day, Shruti Pushkarna writes on how the Indian media’s coverage and engagement with disability is at the surface

    Disability: What Must Our Media Do

     

    By Shruti Pushkarna

     

    Shruti PushkarnaBefore I started writing this piece, I casually googled  ‘media and disability’. Interestingly, most results were pertaining to the role of the media, portrayal of disability, some academic papers on the subject and so on. Well, that’s typically what comes to mind when you throw these two words together at anyone.

     

    Having crossed over to the disability sector from journalism, I have witnessed several debates (both in official and informal settings) where disability experts, people with acquired disability, scholars and mediapersons battle with each other, presenting their views on the subject.

     

    Again, most debates are focused on ‘representation’. I find the premise of all such discussions fallacious. Our debates, writings, films, stories, all are from an ‘external’ standpoint. It’s always from ‘how I understand it’, or ‘how I perceive it’ or ‘what I have gathered from my research’. And that’s why any coverage or any engagement with disability in the media is at the surface level. Still.

     

    This is part of the reason why stories and accounts are either heroic or pitiful. What I see lacking is the ‘normalisation’ of the idea. We like to compartmentalise issues and people into boxes that are easier to handle. Look at them a certain way rather than making them a part of the overall landscape of things.

     

    In the process, someone else decides what is the issue, how does it impact a life and how it should be tackled. The understanding of it, once or twice removed.

     

    As a communications specialist, I recognise the influencing power of the media and the fraternity. Common notions of disability arise from our media exposure. The images and words that come to mind are ‘wheel chair’, ‘crippled’, ‘handicap’, ‘dependent’, ‘incapacitated’, ‘vegetable’ etc. Clearly, these are neither complete nor correct.

     

    Let’s try to break this down. ‘Disability’ is basically a condition that ‘limits’ a person. This condition could be mental or physical, it could be permanent or temporary. It could be a condition present from birth or acquired later in life. But it’s a ‘condition’. A person with disability is a person with certain limitations, but still a ‘person’. That’s what we often miss out on. We tend to focus on the disability so much that we seldom learn anything about the person. The person may be educated or a school dropout, interested in adventure sports or music, may be a foodie, or a movie buff.

     

    How often do you see a person with disability invited to a public forum to present views on anything other than disability issues? What about the regular issues that affect citizens of this country, like infrastructure, climate change, taxes, education, unemployment or inflation?  Do these not equally affect this section of society? Or are we assuming that disabled people don’t access any services, like you and I do.

     

    According to Census 2011, 2.2 per cent of India’s (then) 121 crore population is disabled. And these are government statistics, way less than the actual numbers. There is a legislation called the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (RPWD) 2016 that lists out 21 types of disabilities. The RPWD Act mandates equal access to all facilities and services to persons with disabilities. The Act is progressive in its view of shifting the focus from ‘reservations and entitlements’ to ‘empowerment and inclusion’.

     

    A policy can be enforced and implemented. But for it to become a ‘practice’, mindsets have to be altered. That’s what media can help with.

     

    Attitudes can often be more disabling rather than the actual barriers in access. I have worn spectacles since Class 2 or 3, I don’t even remember. My inability to see without glasses is also a ‘disability’. But spectacles can cover up for my impairment. Kids in my school use to single me out and poke fun at my thick glasses but with time, it changed. Slowly, with more people dependent on correctional lenses, it became ‘normal’ (it’s a full-blown market today!).

     

    It’s what we see and how much of it we see. If today in schools and workplaces, we start encountering persons with vision impairment, speech impairment, or any other disability, that will gradually become the new normal.

     

    Certain sectors like IT, hospitality and education have started employing persons with disabilities. Their limitations are easily addressed with small changes in the physical or digital environment. This has helped businesses understand the needs of the larger disabled population better. The media should also consider hiring them, so the ‘normalisation’ of disability can happen from within.

     

    This will change how people respond to ‘disability’. The element of shock or awe will slowly be replaced by a more pragmatic approach.

     

    Today, when I go to a movie theatre, I’m happy to see seats reserved for people in wheelchairs. But the access to the cinema still remains an issue. On several occasions, I have seen wheelchair-bound people being physically lifted by four staff members to get  them to a seat just so they can access mainstream entertainment.

     

    If it were easily ‘accessible’, more people in wheelchairs would be seen at the movies. Last year, I attended a special screening of the film ‘Sanju’ at PVR Cinemas in Delhi, for blind and visually impaired people. Wondering how blind people can see a movie? Well, they do. Often accompanied by sighted people who can help them follow the missing links in the absence of dialogues. Technology has reduced that dependence too. An app called XL Cinema, free to download on an Android phone, can enable a blind person to follow ‘audio description’ of the movie alongside the actual screening.

     

    There is the issue of access and then the issue of dignity. The industry needs to address both. And that will happen when we deal with them as ‘people’ and not as a mere ‘section with special needs’.

     

    According to Census 2011, there are around 104 million people aged 60 years or above. This group of people may also fall into the bracket of ‘people with special needs’. Similarly, with a sizeable percentage of disabilities caused by road accidents, India’s overall disabled population is constantly on the rise. We cannot ignore or outcast them.

     

    Often our imagination is curtailed because of their lack of participation in mainstream activities and spaces. Their absence leads to a confined view, further forcing them to live on the peripheries.

     

    This year, the theme of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities is to promote their participation in the development agenda. The UN-defined Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development pledges on ‘leaving no one behind’. The media needs to look at ‘disability’ as a cross-cutting issue and promote inclusion in every sphere.

     

    Shruti Pushkarna is a former journalist (part of the founding team of MxMIndia). who has now moved full-time to the social sector. She heads operations of the New Delhi-based Score Foundation where she works as Director. Her views here are personal. She can be reached via Twitter at @shrutipushkarna

     

  • How can the political capital of the country, the news hub of India, witness such a media blackout at the behest of politicians’ will, asks Shruti Pushkarna in the first of a new fortnightly column

    Shruti Pushkarna: Are there hints of hypocrisy underneath the dissenting voices?

