Because Life is a Gift by Disha

Author:Disha [Disha]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Tags: Mobilism
Publisher: Srishti Publishers & Distributors
Published: 2014-10-02T00:00:00+00:00

“We are one of you. Only our mode of movement is different…”

Neeru can be contacted at [email protected].

Disability and Accessibility

Asimple knee injury which restricts one’s movements for a day is difficult to bear for a person. A hearing problem which stops a person from communicating with his family for a day can be frustrating. A person’s sore throat which prevents him from speaking can spoil his day. It is an almost impossible task for a pregnant woman to climb four floors to reach her office. A disabled person faces these situations day in and day out. The only difference in this case is that he cannot stay home. He has to face these obstacles as he needs to go out and earn his living. He needs to communicate with others not just for personal, but professional reasons as well. He needs to work as any other person does for a decent living.

In a country like ours, with almost 55 million people facing these issues on a day-to-day basis, a country whose disabled people outnumber the entire population of France, why is it that 95 percent of our buildings are still constructed without due diligence to the concept of accessibility? It is interesting to note that making a building disabled friendly adds only 2 percent to the total cost of the building. Why is it that ramps, railings, Braille prints, slip resistant floorings, audio visual signs and so on are not taken into account when building schools, colleges, offices, tourist places, shopping complexes, restaurants, bus stands and even hospitals? Shouldn’t every bank and hospital have a sign language interpreter? How is a differently-abled person supposed to explain his illness to a doctor in the absence of such basic services?

Their voices are often ignored by people sitting in important customer-facing roles. Many cannot go to schools without assistance. It is no wonder then, that when a differently-abled child is born in a house, all that the parents think of is the survival of their child. No wonder such children are protected and not allowed to step out of their homes to live their dreams.

All the people in this book have shown how accessibility can have an impact on their lives. A little cooperation by the school, college authorities, and corporate houses helped them fulfil their dreams and go beyond the ordinary. It not just makes social but also economic sense for India to grow and prosper. For how else do we claim to be a world-class economic power?

If this country truly has to take inclusive growth seriously, it is time we pay attention to these 55 million. It is time we make our country barrier-free for all our country men.

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