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VIEWSW
SA Forum for Inclusive Expression

THE INAUGURAL ISSUEOCTOBER 2012

This newsletter is an endeavor to share thedifferent views of people touched by disability
whether as a person with a disability, acaregiver, a professional, a policymaker, afriend, a volunteer or just anyone touched bydisability; and the news that affects the daily lifeof a person with disability.
We have tried to make thisThis newsletter provides an equal platform fornewsletter as accessible as all of us to express ourselves and raise issues
possible in terms of use of that concern our lives.
font, spacing andWhile working together on this issue of News &alignment.

Views we discovered the satisfaction in realizing

For AUDIO and BRAILLE

our own abilities both individually & collectively.

copies, and to send

It called for all of us to work with new team

CONTRIBUTIONS write tomembers, appreciate each other’s skills, learn

us at:

to apply our own skills onto newer areas of work

Action for Ability

such as conceptualizing, editing, translations

Development & Inclusionand designing. We learnt and we grew together.

2, Balbir Saxena Marg,As this is a forum to learn from each others

Hauz Khas, New Delhi-16

experiences, an active participation from our

Email: aadi@aadi-india.org

readers will help us find a voice and achieve theWebsite: www.aadi-india.org

goal in making this world a better place.
1

The importance of being visible- By Amrit Hallan
The accessibility problems vis-a-vis various
disabilities are universal but they areespecially more dire in India where ignorance
and inaccessible public and private places go hand-in-hand.
To be frank it is not disability-specific; ignorance towards fellow humanbeings is in the DNA of the social fabric of our country.
Nonetheless, accessibility cannot be left to serendipity just because there is
all pervasive apathy in urban and rural populations. Lots of this apathy
originates from lack of visibility. You don’t see many people with disabilities
on the roads, on the streets or in the villages. They are either tucked awayor they themselves prefer to remain inside.
You want accessible places?
Start being at places that are
not accessible and let
people know what needlesstrouble you have to go
through.

Yes, there is no accessible transport, butthen the problem doesn’t begin and stopwith public transport. What about yourrelatives and friends? How accessible are
their homes and localities? How
accessible is YOUR home?

Suppose you are able to find an accessible vehicle but still upon reaching
the place you find that the entire surrounding is inaccessible? Afterdismounting the bus you cannot cross the road because there is a big
divider bang in the middle of the road. Or maybe the pavement is all
broken. Even if you are able to somehow enter the lane the person you
have come to meet lives on the first floor. Even if he lives on the ground2

floor maybe you have to climb a few stairs. So problems could beinterminable. How do you deal with them?
There is no easy solution, but you can begin with being more visible. Go
out more, at least to places you can go to. Be a part of the social milieu. It
might be difficult but it is not impossible. Once you start going out, once you
start encountering problems and you begin to find yourself in unforeseen
circumstances, you will come up with new solutions. And this is not
hypothetical; I have had first-hand experience devising or stumbling upon
ways to reach places. By merely staying
at home I could have never imagined
myself tackling those situations.
You want accessible places? Start beingat places that are not accessible and let
people know what trouble you have to go

Once you start going out,
once you start encountering
problems and find yourself in
unforeseen circumstances,
you will come up with new
solutions.

through. Among
hundreds of people
witnessing yourstruggle, a few will
think, “What the heck?
Why can’t we have aramp instead of thesebroken steps?” This is
how an accessible
world will begin to takeshape.

Our cities need to have accessible transport

So get out of the houseeven if it means just going across the service road. Become visible.

3THE AADI JOURNEY

Our VISION: “A world in which people with disability are an integral partof society with equitable access to opportunities and services, enablingthem to participate fully in the community and live life to the fullest.
Policy Framework and implications on our work
The ratification of UNCRPD by India implies that all persons with disability have a rightto live with dignity. All persons with disability have a right to make decisions about theirlives, live within the community, marry, raise families and have access to education,
health, recreation, work and employment. The

Over the past thirty-four years,

Right To Free and Compulsory Education

at AADI, we have moulded ouropens up avenues for Inclusive Education forwork according to the needs ofchildren with Disabilities.

the person with disability and

The main focus of our work in the current
paradigm is:
Urban

and

Rural

Community

Basedhave grown from strength tostrength.

