Empowering the Disabled : Steps and Obstacles

Empowering the Disabled : Steps and Obstacles

Question: Empowerment of persons with disabilities is one of the major goals of good governance. Discuss how far this has been achieved and what the obstacles are?

Steps to Empower the Disabled

Government PSU ALIMCO has signed the following MoUs:

- Creating artificial limbs with Ottobock India
- High technique wheelchair manufacture with Motivation India

• Inclusion of high end devices for distribution to persons with disabilities under CSR

• Introduction of cochlear implant surgery to empower hearing impaired persons

• ALIMCO has also created state of the art R&D centre for manufacturing and providing world class aid especially to those who are from economically underprivileged sections of society

• National Action Plan for Skill Training of Persons with Disabilities has been launched

• Job portal for PwDs has been initiated; mega camps and job fairs were also held

• National Trust has a unique health insurance scheme for persons with autism, cerebral palsy, MR and multiple disabilities

• Scholarship schemes for disabled persons have also been launched

• Scheme for modernisation of 10 existing and 15 new Braille presses have been launched for which INR 3.86 crore has been released

• National Institute for Visually Handicapped has launched a Braille course for Nepali, Garo and Khasi languages under the NE project

• Outlay of INR 20 crore has been launched for State Spinal Injury centres

• Scheme for establishment of colleges for hearing impaired persons has been launched

• Awareness generation and publicity scheme has been launched for empowering PwDs and sensitising society

• “Accessible India” was launched as a national campaign for universal accessibility for PwDs

• Scheme on Research on Disability Related Technology, Products and Issue was also launched

• Online system has been launched for improving transparency and simplifying application process for grant in aid to NGOs

Obstacles

• PwDs lack access on equal basis with others in many areas such as transportation, employment, education, justice, and political participation

• Lack of infrastructural facilities such as special ramps is another obstacle

• Disabled persons have also been marginalised and categorised as different; sensitising society to bring about attitude change is essential

• Poverty further complicates the situation and hampers rehab

• A DAA report estimated that 15,000 children go blind each year because they lack access to vitamin A on account of malnourishment. Lack of economic resources are a major impediment for empowerment of PwDs

• The report further estimates that 90% of disabled children will not survive beyond 20 while 90% of mentally disabled children will not survive beyond age 5

• As a result of receiving segregated education, disabled children face lack of employability as well

• No country in the world has a completely 100% accessible transport system for disabled persons

• Policies are not effectively implemented to benefit those in need

Facts and Stats

• National Action Plan for Skill Training of PwD aims at covering 25 lakh persons by 2022
• Around 10,19,799 beneficiaries were helped by the national institutes in 2014, 15% more than 2013

• National Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation has disbursed INR 101.49 crore as loan to 14,703 PwDs for self employment ventures

• Insurance to the tune of INR 4.97 crore was released for 9372 beneficiaries between May 2014 and April 2015