    Shruti PushkarnaBy Shruti Pushkarna

     

    Yesterday I had a unique experience. Almost 37 years old, I have grown up listening to stories of the India-Pakistan Partition from my paternal grandfather, stories of my maternal grandfather about protesting against the authorities to protect the rights of labourers, and more recently, stories from my father and aunt from their time in prison when they upped their voices against the Emergency imposed by the then Indian Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi.

     

    However graphic the pictures were in my head as these stories were narrated to me, but never had I experienced anything first-hand. Now before I build up your hopes as a reader for some thrilling piece here, I must confess I was not part of any action. I was just a first-hand witness. Not a listener, a spectator, watching the action live on the ground.

     

    The entire country is up in arms against the Citizen Amendment Act, recently cleared by the two houses of the Indian Parliament. Protests and slogan shouting everywhere. We have witnessed reports of services being disrupted, internet being withdrawn etc on several occasions from other parts of the country, but yesterday it was the capital of India. Parts of the Delhi city had internet, voice and SMS services withdrawn by network providers, on a directive issued by the government. This was a first for us. Access to media thwarted. How can the political capital of the country, the news hub of India, witness such a media blackout at the behest of politicians’ will? Are we assuming that if I’m unable to share my views using social media or develop an opinion based on others’ experiences being posted on media platforms, my voice can be drowned? We all assumed we were living in a fortress, untouched by common man’s woes. But yesterday these assumptions came crumbling down in the face of dissenting voices dissing the arrogant ruling class.

     

    When I left home yesterday morning, it was a regular working day for me. Taking a one-hour cab ride to my office in South Delhi, getting through meetings, meeting deadlines and so on. And then the news alerts started to pour in. One after the other. Roads blocked, police barricades, long winding traffic jams, metro stations being closed down, Section 144 imposed in pockets of Central Delhi. News bits went from bad to worse. I stepped out for a cup of coffee in my lunch break and saw CISF troops being rushed into the metro station nearby (same one I access to travel home daily). And it all came alive. Offices started to close down, parking lots started to clear up, people started to rush back homewards.

     

    As I took the Delhi metro back home (taking the roads was a bad option because of the violence on the streets), I looked around at my fellow commuters. Some were responding to phone calls from worried loved ones. Some were watching the news on their mobiles struggling with the sketchy mobile data. Some were watching right wing videos loudly on their phones, telling others around them that India is a Hindu sovereign. This last set of people actually broke out into shrieks of “Bharat Mata ki Jai” on the train. Some scared travellers looked away. Confused ones simple stared. A third category of people like me, not confused or scared, simple outraged, looked at them in disgust.

     

    A train journey is not the place to voice your opinion in an unruly manner. A train journey at that, where most stations were shut and people couldn’t wilfully deboard at their desired destinations. Also I doubt how much of the so-called ‘Bharatvarsha’ sentiment do these people embrace when it comes to other issues crippling the country.

     

    I for one work towards getting persons with disabilities an equal status as citizens of India. Will the same people stand by me, and fight for rights of this minority section tomorrow? I don’t think so.

     

    Will the same people offer food to the cook, driver or maid working tirelessly for their families? I don’t think so.

     

    When I go to a restaurant in Delhi, I see the same ‘protesting’ lot of people enjoying their dinner and drinks as their children’s nannies look from a distance. The nannies who are feeding their babies are not allowed on the same table, not offered the same food.

     

    I respect equality for everyone. I standby each religious group and their rights. But I also respect other vulnerable groups in their fight for rights. And I practise that respect in my day-to-day actions as much as I would do if I were at Jantar Mantar tomorrow.

     

    Let’s not be hypocrites ourselves when we accuse our leaders of the same. Would the same people hurl stones at the authorities if tomorrow a person with disability seeks equal employment or education rights? Will their children be told not to isolate disabled students in their classroom?

     

    If we talk of an equal India, then I must confess we are so far away from it. So who are we kidding.

     

    Shruti Pushkarna is a former journalist (part of the founding team of MxMIndia). who has now moved full-time to the social sector. She heads operations of New Delhi-based Score Foundation where she works as Director. Her views here are personal. She can be reached via Twitter at @shrutipushkarna

     

  • Technology has the power to create a level-playing field for users across the board and can promote inclusion by easy to implement digital solutions, writes Shruti Pushkarna

    Shruti Pushkarna: Accepting change in an ever-changing world

    By Shruti Pushkarna

     

    When I was studying journalism, we were made to read three to four newspapers everyday as part of acquiring editorial skills. As a young girl in my early twenties, I would go from one class to another, catching up on the printed word in between breaks. It was almost romantic, the idea of print that is. One aspired to have a ‘byline’ in the reputed dailies.

     

    But by the time I graduated, a lot had changed. The fascination with print was slowly replaced with 24×7 television news. Not that TV news didn’t exist earlier, but right at the time when I was applying for jobs, several new players entered the market.

     

    A large part of my initial career was spent in television newsrooms. And then some years later, another shift happened, with digital journalism as the latest entrant in news media.

     

    The reason I’m laying all this background is actually to highlight the most important thing that was occurring through these years. The values were changing. Values we attached to reporting, production, editing, scripting, everything rapidly transitioning given the advancing technology. Every medium had its pros and cons and content was being tailored to make the most of new platforms.

     

    Another notable thing happened. Amidst all this change, technology opened up the ‘elite journalism club’ to an average inquisitive mind. Barring the self-aggrandising old school journalist in me (who by the way scoffs at the new generation, like most old gens do), I find myself pleasantly surprised by the mechanisms and devices being used to put out newsworthy content for mass consumption.

     

    That is the power and nature of technology. It creates a level-playing field. The old versus new kind of debate takes place in every domain. When I transitioned from mainstream media to the development sector, my work in the domain of visual impairment brought many such examples to light.

     

    People working to rehabilitate persons with blindness are obsessed with the braille script. And that’s the common societal understanding as well. Anyone who is blind needs a braille script. Not true.