Programme
The focus of the programmes is to work on the Habilitation and Rehabilitation needs
and rights of people with disability. While the rural programme works from Ballabgarh
Block in Faridabad District of Haryana, the urban community programme is initiatedfrom Chattarpur area of South Delhi.
At a community level our efforts are to organize, strengthen and extend services,
particularly in health, education, employment and social services, as close to thecommunities’ that the persons with disability live in.
At an individual level our efforts are to attain and maintain maximum independence,full physical, mental, social and vocational ability and full inclusion and participation in
all aspects of life.
·

Our efforts with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi are towards systemic changes
to provide quality education to all including children with disability.

4·In the rural areas of Alwar, Rajasthan our work with Bodh Shiksha Sansthan is toestablish good education practices that promote inclusive education and provide
individual support to children with disability.

Capacity Building Programme
It is with the belief that all service providers, be it teachers, doctors, lawyers engineersor architects, will be accessed by people with disability and that people with disability
also require professionals for specific impairment related services, that a multi-tiered
workforce is envisaged to address the human resource requirement under the newparadigm. We have initiated the process of training people with disability,
professionals and parents on operationalizing a rights paradigm.
Sambhav – Making Inclusion Possible
The project based at AADI aims to evolve
processes that will ensure safety, wellbeing

The process of ensuring that people
with disabilities enjoy their humanand permanence in fulfilling the needs ofrights is slow and uneven. But it ispeople with disability and their caregivers

taking place, in all economic and social

who come to AADI. Here too, we work acrosssystems. It is inspired by the values

all ages and across all impairments. The

that

underpinhumanrights:theinestimable dignity of each and every

National Resource Centre, in collaboration

human being, the concept of autonomy

with National Trust, showcases accessibleor self-determination that demands thatenvironments for home, office, education,

the person be placed at the centre of allcommunication, mobility and leisure. It serves

decisionsas an exhibition –cum- demonstration andinherent equality of all regardless of

training ground. Individuals and families candifference, and the ethic of solidarity

affectinghim/her,thethat requires society to sustain theaccess the walk-in services/internships for

freedom of the person with appropriate

individualised assessments, support andsocial supports.

future plans. Our work with the individual

Disability and Human Rights – United

include areas of shelter ; livelihood andoccupation; health; education; relationships;
leisure; identity; and protection from abuse,neglect and maltreatment.
5

Nations
Gerard Quinn and Theresia Degener

CITY BA
ARRIERSS- By Jy
yotika Kumar
OVERVIE
EW: Citiess and towns, are meantmto bee wellplanned anda equipped to pro
ovide opp
portunitiess for avarietyv
of experiences like education,ecareer,recreationn, health anda mobility. But arre our citie
es andtowns
tbuiilt in a ma
anner that is inclusivve and faccilitate
access foor personss with disa
abilities? AreA
residents with disabilities asssured of a safe anddhassle fre
ee journeyy through them so tthat they toot
can savou
ur each ex
xperiencee? Are theey able toconfidently venture
e out and feel a sen
nse ofAree our citie
es and tow
wns
built in a ma
anner tha
at isincllusive an
nd facilita
ate
acc
cess for persons
p
w
with
disa
abilities?
?

belongingg to the coommunitie
es they livve in? Herre’s an acccount by a personwithw disabbility. She gives a comparativcve insightt into her eexperienc
ces of livinng as both a child andd an adult--in two diffferent countries.

2012: Jyotika’ss visit to a local market
minGreateer Kailashh, Delhi.

