MxMIndia

Tag: Purple Fest

  • Shruti Pushkarna applauds 10 disability activists who have empowered and triggered inclusivity

    Disability Day 2023 Heroes: Yes, they can, and they do!

     

     

    By Shruti Pushkarna

     

    Shruti PushkarnaThe International Day of Persons with Disabilities is around the corner. For the past three years or more, I have been nudging readers to initiate a dialogue on disability inclusion, or take a small step which goes beyond good intent. Just anything that translates into action signifying the desire to alter mindsets towards disability and accept diversity that exists in each one of us.

     

    This year, I have drawn up a list of people who have done far more than that. These are individuals who not only lead by example, but inspire people like me to do more. Of course this is not an exhaustive list, and pathbreaking work in the domain of disability empowerment and inclusion has been an outcome of the efforts of thousands, if not millions.

     

    But here’s my list of 10 heroes who deserve a hearty applause for their efforts on this December 3.

     

    1. Bhavesh Chandubhai Bhatia

    A visually impaired entrepreneur who is the founder of Sunrise Candles based in Mahabaleshwar. Bhavesh has a vision impairment due to retina macular degeneration. A rehabilitation centre that taught candidates to make candles rejected Bhavesh because of his disability. Unfurled, Bhavesh set up his own venture in 1994. Today, he employs more than 10,000 visually impaired men and women, churning out a business of 350 crore per annum.

     

    2. Shilpi Kapoor

    A social entrepreneur and advocate of accessibility, Shilpi is the founder CEO of BarrierBreak. Her organisation is focused on making technology accessible to persons with disabilities. Shilpi actively promotes the use of assistive technology and ensures that digital platforms are designed to include persons with different disabilities. Fifty per cent of her accessibility testing team is comprises people with disabilities. Shilpi is recognised as one of the Top 15 Women Transforming India by the Niti Aayog.

     

    3. Prateek Khandelwal

    In May 2014, Prateek met with an accident which led to a spinal cord injury. This left him with paraplegia, making him physically disabled. This is when he realised for the first time how inaccessible the country is built up to be. And he decided to retrofit and ramp up the nation. Based in Bengaluru, Prateek founded a company in 2018, RampMyCity. Instead of complaining, he decided to become part of solution generation. RampMyCity is a start-up that makes mainstream places like offices, residential complexes, schools, colleges, restaurants, parks, et cetera accessible.

     

    4. Dr Satendra Singh

    An Indian doctor and a disability rights activist, Dr Satendra is well-known for his work in promoting inclusion in healthcare and education of persons with disabilities. He is a Professor of Physiology at the University College of Medical Sciences and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Delhi. He has been instrumental in bringing about many reforms, including the inclusion of disability competencies in the new medical curriculum in India. He received the National Award in 2021 by the President of India for making elections in the country accessible to persons with disabilities.

     

    5. Alina Alam

    Pic source: The Indian Express

    The founder CEO of Mitti Café, Alina is on the Forbes list of 2020 30 Under 30- Asia- Social Entrepreneurs. Her café provides persons with disabilities a space to exhibit productivity. With outlets in 26 locations across Bengaluru, Kolkata and Delhi, Mitti Café is managed by over 250 adults with physical, mental and psychiatric disabilities. Each of these cafes also provides experiential training to persons with disabilities and entrepreneurship opportunities for mothers of adults with intellectual disabilities, who come from low income families. Earlier this month, Mitti Café launched a new outlet inside the Supreme Court of India, with the support of CJI DY Chandrachud.

     

    6. Guruprasad Pawaskar

    In January this year, an inclusion marvel was created by the Goa government. One of the key figures to bring the first Purple Fest to life was the State Commissioner of Persons with Disabilities in Goa, Guruprasad Pawaskar. With astounding success in its first edition and participation from all stakeholders including PwDs, enablers, changemakers, government officials, corporate employers et cetera, Purple Fest is going global in January 2024. As someone who worked closely with Pawaskar during the Purple Fest 2023, I was amazed at the zeal and hard work put in by a government representative to make a success out of the event. He worked day and night, tirelessly, barely leaving the venue. And now his team is gearing up for a bigger production next year.