     

    Let me bust a few myths here.

     

    Every blind person does not know how to read and write using the braille script.

     

    There are people who acquire blindness at a later age and never get acquainted with braille.

     

    Braille embossing is time consuming and an expensive effort.

     

    Writing in braille takes much longer than keying the same content into a computer.

     

    Braille is useful to interact with fellow visually impaired people who can interpret it. In a mainstream classroom or a work scenario, it is limiting and distances blind people from their sighted counterparts.

     

    So what is this obsession with braille? It’s the same sense of denial that new technology cannot throw open newer options that may undercut the skills possessed by existing braille users.

     

    Visually impaired people can easily co-exist in an inclusive environment, given the vast variety of technological aids available today.

     

    Blind people can use screen reading software that reads out everything displayed on a computer screen or a mobile phone to interact with the device. They can type, browse, read, do almost everything with ease just like you and me.

     

    So in schools/ colleges, students with vision impairment can submit their assignments in a digital format (anyway most private schools are insistent on the use of technology these days). The government has laid down clear guidelines for reasonable accommodation in case a blind student wants to write exams using computers.

     

    This also opens up a whole new range of professions for persons with vision impairment. Let’s take the media industry for starters. Not long ago, I’d engaged with a graduate in mass communication from Bengaluru who was applying for a job in radio. There are journalists working in national media who happen to be visually impaired. Disability activists are efficiently using social media to advocate for their rights. Leaving out the very ‘visual’ jobs, many desk roles in the industry can be opened up to blind people simply by adopting technological solutions.

     

    Braille is ‘exclusive’ in the way it isolates visually impaired people to one medium of communication. Technology however is ‘inclusive’ as it makes the existing platforms of communication accessible to anyone with an impairment.

     

    It’s time to drop our fixation with a script that was invented in 1821, two centuries ago! No doubt it was a brilliant discovery to serve the needs of people back then, but let’s face it, equally exciting innovations are happening in this day and age. It’s time we embrace technology for its ability to enable access for all users irrespective of their limitations.

     

     

    Shruti Pushkarna is a former journalist (part of the founding team of MxMIndia) who has now moved full-time to the social sector. She heads operations of the New Delhi-based Score Foundation where she works as Director-Programmes & Communications. She writes for MxMIndia every other Thursday. Her views here are personal. She can be reached via Twitter at @shrutipushkarna

     

     

  • It’s time for the media to own up and contribute to the transformation of attitudes towards disability, writes Shruti Pushkarna

    Shruti Pushkarna: Listen up, Content Developers

    By Shruti Pushkarna

     

    At the risk of sounding self-aggrandising, I’d say I’m a fairly empathetic person. Even when I wasn’t working in the disability domain, I was reasonably conscious of the different needs of people. Not like I changed anything around me or was overly vociferous on such subjects, but at least I was ‘aware’.

     

    And that’s what I want to talk about. Awareness.

     

    In my experience, most people end up seeming insensitive towards persons with disabilities out of sheer ignorance. Not necessarily because they are ill-intentioned. Their fault simply lies in their lack of awareness about another’s challenges.

     

    Our reactions stem from what we see and hear. If issues faced by disabled people, or solutions available for them or basic things like how to offer assistance to them becomes common knowledge, our society would score a lot better on the scale of ‘empathy’.

     

    At the root of any change lies the ‘knowledge’ or ‘awareness’ of what is possible or how it can be made possible.

     

    So how do we change this? Or let me ask, who can change this?

     

    Well at one level all of us can, you, me or the guy sipping coffee next to me. But we need a trigger. And in a country of 1.37 billion, a powerful trigger with a wide reach.

     

    If you haven’t guessed it already, I’m hinting at the media. The all-pervasive forms of media which have crept into our living rooms, dining areas, bathrooms and everywhere. The content we absorb actively or passively has the potential to inform and influence mindsets.

     

    I think it’s time media took some responsibility in such a transformation of thinking. In journalism schools, every student is filled with the romanticism of revolutionary ideas and a couple years later in the money-minting business called media, all of it is replaced by ‘sexy sensationalism’.

     

    Sadly, the only coverage we give to disability is a larger than life approach or a pitiful one. Either make them into heroes or paint them as helpless sorts. We need television content, movies, radio campaigns, and digital content to bring persons with disabilities to life like any other section of our population.

     

    The last movie I recall that portrayed blindness was an action thriller called ‘Kaabil’. Wonderful that we had lead actors playing a blind couple, but the woman was taken advantage of on grounds of her inability to see (not like sighted women don’t get easily raped). And the man turned into a super-hero, out to avenge his partner’s murder. Thrilling one would say but unreal. Now the typical argument would be it’s fiction and that too Bollywood. Agreed. But even a movie like that made blindness trend on Twitter around the time of release. A blind dancer recorded her video and tagged Hrithik Roshan. So it did bring out another side of people with vision impairment.

     

    Apart from entertaining, we need content that will expand our scope of imagination by showing us what we don’t see out there on the streets.

     

    Sticking to the subject of movies, a lot of content available on OTT platforms like Netflix today has audio description for the benefit of visually impaired people. That’s a step in the direction of adding a new subscriber group. More users, more income.

     

    As per Census 2011, disabled people constitute 2.21% of the 121 crore population. Large numbers if we look at sheer economics. A mainstream Bollywood movie has a budget of INR 20 to 50 crore. Over 60 million people are visually impaired in India. Half of that population resides in urban centres. With very little investment at the production stage, movies can have a parallel audio description track, opening up access to a wider audience.

     

    Is this difficult to do? No. Is achieving larger audience not an objective of the filmmaker? Of course yes. Then what prevents it? Ignorance. Also a bit of indifference, if I may add. They never thought of it because they don’t know how visually impaired people can enjoy a visual form of media with a minor tweak.