I currently live at a househwith my family in
GGreaterKaailash (G.K.) a colo
ony in Sou
uth Delhi.
O SundaOn
ay the 29thh July, I w
went for a walk in m
myw
wheelchair in our arrea. The rroads in G.K.
G
are
v
very
uneve
en and ve
ery bumpyy in placess withs
speed
breakers, potholes and natural manholesso the roaonads and arre generally in a rou
ughccondition
in India in comparisson with England.
E6

1990s - Jyotika’s visit to Wilton Park, England
When entering the Wilton Park, one is engulfed by tall and high conifer trees.
The car park leads directly to the children's playing area, that has got atarmac slope which is a non-slippery slope and it is accessible for pushchairs
as well as wheelchairs. The children's playing area, which has equipment likeswings, a slide, and a climbing frame is covered with a wooden chip surface
material, which ensures the safety of children while they are playing. I used toespecially enjoy going on the swings, the slide and having a ride on one of
the horses with my parents, at Wilton Park. I used to love sitting at the top of
the slide, and sliding down at a fast speed and waiting to hit the floor at theend of the slide.

SPOT SIX THINGS THAT DEPICT INCLUSION IN THIS CANTEEN

Answers on last page

7

UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WITHDISABILITES (UNCRPD)
The purpose of the Convention is to promote, protect and ensure the full andequal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons
with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity. It was adopted
by the United Nations General Assembly on thirteenth December 2006, andratified by India on first October, 2007.
The Convention is both a development and a human rights instrument. It is apolicy instrument, which is cross-disability, cross-sectoral and legally binding.
The Convention marks a ‘paradigm shift’ in attitudes and approaches to persons
with disabilities. Persons with disabilities are not viewed as "objects" of charity,
medical treatment and social protection; rather
as "subjects" with rights, who are capable ofclaiming those rights and making decisions fortheir lives based on their free and informed
consent as well as being active members ofsociety. The Convention gives universal
recognition to the dignity of persons with

Disability is an evolving
concept, and results fromthe interaction between
persons with impairments
and attitudinal andenvironmental barriers thathinders full and effective
participation in society on
an equal basis with others’

disabilities.
The Convention does not explicitly define
disability. Preamble of Convention states,“Disability is an evolving concept, and that
disability results from the interaction between persons with impairments andattitudinal and environmental barriers that hinders full and effective participation
in society on an equal basis with others’. Article one of the Convention states:‘Persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental,
intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may
8hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis withothers’.
Since Disability results from an interaction between a non-inclusive society andindividuals it means that a person using a wheelchair might have difficulties
gaining employment not because of the
QuickTime™
QuickT
ime™ andand adecompresso
pressorrpressoare neededneeded toto see this picture.
pwheelchair, but because there areenvironmental barriers such as
inaccessible buses or staircases which
impede access.
General Principles of the Convention (Article three):n Respect for inherent dignity,
individual autonomy including

CONVENTION TERMINOLOGYn YES:q ‘persons withdisabilities’n NO:q ‘handicapped’q ‘physically or mentallychallenged’
n Note: Preferences forterminology among persons
with disabilities and among
geographic regions may vary.
The individual wishes of
persons with disabilities should
be respected as much as
possible.
According to the Convention, allactivities must include theparticipation of persons withdisabilities:

the freedom to make one’s own
choices, and independence of
persons
n Non-discriminationn Full and effective participationand inclusion in societyn Respect for difference andacceptance of persons withdisabilities as part of humandiversity and humanityn Equality of opportunityn Accessibilityn Equality between men andwomen‘Nothing About Us Without Us’n Respect for the evolving
capacities of children with9

disabilities and respect for the right of children with disabilities to preserve
their identities
The different Articles of the Convention are:
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·

