Question

The Government of India passed the Disabilities Act in 1995. This law states that persons with disabilities have equal rights, and that the government should make possible their full participation in society. The government has to provide free education and integrate children with disabilities into mainstream school. This law also states that all public places including buildings, schools, etc. should be accessible and provided with ramps.

Look at the below picture and think about the man who is being carried down the stairs. Do you think the above law is being implemented in his case? What needs to be done to make the building more accessible for him? How would he being carried down the stairs affect his dignity as well as his safety?

Answer 1

Hint: Accessible India Campaign or Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan is a program that aims to serve the differently-abled community of the country. The scheme also comes under the Disabilities Act of $1995$. Only $3%$ of buildings in India are accessible to the differently-abled as per the latest reports.

Complete answer:
1. The picture clearly shows the grave state of affairs existing in India even though the law clearly states that differently-abled people have the right to accessibility public places. The accessible India campaign came out with ambitious aims to make buildings in India especially those in state capitals differently-abled friendly. The Accessible India campaign even comes with an Index to measure the design of disabled-friendly buildings and human resource policies.
2. The National Disability Authority of Ireland has developed a universally applicable framework to ensure the accessibility of disabled in buildings which advocates the following steps:
The first thing to do while making a building more accessible to differently-abled is to audit the building with the help of an accessibility expert to measure the accessibility of the building. Development of an access handbook providing general accessibility information should be provided. Make sure that steps are complemented with ramps that will help improve accessibility for the disabled. We also have to provide lifts in all new buildings with more than one floor. Corridors should not be obstructed with paraphernalia. Public buildings should have proper signs to guide people. Customized toilets should provide for the disabled so that they can use them easily. Lighting should be proper in all the areas of a building.
3. The picture shows that a disabled person is being carried down the stairs by some people. This is a very unfortunate scenario that is a by-product of the inaccessibility of building for the disabled. This is an embarrassing situation as far as the disabled person is concerned as he will be the point of untoward attention and he will be more conscious of his so called imperfections. As he is being carried down manually by people along with the wheelchair, the chances of accidents are high. He may fall from the chair and it may cause injuries. This also makes him dependent on others and hampers his freedom of movement.

Note: Prime Minister Modi described persons with disabilities as “Divyang” thus changing the traditional nomenclature. The government has also reserved $3%$ of vacancies in public employment. The government has also introduced the Inclusiveness and Accessibility Index is mainly focused on the readiness of various stakeholders.