     

    I could go on with several such examples but I think we can all agree that to bring about a paradigm shift, there is need to make the society aware of what’s possible. And more importantly, we need to replace stereotypes like the ‘wheelchair’, the ‘white cane’, the ‘dark glasses’, the ‘disheveled mouth’ etcetera. And promote new images to align our thinking to.

     

    The next time content developers come up with an idea, they need to ask themselves, what’s in it for a person with disability?

     

    Shruti Pushkarna is a former journalist (part of the founding team of MxMIndia) who has now moved full-time to the social sector. She heads operations of the New Delhi-based Score Foundation where she works as Director-Programmes & Communications. She writes for MxMIndia every other Thursday. Her views here are personal. She can be reached via Twitter at @shrutipushkarna

     

  • Radio fascinates visually impaired people, because they can easily relate to it and there is no discrimination there, writes Shruti Pushkarna

    Time to welcome Diversity in Radio?

     

    By Shruti Pushkarna

     

    Shruti PushkarnaAs you read this, commercial and state-owned radio stations all across the world are celebrating this day on air. Yes, it’s World Radio Day today.

     

    Surely a medium that has managed to stay relevant for over 120 years (since the first radio device was invented by Guglielmo Marconi in 1899) calls for celebration.

     

    With new technology and increasing penetration, the content development business is more dynamic than ever. Radio too has been experimenting with various avatars when it comes to programming models or expansion on digital platforms.

     

    But what hasn’t changed is its devoted listenership, which cuts across culture, age, ethnicity, gender, religion, economics and so on. I start my day with tuning in to my favourite station every morning as I drive to work. You can hear the radio blaring in the local chaiwallah’s shop (no reference to our dear PM here!). Cab drivers, hawkers, housewives, college students, senior citizens, all take in their daily diet of radio content.

     

    Another ardent group of listeners are millions of visually impaired citizens living in different nooks of our country. Did you know that 20% of the global blind population resides in India? That’s around 63 million people according to the World Health Organisation.

     

    And this large section of the population depends on radio for not just entertainment but information. Like several persons with disabilities, blind people are often treated as a burden by their families. Confined in the four walls of their homes, they remain isolated from the society. Deprived of education, they have little or no access to information.

     

    They find a friend in the RJ, solace in music and in that moment, the impairment ceases to be.  As part of my work, in an interaction with a parent, I learned that his 14-year-old blind boy who was absolutely tucked away from the outside world had no skills of communication or the ability to carry out any activities of daily living. But he could sing and dance because he listened to radio for most part of the day.

     

    In this cricket-loving nation, sighted fans may have moved on to mobile devices for live video streaming, but a visually impaired fan still tunes in to the good old radio commentary.

     

    Radio fascinates visually impaired people, because they can easily relate to it. There is no discrimination there, in terms of lack of access.

     

    The question is: are radio producers aware of this audience and their needs? Are they devising any content that is targeted towards the average visually impaired listener? There are a lot of social campaigns various stations undertake. They align with a cause, person or an organisation and garner support through their wide reach.

     

    I feel radio can contribute a great deal by initiating a campaign to sensitise people about the challenges faced by visually impaired people. Or let’s say how to offer help to a blind person you may encounter on a street, on the metro, in a bus or at an airport.

     

    Radio also has the potential to offer employment to blind people. India’s first visually impaired radio jockey K Srikanth started off his career with All India Radio and later worked with the BBC. There are private and non-profit institutions that offer courses in storytelling and radio jockeying. Among the section of blind people that has access to mainstream education and technology, there are many students who opt for media courses.

     

    Not long ago, I’d engaged with a graduate in mass communication from Bengaluru who wanted to become an RJ. He found no luck because he was blind. This young boy was well verse with technology, had acquired all skills of scripting, editing etc. He needed professional training like all newbies do, that’s all.

     

    This year the theme of World Radio Day is ‘Radio and Diversity’.  Perhaps a cue for the radio industry to promote inclusion and educate the society about ‘diverse’ needs of people who are just as equal citizens of India as you and I.

     

    Shruti Pushkarna is a former journalist (part of the founding team of MxMIndia) who has now moved full-time to the social sector. She heads operations of the New Delhi-based Score Foundation where she works as Director-Programmes & Communications. She writes for MxMIndia every other Thursday. Her views here are personal. She can be reached via Twitter at @shrutipushkarna

  • Mainstream media seems uninterested in the grave issues facing the disabled population, writes Shruti Pushkarna

    Shruti Pushkarna: What’s with the shallow news coverage on disability?

    Shruti PushkarnaBy Shruti Pushkarna

     

    Last week, two headlines on the digital platforms of leading dailies caught my attention. One read, “Two blind HSC students find writers at the 11th hour”. And the second stated, “HSC exams: Finding writers a real test for some”.

     

    Both these news stories highlight one of the most commonly faced problems by any blind student in India. Given their vision impairment, these students are dependent on ‘scribes’ to write their exams.

     

    But before I get into talking about the myriad challenges of finding and dealing with scribes, let’s look at the recent news coverage.

     

    While I was happy that the issue appeared on mainstream media, I was disappointed at the reportage. The stories lacked any indepth understanding of the issue. For an average reader who is absolutely unfamiliar with the issue, the news item merely touched upon how two visually impaired students in different parts of Mumbai were hassled hours before their examination. Though that’s a start for interest generation, the story ends with no detail or perspective on the matter.

     

    Result being, most readers wouldn’t have registered it. Those who did probably went away without processing the gravity of the problem facing blind students.

     

    So what exactly is the scribe problem faced by the blind community?

     

    A majority of visually impaired students in this country who appear for school, college or any competitive exams, rely on writers to volunteer for assistance or hope that the institutions/ authorities would arrange scribes for them.

     

    In the absence of either scenario working out, a lot of them end up paying for scribes, almost like buying themselves a chance to move upward in the educational or employment hierarchy.

     

    In fact there are agents and institutions that offer a variety of writers at different prices, depending on subject expertise. Like the millions of scams festering in the country, scribes (or the scribe mafia as I prefer to call them) are eroding the visually impaired students of their ability to learn or become independent.