·
·
·

PurposeDefinitions
General principles
General obligations
Equality and non-discrimination
Women with disabilities
Children with disabilities
Awareness-raising
Accessibility
Right to life
Situations of risk andhumanitarian emergencies
Equal recognition before the law
Access to justice
Liberty and security of thepersonFreedom from torture or cruel,inhuman or degrading treatment
or punishment
Freedom from exploitation,
violence and abuse
Protecting the integrity of thepersonLiberty of movement andnationality· Living independently and being
included in the community· Personal mobility· Freedom of expression andopinion, and access to
information· Respect for privacy· Respect for home and the family· Education· Health· Habilitation and rehabilitation· Work and employment· Adequate standard of living andsocial protection· Participation in political andpublic life
· Participation in cultural life,
recreation, leisure and sport· Statistics and data collection· International cooperation· National implementation andmonitoring· International monitoringmechanism

You can read more about the Convention by clicking on ‘Convention’ in thefollowing link:www.un.org/disabilities
You can also browse through www. uncrpdindia.org
This site is an initiative by the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for
Disabled People ( NCPEDP), for spreading awareness of the UNCRPD in India
and has links to the UNCRPD in different Indian languages.
Watch out for details on each of these articles in subsequent issues!

10

A WINDOW OF HAPPINESS- By Vinayna Khurana

Just opposite my bed

As the cold wind blows

And relives all the pain

Painted with color red

Little birds tweet

When it grows dark

There is a window ofSongs so sweet

Dogs start to barkhappiness

Rain darkens the sky

Little stars glow above the sky

With a pinch of sadness

As birds fly by

And twinkle, as moon flows by

I can see the sky

The rain cleans

This window, my window

Blue and white

The garden so green

Is like a small world

With a beam of sunlight

The leaves dance

A world of happiness

Clouds as white a snow

By the strike of rain

Through which I stand by

11

THE STRUGGLE TO WORK
- By Rahul Sharma
I am twenty-three. I graduated with a first class in a
B.Sc. (Bio. Tech). I am physically handicapped.
Disabled people are backward in fields ofeducation and occupation due to lack ofawareness and lack of governmental support.
There is a law - Act 1995 that protects therights and duties of the disabled, but it is not“I continue to be
unemployed because of
the job market’s narrowperception that considers
disabled incapable ofworking.”

enforced seriously. Because of this, society
continues to pity people with disabilities and their rights are violated. I have been
personally affected by these problems. I completed my graduation two years
back but continue to be unemployed because of the job market’s narrowperception that considers disabled people incapable of working. Despite
notifying the district administration and the Haryana government, of myunemployed status they choose to remain silent. When I met the authorities theysaid that they cannot coerce private companies to employ disabled people and
The disabled should strive tounite nation-wide to effectively
impress upon the government
their views and influence theirpolicies.

disabled people do not have a right toemployment. This is why disabled people
remain unemployed. When employed thegesture reeks of pity. My personal
experience shows that although thegovernment gives loans to disabled people for higher education andemployment, the disabled fall prey to high interest rates. This leads to economic
exploitation. I had filed for an RTI in this matter. Despite detailed disclosures an12enquiry is yet to be made. In the process, the concerned officers will get
reprieve and the disabled will sit aside, their energies exhausted!
Disabled people will have to protect their rights and duties by being aware
themselves. It is imperative that disabled people avail all government schemes
for their benefit and strongly protest against their misuse.
In order to raise awareness on issues faced by disabled people, the government
should introduce a chapter on persons with disabilities in the N.C.E.R.T.
syllabus of class sixth to tenth. This can ensure that society does not, in the
future, view them as objects of pity.
The disabled will have toprotect their rights and duties
by being aware themselves.

In my view, the disabled should strive tounite nation-wide to effectively impress
upon the government their views andinfluence their policies. Organizations
working in this field should coordinate andsupport this action and turn it into amovement.

