Since 1959 the UN has designated international days in order to draw attention to major issues, and to encourage international action to address concerns that have global importance and ramifications. Thanks to the international community, disability as a human rights issue also gained international recognition and we as disabled community get the opportunity to, at least, make our voices heard on this day. I am wheelchair bound since 1987 due to spinal injury at level c7/6 that resulted from a car accident. Every year I have actively participated on this day and tried to celebrate it with other physically challenged individuals in order to have one common and strong voice, and to strengthen our representation irrespective of the theme selected by the international community. This year the theme for the World Disability Day is “Not All Disabilities are Visible.” One cannot help but wonder what this theme means in the context to our country where the needs of the most visibly disabled people have gone unnoticed for most part.
The year 1995 marked the signing of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons. This declaration provides a framework for equal treatment of disabled people. It mentions disabled people need to be seen and valued as full human, and where needed, to be supported to reach their full potential. Soon after, the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD) ratified in April 2008 provided a new instrument in ensuring equal opportunities for disabled people (refer to UN.Org/disabilities). It is a binding instrument on all governments to ensure the protection of rights of their disabled citizens. Coincidentally, India was the first country in South Asia to become a signatory to the proclamation on the full participation and equality of people with disabilities. It is nearing thirteen years since India signed the proclamation on the full participation and equality of people with disabilities, making special mention of the need to improve the living conditions of people with disabilities. The proclamation made a special mention of the need to improve the living conditions of people with disabilities in rural areas. A recent article, “Disabled & Extremely Poor” in The Hindu (Chandigarh edition) by Vani S. Kulkarni (lecturer in Sociology) and Raghav Gaiha (Research Fellow), dated March 6th, 2020, best presents India’s current situation more than a decade after signing the proclamation. Disabilities are generally associated with either loss of employment or long durations of unemployment that gives rise to poverty. The article notes that, “there is a link between disability, loss of employment and impoverishment in rural India”, and concludes that “ironically the budget for 2020-21 is almost cruel to those experiencing persistent health deprivation by cutting the health outlay.” However, it is unfortunate that approximately 70 million potential workforce in India is estimated wasted due to disability presently. The implementation and enforcement of the rights provided under the legislation will provide meaning to such a commitment.