     

    And what are the academic or the government authorities doing about it? Zilch. Absolutely nothing.

     

    The education bodies at both national and state level are expected to comply with the central government issued guidelines for visually impaired students to avail scribe facility for assistance, but the ground reality is far from it.

     

    Often state boards and examination authorities issue their own rules days before the exam, paying no heed to the policy set in place by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

     

    The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 mandates for ‘reasonable accommodation’, “to make suitable modifications in the curriculum and examination system to meet the needs of students with disabilities such as extra time for completion of examination paper, facility of scribe or amanuensis, exemption from second and third language courses”.

     

    Last year, a job aspirant in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh lost out on the opportunity of employment because the examiner denied entry to his scribe just minutes before the exam. He had to wait a whole year to apply again. This is just one of the million accounts where students fail to appear or score less in their tests given the shoddy implementation of the law.

     

    The scribe problem isn’t new. It persists through the year, for various exams across all states in the country. And yet majority of the Indian population hasn’t a clue about it. It’s a whole different matter that today enough technology aids are available to make visually impaired students self-reliant when it comes to writing their exams. But that’s for another day, another column.

     

    How come the mainstream media hardly reports the issue in its entirety? Why doesn’t the media question the implementing agencies? Is it because persons with disabilities are not the ‘sensational’ vulnerable group that will garner eyeballs? Especially when it’s far easier to rake up a storm over some fake news floating around on social media.

     

    Shruti Pushkarna is a former journalist (part of the founding team of MxMIndia) who has now moved full-time to the social sector. She heads operations of the New Delhi-based Score Foundation where she works as Director-Programmes & Communications. She writes for MxMIndia every other Thursday. Her views here are personal. She can be reached via Twitter at @shrutipushkarna

     

     

  • It’s a shame that the media in this day and age of technology hasn’t bothered to get a clear picture of what remains inaccessible, writes Shruti Pushkarna

    Shruti Pushkarna: Does the Indian media really care about the disabled?

    Shruti PushkarnaBy Shruti Pushkarna

     

    As I write this column with the intention of drawing attention to a large section of Indian population that lives on the margins of our society, I am thinking to myself: Does Anyone Care.

     

    Does the media care? Do parents of ‘able’ children care? Do the politicians or bureaucrats care? Do schools and universities care? Do businesses care? Does the average individual care? And the resounding answer to all these questions is ‘probably not enough’.  Not enough to bring about a revolutionary change in the way persons with disabilities lead their lives or how we treat them.

     

    The other day I was at an event where mental illness and acid attack cases were being discussed. As I heard stories of survivors, of individuals and institutions working towards their rehabilitation, it occurred to me that people who are affected by the issue at some personal level are the only ones attempting to drive ‘change’. Their pain translates into a passion to alleviate the suffering of others.

     

    While effective work continues to happen in small pockets of the country, we need mass campaigns to alter the mindsets of the vast population of over 1.3 billion. In his first term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the ‘Accessible India’ campaign in December 2015. He issued a mandate to make public spaces, transport as well as information and technology ‘accessible’ to persons with disabilities.

     

    Several audits have been conducted since and sadly we are far from becoming an ‘Accessible India’ or ‘Sugamya Bharat’. This when we are nearing the deadline of March 2020.

     

    While I didn’t have much hope from the implementing agencies, especially the Indian bureaucracy (as in the government), I thought the powerful idea behind this nationwide campaign would have an impact on the mainstream media and people would become more aware of what is ‘inaccessible’.

     

    But most of us don’t understand what the term ‘access’ means. Even today, most people think that giving access to a disabled individual starts and ends at constructing a ramp or providing a wheelchair.

     

    While people with locomotor disabilities are dependent on ramps, wheelchairs and elevators, accessibility is not confined to these. There are 21 types of disabilities defined in the new Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act. And government and private players are supposed to ensure access to schools, tourist places, banks and other services, information, transportation, entertainment and employment for disabled people all across.

     

    My own friends and ex-colleagues in the media have a limited understanding and like most Indians, they too think in terms of retrofitting solutions. It’s a shame that the media in this day and age of technology hasn’t bothered to get a clear picture of what remains inaccessible.

     

    Like for orthopaedically impaired people, we think of wheelchair access. For the visually and hearing impaired, we think of Braille and sign language. And this is also mostly confined to the physical environment. People have no idea when it comes to digital access. We design for people like us, the ones we call ‘normal’ and we don’t cater to or even factor in all those who are different (or differently abled, as they are hence termed).

     

    There are many mainstream media groups whose websites remain inaccessible to persons with any form of ‘print’ disability. I bet most people don’t even recognise this form of impairment. In 2016, the BJP government had launched an online accessible library for people with print disabilities, including the blind, so they could access books (like school textbooks, fiction, non-fiction) through a web portal. And yet leading dailies have inaccessible news websites and mobile apps.

     

    A couple of weeks ago, surfing through TV channels, I noticed a news bulletin for the hearing impaired. A sign language interpreter who translated all the happenings of the hour in a form ‘accessible’ for anyone with a hearing impairment accompanied the news anchor.

     

    Having one bulletin in a day to my mind is an ‘exclusive’ telecast. The idea of ‘access to all’ is based on the principle of inclusion. By giving access to one group like the hearing impaired, the content has not been made accessible for people with different kinds of disabilities. If we design and develop exclusively for a section of the population, integration into the mainstream society will remain an unrealised dream always.

     

    As the RPWD Act states, for an inclusive and conducive environment, there is a need to make all forms of media accessible to every citizen, irrespective of their disability. This requires a major shift in our approach to creating for all.

     

    Someone with a permanent disability doesn’t only use a ramp or a wheelchair. Anyone with an injury or a senior citizen might need access to the same things in different settings. A couple of years ago, a prominent shopping mall in the capital put huge flowerpots next to the handrails. I saw old people, children as well as the blind finding it difficult to reach the railing. That’s a classic example of lack of access and it’s not limited to one group.