I have a disability.
Yes that’s true.
But all that really means is
I may have to take aslightly different
path than you.
-Robert. M. Hensel

13

The Economics of Disability- Darsana Khir
Money plays very important role any person’s life. But
for a disabled person, the importance of money
increases many-fold.
A person, who wishes to live independently, will requiremoney to hire a person for physical support, whichcosts lot of money. We need money to fulfill our rights and rights at home often
lie in the small things - like what I want to wear and what food I want to eat?
Money is even required for our entertainment and travel.
As a person grows the medical needs also grows. The person cannot be
dependent on the family or siblings for their medical needs. There are otherneeds also like housing and marriage. If one has enough financial security then
one can live comfortably without being a burden on the family.

Some insights during a visit to Dayalpur- Pankaj Kapoor
I was in Dayalpur to see the community work on sixteenthand twenty third August 2012. I saw that there was acemented ramp, which had been made by the Panchayat
after several discussions. But I saw that there was no
facility of toilets, so the mothers carried children on theirlaps or took them outside. At the schools, the toilets were
not well equipped for the wheel-chair users. I suggested that the door could be
widened for the wheel chair to pass through. The village has transportation
problem due to which people have to walk a lot. What I think is that we need totalk to Haryana transport authority so that all the buses, tempos, rickshaws andautos should be fitted with ramps.
14

THOUGHTS ON THE INCLUSIVE CLASSROOM- By Sheetal Batra
After the implementation of the Right toFree & Compulsory Education Act 2009,
I have had the opportunity to interact
with parents of children with autism studyingin the regular school system. I also haveobserved classes and interacted with teachers.
All this has raised several thoughts & questions
in my mind.
Learning, studying & moving ahead in life is theright of every child including children with

Learning, studying &moving ahead in life is
the right of every childincluding children with
impairments.

impairments. Do people other than parents ofchildren with impairment truly understand that?
Every child has the potential to learn, and express their feelings & thoughts. But
the potential can be realized only when they are given the opportunity to take up
the challenge.
Due to Right to Education somehow children with impairment have been
admitted in schools. But does a child with autism really belong?
After getting into the schools, children have made an identity for themselves;
they have made friends, played in the grounds & had fun in the canteen.
Do parents of children with
autism get to heave a sighof relief after sending theirchild to school each day or
do they keep worrying
about what new complaint
would come from theteacher?

Even so, why is it that the child with autism
carries the label of being naughty & so is heldback in class during other activities likeassembly? Despite having friends, why does
the child with autism get beaten up and15

bullied? Is it just because he is unable to convey this to the teacher?
Why does the mother of a child with autism always worry at the end of the day
while asking the teacher how her child did? Do parents of children with autism
get to heave a sigh of relief after sending their child to school each day or dothey keep worrying about what new complaint would come from the teacher?
A child with autism too wishes to build an identity and be treated with respect &dignity. There should be someone who accepts him as a person andunderstands his non-verbal communication. People should listen to him; give
him time & space to express in any way- words, actions or gestures.
I also understand that it is difficult for teachers
to teach a diverse group together because it’s
the first time for them too. In my view, only a
few things are required to make inclusion
possible

for

all.

These

includehavingpatience, an open mind, meticulous planning& a sincere belief. And all this should not be a
one day affair but continuous in nature.
So a sincere request to all teachers to try &follow these suggestions as the child with
autism is your student too. Provide him with

Answers to picture on page 7:
1. The door is wide enough fora wheelchair to go through.
2. Two people are having a
conversation in sign language.
3. The counter height is lower
so that a person on awheelchair can reach it.
4. There is a braille menu.
5. People with visual
impairment are using thecanteen.
6. There is a person using a
motorized wheelchair at one of
the tables and the height of thetable is appropriate for him.

opportunities to prove his potential.
EDITORIAL TEAM
Deepak Jain
Indranil Chakravarti
Meenu Mani
Mohammed Sarfaraz
Nidhi Jalan
Rajeev Uppal
Shahana Chakraborty
Tejesh KumarJain

TRANSLATIONS:
Alka Singh
Pramod Sharma
ILLUSTRATIONS : Malay Chakraborti
DESIGN: Radhika Chandrasekhar

An AADI Initiative

16