Jahangeer Ganaie
Srinagar, Dec 3: On the eve of World Disability Day, the specially-abled persons said that they aren’t considered as humans both by the government as well as society
They demanded the government to ensure proper rights to them and said that the claims being made by the government are nowhere visible on the ground.
Javed Tak, a specially-abled person from south Kashmir, who bagged Padma Shri last year said that it is unfortunate that the people with disabilities have to protest on World Disability Day to press for their rights, saying that such protests on the particular day depicts their plight.
“World Disability Day is not to extend charity. It is the day to boost the capabilities of persons with Disabilities and ensure their inclusion in all spheres of life,” he said.
Tak said that the rights guaranteed to them under persons with disabilities Act 2016 are not being implemented. “Despite accessible India campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendera Modi, there is no accessibility for us as under this scheme minor works were conducted at some places but most of the money got lapsed,” he said.
Tak said that the government should have at least issued a circular with regard to ensuring all new buildings be accessible for disabled persons by providing suitable facilities like ramps, lifts and other things to them. “In absence of these facilities, the particular community is being pushed to the wall,” he said.
“There are no special educators, no disabled friendly washrooms in schools, no teaching material. How can disabled persons go to school,” he asked, adding that there is a four percent reservation of jobs for disabled persons but that too is missing on the ground.
In most of the cases, the government t officials are not aware about the rights of the disabled persons, saying that the community has been exempted from exam fee but they are being asked to submit fee and even clerks don’t have any information about it.
He said that the main motive of celebrating disability day is to find their problems and solve them till next year so as to celebrate the achievements but everything here is going in the reverse direction.
“We aren’t even accepted as human,” he said, adding that as per the rules, the government has to provide full assistance to the disabled person with regard to medicines and other related things but that is not being done.
Aaqib Rehman, a student at Jawaharlal Nehru university, who is visually impaired from Kulgam said that the government must work on the accessibility of physical as well as online infrastructure, recruit permanent special educators, arrange scribes, and ensure reservations as per the rules.
“We are being discriminated against at all levels and civil society and religious clerics have to play a role to make people aware about our rights in religion and constitution as well so that no one can give us ill treatment,” he said.
Meanwhile an official of Social Welfare department said that disabled persons are getting benefited through different schemes like monthly pension, scholarships and prosthetic aids.
He said that they are getting job reservations as per the rules besides that the government has been making all important buildings disabled friendly and work on ramps, lifts and other things is going on.
The main aim is to celebrate this day is to change attitude of people towards disabled persons as they are part of the society and the government is committed for the welfare of the disabled persons and everyone must play a positive role in it, he said.