     

    7. Alok Dixit and Ashish Shukla

    In 2013, Ashish and Alok started the ‘Stop Acid Attack’ campaign and connected with acid attack survivors (consciously avoiding the term victim) from different parts of India. This campaign culminated into the formation of an NGO, Chaanv Foundation which used crowdfunding platforms to support the survivors. These were people who struggled to find jobs because of the apathy meted out by the society due to their visible facial deformities. So the idea to open a café to give them employment, was born. Sheroes Hangout Café in Noida (Uttar Pradesh) Stadium is helping acid attack survivors rebuild their lives with dignity. Sheroes also has branches in Lucknow and Agra.

     

    8. Rupmani Chhetri

    More than 2000 Indians have worked as international volunteers with the United Nations, but deaf activist Rupmani Chhetri is the first disabled Indian volunteer who worked in Ukraine. She was born in Nepal and later moved to Darjeeling. Her family tried everything under the sun to make their daughter talk which made her feel sick. She is determined to improve the lives of deaf individuals, so they can freely communicate and feel a sense of belonging. Rupmani is the co-founder of a start-up named SignAble Communications, which helps deaf people access sign language interpreters in real-time through a mobile application. She aims to bring down the communication barriers with technology and training.

     

    9. Thakur Datt Dhariyal

    A civil servant who served more than three decades in the Ministries of Defence, Home, Shipping, and Social Justice and Empowerment, Dhariyal was the longest serving Deputy Chief Commissioner of Persons with Disabilities till 2014. During his tenure as the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Delhi, he is well known for delivering pathbreaking judgements on disability policy and implementation of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016. Dhariyal is a walking-talking encyclopaedia when it comes to the laws pertaining to disability empowerment. He not only understands the legal fine print, but has been instrumental in actioning implementation level changes to make places accessible in the capital. He has helped resolve many cases of discrimination of the rights of persons with disabilities. One can say that as the Deputy CCPD and the SCPD, he has been the most effective bureaucrat, driving inclusion.

     

     

    10. Dr Sam Taraporevala

    (Pic source: Rotary Club of Bombay website)

    A retired Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at St. Xavier’s College Mumbai, Dr Sam is a person with blindness. His parents however, chose to educate him through mainstream institutions. While he was teaching, he was curious to notice the sudden decline in numbers of blind students in the college. Realising that they lack the means to study and interact effectively in a mainstream environment, Dr Sam launched the famous Xavier’s Resource Centre for the Visually Challenged (XRCVC). Today, as XRVCVC’s Executive Director he is spearheading social advocacy, creating awareness and addressing the various access challenges faced by students with low vision and total blindness. Among other accomplishments, Dr Sam’s work has resulted in the amendment of the Copyright Act, India in 2012, deployment of 30,000 accessible ATMs in India, and opening up of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education for persons with blindness in the country.

     

    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-odd 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.

  • …yet powerful accounts of Purple Ambassadors find little mention in media coverage, writes Shruti Pushkarna

    Breaking stereotypes at India’s first inclusive fest for Persons with Disabilities

     

     

    By Shruti Pushkarna

     

    Shruti PushkarnaThe year 2023 couldn’t have opened on a better note, or shall I say, ‘inclusive’ note. India witnessed its first ever large-scale inclusive festival for persons with disabilities in Goa from January 6 to 8. Purple Fest was a unique initiative of the state government, supported by the Office of State Commissioner of Persons with Disabilities and collaborating NGOs from across the country.

     

    Over five thousand delegates witnessed this novel amalgamation of different stakeholders including, persons with disabilities, parents, academicians, rehabilitation professionals, disability rights advocates, government officials, employers, entrepreneurs, trainers, technology experts, students, NGO representatives, media and civil society members.

     

    Fortunate to be in the middle of all action, I was in awe of the organising and ground level teams who worked tirelessly to curate an experience that was distinctively discerning. The three-day convention had parallel events and activities running in and around the Entertainment Society of Goa in Panaji, attracting curious crowds. Exhibits of products, services and solutions, experience zones, discussions around inclusive education, employment sports and policy, interactions with achievers and changemakers, music, games, dance, cruise ride, bird walk, movie screenings, marathon, car rally, sporting events and more. It was an action-packed jamboree!

