We Care for You: Sensitizing Youth towards Differently-Abled for Societal Inclusive Growth

The problem is not how to wipe out the differences but how to unite with the differences intact. -Rabindranath Tagore

Differently Abled

More precisely it means "lacking expected abilities.

 The number of differently abled people in India is substantial and likely to grow - disability does not go away as countries get richer
Increasing the status and social & economic participation of people with disabilities would have positive effects on everyone, not just disabled people.

Differently Abled People are Subject to Multiple Deprivations

They are Poorer and have conversion handicap They are more likely to be in low income groups They often have low awareness of rights and entitlements

India has one of the more progressive disability policy frameworks

PWD Act, 1995 National Policy on Persons with Disabilities, 2005 Ratification of UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Oct. 2007) Sector-specific policies emerging e.g. National Action Plan for Inclusion in Education of Children and Youth with Disabilities 2005/06

Key Recommendation: Get the basics right

Key Recommendation: Get the basics right

What does that mean in practice ? Identifying differently abled people as soon as possible after onset the system needs major improvements in this most basic function Major improvements in early intervention, which can cost effectively transform the lives of differently abled people, their families, and the communities they live and work in Getting all children with special needs into school and giving young differently abled adults the skills to participate fully in family and economic life Expanding efforts to improve societal attitudes to people with disabilities, relying on public-private partnerships that build on successful models already operating in India

The Way Forward

1. Understand the scale and impact of disability in the country setting and recognise the diversity of the disabled population 2. Advocate and support the human rights model of disability rather than the charitable or medical approach Disabled people want equal rights, not charity. Disabled people are entitled to the same human rights as all other citizens. In order to meet this standard, all people should celebrate the diversity within their communities and seek to ensure that disabled people can have the full range of human rights civil, political, social, economic and cultural.

The Way Forward

3. Recognise women and children with disabilities in programmes It is important to design programmes and projects in a way that secures gender equality and for both men and women to have equal influence on the design, decision-making and implementation. Furthermore, as women and children with disabilities are often severely marginalised, specific initiatives are required to reduce exclusion and discrimination by: Education projects aimed specifically towards women and children with disabilities. Strengthening of disabled womens networks and networks of parents of children with disabilities. Specific programmes for children with disabilities.

The Way Forward

4. Include disabled people in the workforce An inclusive organisation working on poverty issues should employ a reasonable proportion of disabled people among their staff.

THANK YOU