The rights of persons with disabilities Act, 2016 remains only a legal document without intense sensitization of Government functionaries and citizens regarding disability. Comment.

As per Census 2011, disabled persons constitute 2.21% of the total population. India signed the United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disability.

Right of Persons with Disabilities (PwD) Act 2016

• The types of disabilities have been increased from 7 to 21. The act added mental illness, autism, speech and language disability, sickle cell disease, acid attack victims, etc which were largely ignored in earlier act. 
• It increases reservation from 3% to 4% in government jobs and higher education institutes. 
• Every child with benchmark disability between 6 and 18 years shall have the right to free education. 

Societal apathy towards Persons with Disability (PwD) in India:

• Discrimination and stigmatization attached to PwD by the society. 
• Consider PwD as burden or liability by family. 
• Negligence towards their issues like accessibility to Transport, IT etc. 
• Considered as a sin committed in last birth.

Lax implementation by Government functioning:

• Lack of medical facilities. 
• Lack of availability of special schools, trained teachers for the disabled. 
• Most government buildings in India are not disability-friendly 
• Administrative apathy towards implementation of plans and policies for disabled.

Way Forward:

1. Increasing Public Awareness and Understanding of Disability
2. Social campaigns that change attitudes on stigmatized issues related to PwD. 
3. Showing positive representations of people with disabilities e.g. Paralympian Anali Lakhera. 
4. Special schools with the label special needs can have a stigma or negative connotation. Students may only learn and interact with peers with special needs.

Govt’s Sugmaya Bharat Abhiyaan is in right direction to sensitize people to bring behavioural towards Divyangjan and timely govt intervention in the spirit of Article 41 of the constitution.