     

    In the same mall, a small staircase hampered the access to the washroom especially designed for wheelchair users.  In another mall in Delhi NCR, there are braille signages inside the elevators for blind people’s ease of access. Given the recent Coronavirus scare, I wonder how many visually impaired people are willing to touch and feel the entire elevator wall before they can find the right button!

     

    I have seen media reports in recent years announcing two railway stations, Mysore and Chandigarh, to have become completely accessible. They only talk of braille signages in a huge crowded public space. There are braille markings inside the train coaches for berths, toilets etc. The last time I rode on a train, I didn’t want to use the bathroom, let alone touching things inside it to locate the soap or the flush.

     

    How can places and services claim to be ‘accessible’ when the understanding of the term is so blotchy? What will it take for the media to take responsibility of raising awareness about issues that impact our society?

     

    In the following column, I’ll discuss in detail different aspects of accessibility and small steps media can take to bring about changes in design and functioning to give equal access to information to persons with disabilities.  

     

    Shruti Pushkarna is a former journalist (part of the founding team of MxMIndia) who has now moved full-time to the social sector. She heads operations of the New Delhi-based Score Foundation where she works as Director-Programmes & Communications. She writes for MxMIndia every other Thursday. Her views here are personal. She can be reached via Twitter at @shrutipushkarna

     

  • Spreading awareness about the easily affected (and ignored) sections of the population is critical, writes Shruti Pushkarna

    Coronavirus crisis: Have we Overlooked the Disabled Population?

     

    By Shruti Pushkarna

     

    Shruti PushkarnaIn my last column when I raised a question on whether the media really cares about the disabled population, I didn’t know two weeks later, we would face a more pertinent issue of whether the country is bothered about anyone with a disability in this time of crisis.

     

    Coronavirus has left the entire world panicking today. I’m not going to cite any numbers as there is enough data floating around the internet past few weeks. In fact, it’s exhausting to follow all the reports, statistics and even worse, speculation. Grounded in their homes, people are pulling out all kinds of conspiracy theories behind this global pandemic.

     

    Some imaginable, some outrageous, some totally inane. But underneath all of this, is a feeling of deep anxiety that no one is safe anywhere. Vulnerability is at the root, leaving all human beings equally exposed to an unknown enemy.

     

    I hate to say it like this, but this susceptibility has diminished the lines between the ‘able’ and the ‘disabled’.

     

    If you thought your ‘healthy’ and ‘able-bodied’ status makes you less prone to the virus, revisit some of the news reports and you’ll be shocked. Having said that, I must add it’s true that anyone with an impairment or an existing condition suffers a greater risk of contracting the virus. But unlike humans, Covid-19 doesn’t discriminate.

     

    However, the response mechanism continues to overlook the needs of persons with disabilities. We have been reading reports about other vulnerable sections like the elderly, patients with chronic illnesses but nothing on the disabled.

     

    It’s an established fact that this virus attacks the pulmonary functions of the body. People with certain disabilities like muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy or any other condition from genetic abnormalities are likely to have respiratory disorders. Catching coronavirus could seriously imperil their lives.

     

    Is our medical system equipped to deal with disabled people if they test positive or if they need to be quarantined? I’m afraid not. The horrific pictures of isolation centres circling on social media don’t promise ease of access for someone with a physical disability.

     

    On a regular day, doctors and hospital staff rely heavily on the disabled person’s next of kin (who is often the caretaker) to assist with any treatment, check-up etc. Persons with intellectual disability find it hard to stay calm alone or among strangers. What happens in this situation where the answer to everything begins with isolation?

     

    As for preventive measures, ‘social distancing’ seems to be the only way of reducing the chances of contagion. There are a zillion videos and posts on social media, both informative and funny on the various do’s and don’ts. But hardly anything (barring a few blogposts by disabled individuals themselves) on how to ensure safety of a disabled person locked down in his or her home.

     

    More importantly, can a disabled person who is dependent on a caretaker even exercise absolute social distancing? Blind people use physical contact to navigate around, how do we eliminate the chances of them picking up the virus in such a scenario. They rely on braille and tactile markings in unknown spaces, feeling their way through things. How can they exercise the ‘no-touching-surfaces’ rule? Likewise, individuals with certain physical disabilities are unable to wash their hands or sanitize their surroundings, as they are dependent on others for activities of daily living (ADL).

     

    While non-profit institutions and individuals engaged in working with persons with different disabilities have been circulating information, guidelines, advisories to small groups and communities, it took a few days for the government to realise that all important material needs to be released in an accessible format for people with blindness, hearing impairment or any other form of print disability. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has finally requested the central and state health departments to issue all Covid-19 related information keeping the disabled population in mind. Meaning, advisories to be made available in audio formats, braille, with subtitles, in sign language, with optical character recognition (OCR) etc.

     

    No doubt the administration is trying hard to counter and cope with this calamity, but we the citizens have an equal part to play. Spreading awareness about the easily affected (and ignored) sections of the population is one of them.

     

    Shruti Pushkarna is a former journalist (part of the founding team of MxMIndia) who has now moved full-time to the social sector. She heads operations of the New Delhi-based Score Foundation where she works as Director-Programmes & Communications. She writes for MxMIndia every other Thursday. Her views here are personal. She can be reached via Twitter at @shrutipushkarna

     

     

  • While guidelines have been issued for the disabled, the implementation is shoddy, writes Shruti Pushkarna

    Does the Current Crisis call for Greater Social Responsibility?

     

    By Shruti Pushkarna

     

    Shruti PushkarnaI must confess I was struggling to write this column as I didn’t want to add to the several critiques circling around on the internet. If anything I wanted to share something positive. But keeping a close watch on the ground situation vis-a-vis persons with disabilities during the Covid-19 crisis, it’s hard to dish out a cheerful piece.

     

    Locked up in their homes, some people are busy forwarding irrational WhatsApp messages, propagating panic via unreliable information. Some are busy competing for a bigger Instagram audience through culinary exhibits or workout videos. And then there are some who simply sit and criticise the ‘other’, including administration, media, politicians, other countries, liberals, bhakts, Muslims, Christians, their next door neighbors and possibly even their pets!