     

    Purple Ambassadors for 21 disabilities at the opening ceremony of the Purple Fest

     

    And all done with the prime objective of including and sensitising the society towards the varied needs, solutions, issues and aspirations of persons with disabilities. According to Census 2011, Goa features in the list of states with low percentage of disabled population of around 32,000. But recent reports indicate a sharp rise in the overall number of disabled persons in the last few years. And the State Social Welfare Department is determined to create awareness as well as make infrastructure and services accessible to all. Purple Fest is one such step in this direction.

     

    Now that I have set the context, let me tell you why this event matters. Foremost, persons with disabilities were seen live in action, belying and breaking stereotypes. Age old images fixated in the minds of people were challenged.

     

    All events and activities had inclusion interwoven into them, true to the spirit of Leaving No One Behind. Physical spaces were made accessible with ramps, elevators, braille signage, QR powered navigation app and so on. Ensuring access for every attendee, there was audio description, sign language interpretation, tactile signing, captions and more. It was all done in a precise and yet matter-of-fact manner, emphasising (to the excluding majority) that it doesn’t take too much, only a mindset shift towards accepting the ‘other’.

     

    This was evident from the experiences shared by some people who participated in a car rally where persons with blindness were teamed up with sighted drivers for a 35km-ride. The visually impaired person used a braille map to help the sighted driver navigate his or her way through. During the rally, the conversations and interdependence experienced by both parties resulted in building friendships and potential long-term relationships between the sighted and visually impaired communities.

     

    Apprehensions gave way to curiosity, finally translating into a change in perception. The lifecycle of any person (including those with disability) involves parenting, education, skilling, employment, healthcare and social welfare. The various exhibits demonstrated how persons with disability and their surrounding community could ensure independent activities of daily living as well as equal access to all services and facilities.

     

    There were grassroots and technological innovations on display, making possible for a person with disability to walk, sit, eat, read, write, watch, cook and play independently or with little help. Assistive aids and devices made it possible for them to conduct science experiments, solve math equations, withdraw cash from an ATM, access smart appliances and even drive on their own.

     

    I could go on because there were many hits at the Purple Fest. The biggest one being the representation of Purple Ambassadors for each of the 21 types of disabilities listed in the Right of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016. It was a historic moment captured by crowds, cameras and crews where so many different disabilities were seen walking the talk.

     

    The Goan dailies and social media platforms were abuzz with stories from the Purple Fest. The inclusion advocate in me was both rooting and scouting for in-depth coverage of this magical manifestation of ability. But I was disappointed with the surface level reportage focused essentially on already famous government officials, disabled achievers and stalwarts in respective domains.

     

    What was missing from the media discourse were the raw, heartwrenching accounts of ordinary (average) persons with disability who managed to overcome challenges in personal and professional spaces. The media missed the chance to recount the stories of Purple Ambassadors of 21 disabilities, especially the lesser understood ones like haemophilia, sickle cell disease, blood disorder and other invisible disabilities.

     

    Fifty-eight-year-old Umesh Salagar from Pune touched many hearts while recapitulating the struggles of a 10-year-old who lost both his parents, forced to earn and study simultaneously, thankfully with some help from his landlady and primary school teacher, only to be later shocked by the death of his young wife, leading to a life with Parkinson’s disease.

     

    Manju Sharma representing chronic neurological disability, shared the sudden turn of events in her life and the gradual journey of acceptance. A jetsetting air hostess had to reset and reorient to a life with acquired neurological conditions that aren’t easily comprehended. She is now gainfully employed in Naomundi, Jharkhand.

     

    Persons with mental illness and learning disability as well as deaf people shared their excruciating trauma of being excluded at various stages in life by a society that scores rather low on empathy. Walking around the venue, having a cup of coffee, listening to the panel discussions, interacting with the 21 representatives, looking at simple solutions and performances, most people experienced innumerable eureka moments.

     

    Did the show of strength and glimpse of an equitable co-existence fail to stir up the media’s sensibility and responsibility towards its citizens?

     

    So why are we publishing this column on an A&M site? Well, we strongly feel that the media can dramatically transform the world of persons with disabilities. And this series can help bring forth issues that the media must champion to create a truly inclusive and accessible India. To write this column, we invited Shruti Pushkarna, a former journalist who now works as Director, EnAble India where she heads North India operations as well as media and communications outreach. Shruti writes for MxMIndia every other Thursday. Her views here are personal. To access the archives of all her 60-plus columns, please visit: https://www.mxmindia.com/category /columns/shruti-pushkarna/