India is the home of 150 million people with disabilities, of which 25-30 million have a severe disability. Most of them are dependent on their families and institutions for care. Persons with Disabilities Act 2016, makes it mandatory for both private and public institutions to have an inclusive infrastructure, but there are some major setbacks. After the coronavirus outbreak person with disability community has had to face different kinds of problems as compared to other population. These problems increase the chances of the spread of coronavirus. Case in point being a person with visual impairment who needs assistance if they are travelling on their own and secondly, they cannot read messages which other people can; making it difficult to maintain social distancing. For persons with hearing impairment, if they want to access news then the only option for them is to lip read as there are very few news channels which provide news with sign language interpretation.

This pandemic has affected work and education. Most of the work and education had to shift to an online mode. While applications like WebEx and Zoom meetings have made our life easier through which we can attend classes and in turn stay safe but on the flip side the same convenience is not experienced by a person suffering from a hearing impairment. Amongst the popularly used applications, there is only one app. i.e. Google meeting which provides subtitles for the meeting.  

As a person with disability when I joined GNLU, it was quite overwhelming; the new atmosphere and the huge campus. I have had to wake up early in the morning so that I don’t get late for the classes. GNLU campus is great but somewhere or the other there were problems which I ignored. The Act of 2016 may have changed its approach from sympathy to rights based but the attitude of people still remains sympathy based. I have to wait for food, which feels like hours. Until and unless one does not call for the server he will not come (then what is the point?) I also remember those days when I had to go for classes without breakfast because nobody turned up.

“To change things all you have to do is speak up for yourself and for the people you care about“

It was in my third year when I decided to work on an inclusive campus (also because I was tired of attending classes without eating breakfast), I realized that inclusivity is not a luxury but a necessity. When my thinking process changed, I observed different kinds of issues which exist in our college. For starters, I requested corporation bank and GNLU administration to attach a railing to the steps of the ATM of corporation bank. It was quite embarrassing for me when I used to visit the ATM and ask for “help” to climb the steps. I realized this would solve half of the problem for an inclusive environment.

I realized that once you change the approach towards things and stop ignoring them, you can create an impact. All you have to do is speak up for yourself and for people you care about. Inclusivity in India has still a long way to go. Whether you see an absence of a sign language interpreter in Honorable Prime Minister`s speeches or the rural roads which add five stars to the experience of wheelchair users, one thing in common which is missing is inclusivity. But I hope still because unlike earlier, now most people are more aware of the concept of disability, they are friends with person with disability, and cognizant of the problems which plague them. This involvement of more able people in our fight for inclusivity, may just be the push our country needs.

I wish and hope for an India where person with disability do not have to struggle for an inclusive environment.

– Zainab Sana Tarannum