     

    While a person might be struggling to stay alive because of a chronic condition in the absence of a caretaker to assist her or him due to the lockdown, another’s problems hover around having to do dishes or cook their own food.

     

    People are oblivious to each other’s realities. Even at a point of being universally hit by coronavirus, we only care for ourselves or at most our immediate family. That’s how selfish we all are. We don’t pay heed to what’s happening to a daily wager, a blind hawker, a disabled orphan, a thalassaemia patient, a paraplegic or anyone who’s more vulnerable than us.

     

    I want to appeal to the media fraternity to spread awareness and help citizens of India gain some perspective into what another human being could be experiencing at the same time in an alternate reality. Except this one’s not fictional.

     

    There is a need to report stories from across the spectrum. Not just the ones that make for an ‘OMG’ moment, not just the shortlived coverage of immigrants’ mass exodus, but day-to-day accounts of those who get beaten up standing in lines for ration, of disabled people who’ve been abandoned by their institutions, unwilling to take responsibility. Of siblings shunning away their disabled brothers and sisters, of persons with severe disabilities losing out on (an already meagre) means of living.

     

    I work for a non-profit which runs a helpline for persons with vision impairment and we’ve been getting calls from all parts of India. Callers are citing challenges in getting medicines, milk, groceries, or getting curfew passes issued for their caretakers. People with other disabilities are reporting similar challenges, some are even unable to communicate to the cops stationed in different cities that their condition makes visits to hospital pertinent for survival despite the lockdown.

     

    Not that desperate stories from various strata of society aren’t making news but when we speak of a section that is anyway marginalised and faceless, one can imagine how grave their situation is and thus the need for greater emphasis.

     

    Statistics and graphics, updated every few minutes are being shoved at us, highlighting the rising impact of the pandemic. Is this a cricket match that people are tuning in to keep a tab on the latest score? Why do we have so many debates on whether we are in Stage 1, 2 or 3? How about asking some tough questions on how differently should we as a country be prepared for the various stages? What will happen to the weaker sections of the population under different circumstances and imposed measures?

     

    Governments have asked for essential items to be distributed for free to those in need. But no proper procedure has been spelt out. While some places are generously handing out material, others are insisting on a ration card. In the absence of one, people are being asked to apply for it online. What is stopping the media from questioning the administration on how is a disabled person with no smartphone or internet access, expected to apply and produce a ration card in order to get some atta, dal, chawal?

     

    Guidelines have been issued by both central and state authorities for relaxations in the case of disabled population, but the implementation is as usual shoddy given the utter lack of understanding and empathy.

     

    I’m hoping the media can draw attention to such issues being faced by the disabled. Not with the objective of dissing the authorities or the cops or the healthcare workers. But with an intent to help them understand closely what needs to be amended and endorsed.

     

    A list of national and state helplines has been circulated by the government but most numbers are often engaged. Now this is expected because of the fear among people and a lack of resources to handle a problem of such magnitude. We need to think of alternatives. NGOs are putting out their numbers (some even sharing their personal mobiles) as a response mechanism for various communities. If the media widely circulates these resources, a larger population could benefit.

     

    Community efforts need to be backed up by state and national media so we can all join hands in lessening the chaos. These unusual times call for extraordinary efforts from each one of us, whether we are a part of the government, healthcare industry, media, social welfare system or civil society.

     

    Shruti Pushkarna is a former journalist (part of the founding team of MxMIndia) who has now moved full-time to the social sector. She heads operations of the New Delhi-based Score Foundation where she works as Director-Programmes & Communications. She writes for MxMIndia every other Thursday. Her views here are personal. She can be reached via Twitter at @shrutipushkarna

     

     

  • It might sound strange but coronavirus is not all bad news, writes Shruti Pushkarna. In the past few weeks, we’ve witnessed unified action, individual contributions and immense perseverance to fight a crisis, collectively

    Shruti Pushkarna: Is Coronavirus also inflicting some life lessons at us?

    Shruti PushkarnaBy Shruti Pushkarna

     

    It’s been a month since the Indian government announced the official lockdown to prevent the spread of Covid-19. People’s daily conversations now include casual mentions of a pre- and a post-corona world. We are slowly becoming accustomed to a ‘new normal’. It seems that nature has hit the ‘pause’ button on all our plans.

     

    I’m reminded of my grandfather’s favourite phrase, “Man proposes, God disposes”. Never have those words rung so loud in my ears.

     

    Negative sentiments are on the rise, as every news item seems to bring us closer to doomsday. Of course with the exception of promising research and recovering numbers.

     

    It’s a good idea to take a break from the tragic reality enveloping us 24×7. In fact some media platforms are going out of their way to cull out positive stories and courageous, inspiring accounts.

     

    It might sound strange but coronavirus is not all bad news. In the past few weeks, we’ve witnessed unified action, individual contributions and immense perseverance to fight a crisis, collectively.

     

    In the non-profit sector, we’ve seen organisations and individuals come together to ease the challenges faced by vulnerable communities. People are stepping out of their committed areas of work, some even outside of their comfort zones, venturing into unchartered territory. All to help resolve immediate challenges of those trapped in different parts of the country.

     

    This is also a ‘coronavirus effect’, but one which is heartwarming. Chasing government representatives and influential individuals, groups of NGOs are working tirelessly towards ensuring that essentials are delivered to the poor, old, disabled, and the desolate.

     

    In Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Chennai and several other cities, volunteer groups are running services for those in need. Individuals from the non-profit sector might have set these up, but people across the board have pitched in. These include delivery services for ration, medicines, other essentials, taxi services for the disabled and so on.

     

    As in the past times of crises, several people have stepped forward to donate. Messages are being circulated in the media as well, asking for help both in cash and kind.

     

    What’s amazing in the current scenario is that people across the country are also volunteering their time to help another. This should give us hope.

     

    For several people who might be feeling trapped in their homes, this is an opportunity to devote time and effort to government and non-government agencies in addressing the needs of every citizen.

     

    As part of the work at the NGO I am associated with, recently we put out a message, seeking volunteers to handle calls from disabled people in states where our helpline is not active. The response was immediate and impressive. Without even a clear understanding of the work expected, individuals were willing to offer support. We were flooded with calls and emails from people eager to contribute in any form.

     

    In a country like India where resources are scarce, it becomes pertinent to channelise them to areas and people with a greater need. And human chains of communication work well with identifying the ground level requirements and prioritising services to those sections or communities.

     

    So far, I’d say that the NGO model of collaboration is not only working well for those benefiting from it, but indirectly inspiring thousands of others to join hands to contribute outside their proximate environment.

     

    Once the lockdown eases up and we get sucked back into our daily routines, the memory of these past months will fade away. However, the lessons we learn from these ‘hard times’ will stay with us forever.

     

    A lot of us are already talking about things we would do differently post-corona, or things we won’t forget from this experience et cetera, but how about each one of us identifies and holds on to at least one such thing. Almost like a New Year resolution, except this might be termed a ‘New World’ resolution.

     

    Well my biggest takeaway is what seems overwhelming individually, is easily handled communally.

     

    So what’s your Covid-19 learning?

     

    Shruti Pushkarna is a former journalist (part of the founding team of MxMIndia) who has now moved full-time to the social sector. She heads operations of the New Delhi-based Score Foundation where she works as Director-Programmes & Communications. She writes for MxMIndia every other Thursday. Her views here are personal. She can be reached via Twitter at @shrutipushkarna

     

     

  • The needs and challenges of Persons with Disabilities have not been fully considered in the Covid-19 medical crisis and the subsequent logistical breakdown, writes Shruti Pushkarna

    Shruti Pushkarna: Does anyone care about the woes of the disabled?

    Shruti PushkarnaBy Shruti Pushkarna

     

    After a month-and-a-half of being locked up in our homes, deprived of social interactions, battling with the rising fear of losing out on existing means of earning, the Hindustani janata is grappling with the classic choice between the devil and the deep sea.

     

    People are fiercely citing numbers in offline and online debates. What is worse, people dying from the virus or those succumbing to hunger? What’s more alarming, the growing rate of positive cases or the spike in unemployment data reported by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy.

     

    There are layers to this poor vs. rich, privileged vs. disadvantaged contest. Let me add to the imbroglio. But before I do that, here’s a disclaimer. This is a losing battle.

     

    Either way, no one wins. It’s really about softening certain blows and developing a response system for different kinds of crisis.

     

    Economically weaker sections are possibly the worst hit. The media is continuously reporting cases to emphasise their plight, given no work, money, food or shelter.

     

    While the liberal vs. bhakt media debate rages on, I believe that apart from the health workers, police and all other essential service providers, mediapersons are also putting a lot at stake to show up to work. Just so you and I stay informed of the latest happenings. (Again, steering away from any leanings) the media with its mass appeal can generate awareness and advocate for change in the status quo.

     

    Accounts from Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) haven’t gotten their due share of public attention. This vulnerable group’s needs/challenges have not been fully considered during this medical crisis and the subsequent logistical breakdown.

     

    One must understand that PwDs are at a disadvantage not only because of their impairment/ condition but also due to a lack of access to certain basic services. A majority of this population is denied proper education or opportunities of employment. They are discriminated against and pushed away from the mainstream scheme of things. For many, limitations in mobility coupled with weak economic status has resulted in a nightmarish existence during this pandemic.

     

    A blind person from Washim in Maharashtra didn’t have means to recharge his mobile phone, which was his only connection with the outside world. With no access to the internet, he was unable to use any mode of digital payment. Moreover, he didn’t even have enough money to pay for it. Even though the government announced advance disability pension to be credited into accounts, he hasn’t received his due since December 2019. His complaints to the concerned department have been indefinitely deferred, with all resources currently deployed to deal with coronavirus. Fortunately, a blind volunteer in the district and an NGO provided minimum aid.

     

    Other cases have also been reported from Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh where disabled people have not received the double pension promised by the government.

     

    A blind person in Delhi needed to withdraw money from his bank account to get ration. One would think it’s easy to withdraw money in this digital age. But like thousands of other visually impaired people, he was never issued a debit card or given access to internet/mobile banking on grounds of his disability. This of course is against the basic rights stated in the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 and the rules issued by the RBI. Dependent on public transport to go to his bank, few kilometers away from home, he had no choice but to accept ration being handed out by a local NGO. Despite having the money to pay, he was crippled by the discriminatory attitude of the banking sector.

     

    Ill-treated by her kin, a deaf blind woman in Mumbai was desperate for help. She reached out to her neighbours but they declined any assistance. A friend finally came to her rescue and arranged for food supplies and money through volunteer groups.

     

    There are persons with disabilities among the migrant workers and students stranded away from home. The government’s announcement of movement of these people between states has met with its usual set of challenges and criticism. While the media cries foul, questioning the responsibility of the central and state governments, another question to ask is about the arrangement for the safe transit of PwDs.

     

    NGO helplines are abuzz with calls from disabled people across India, desperate for ration, medicines, money to pay for rent, electricity bills and other essentials. Individual and non-profit organizations dependent on donations are not equipped to meet the needs of 2.68 crore (as per Census 2011) PwDs in India. Lockdown restrictions make it even harder to organise help.

     

    It’s imperative to voice these issues being faced by this marginalised section. The situation is here to stay and maybe even worsen. If our systems fail to address the problems at hand, we might soon see a new set of spiraling statistics.

     

     

    Shruti Pushkarna is a former journalist (part of the founding team of MxMIndia) who has now moved full-time to the social sector. She heads operations of the New Delhi-based Score Foundation where she works as Director-Programmes & Communications. She writes for MxMIndia every other Thursday. Her views here are personal. She can be reached via Twitter at @shrutipushkarna