I think of a democratic and progressive India, where rights of every citizen are respected and ensured.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
An unending struggle for the disabled: Experiences of Ms. Shalini Sethi
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Disabled and Driving - Can both exist together or at the cost of each other?
“Provided that the State government or any local authority authorized in this behalf shall erect traffic signs, install auditory signals at red lights in the public roads, curb cuts and slopes in pavements so as to provide inclusive, un-interrupted continuous pedestrian and road infrastructure , for effective participation of persons with disabilities on an equal basis with others.”
Such an adapted vehicle is registered as ‘Invalid Carriage’ at the whims and fancies of the RTO. To harass the disabled applicants, the RTO often ask the user to produce a sale letter (form 21) of the Invalid Carriage. Now, since no automobile manufacturer in India supply company-fitted scooter with side wheels or produces an invalid carriage, such a sale letter can not be produced. Here starts the harassment to the user and malpractices in absence of laws due to subjectivity available with the RTOs.
Tendulkar needs crutches to walk, but she learnt to ride a scooter when she was 23. The HR executive, who works for Goregaon-based Excel Cropcare Ltd, has been travelling to work on her Activa for 15 years, but now wants to learn to drive a four-wheeler. She applied for a vehicle loan, purchased an Alto and even got it modified to make it disabled-friendly with the sanction of the Regional Transport Office (RTO).
Accordingly, Tendulkar applied for a vehicle loan and bought an Alto on August 10, 2009 for Rs2,85,000. “I also spent an additional Rs34,000 to modify it. The brakes, accelerator as well as the clutch can be controlled with hands, as opposed to a normal car,” she said. “All this was done with the RTO’s permission. The officials even checked the car after the modification and submitted a report on October 14, 2009. But I am yet to get the registration done.”
warm regards
Subhash Chandra Vashishth
Advocate-Disability Rights
subhashvashishth@gmail.com
+91-11-9811125521
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Want to become Judge? An ideal opportunity for VH law graduates in Delhi
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
A petition for mercy dealth for 4 disabled sons brings some support from Ac
The couple now fears their four-year-old daughter may become disabled when she turns five. "Till now our daughter is doing fine but we are quite worried about her. She might meet the same fate like her brothers after a year or so," said Prabhavati.
As far as the president's decission is concerned, I feel she shouldthrow the decission about Euthanasia out of the window and think inlines of what the government should do for a family like this,assuring good medical facilities, education and financial assistancefor any productive purpose the family undertakes for it's survival.The steps taken should be in such a manner that no disabled person inIndia should ever even think in lines of Euthanasia again.
I know most of you would burst into laughter reading my suggestions asto what our caring and concerned governments should do for thisfamily. They are so busy taking care of the members who support themto sustain power till the nest elections.
To quote a small example, the H R A of the members of Andhra Pradeshassembly has been raised by just 200% recently and the additionalconveyance allowance paid to disabled bankers is a mighty sum of 400per month.Oh god! how much tax should I have to pay this year as a result ofthis conveyance allowance?
Muscular distrophy is not just a disability, it is a terminal anddegenerative condition which gradually deteriorates until the patientfinally dies. People with this condition suffer a great deal as it worsens.It can in no way be compared with blindness, deafness or other suchdisabilities. While considering euthenasia in case of normal disabilitiesshould be categorized as outright criminal, terminally ill patients shouldbe given the right to decide about their own lives and should be allowed todie if they wish to. Suffering through such conditions is pointless if thereis no hope in sight.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Finally Railways plan to address access issues at select 1500 railway stations!
My Fears
- And mind you, they say that they are doing it not because it is mandated under a binding Central Law called The Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act 1995 but because of the continuous requests which are being received from the physically challenged people from all over India. What a cruel joke on the 14 year old Legislative Enactment of Indian Parliament!
- If Railways execute the access solutions at the standards at which they are currently doing at many of the stations, I fear whether we will ever have accessibility at Indian Railway Stations and trains !
- As long as you call alternate access ramps, reserved parking slots, low height water taps and accessible toilets to be special facilities, I doubt it would be sustainable! Answer lies in Universal Design! Why can't the stations be designed to be accessible to all based on universal design rather than special access to some.
- Today, in the name of low height water taps, inaccessible taps have been built. Look at the socalled "accessible toilets" at stations. They remain either locked or are inaccessible. Ramps are slippery, there is no platform to platform connectivity. Wheelchairs are not available easilty at stations. Staff is often missing from "May I help you" counters. There is no awarness in the implementing contractors and engineers. What they consider accessible is actually not accessible.
Perceptions about Accessibility Differ from Actual Accessibility
The simple question- do you involve competent consultants and users to ensure that the end product is fault free? Perceptions of accessibility differ from person to person and this subjectivity kills the design and the usage of end product for the end user in absence of uniform universal design standards being adopted.
regards
Subhash C. Vashishth
To read the news in detail click on links:
India Server.com
Times of India
Travel Biz Monitor
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Making The Election Process Accessible to all - an out of box rethinking is necessary
Dear Friends,
Here is my article on making the election process in India accessible to all that I wrote today:
Introduction
India has recently voted in an unprecedented election wherein Indian National Congress emerged as the strongest and the single largest party though with not a clear majority. The overall voting percentage that is being put forward is 50%. I am amazed that despite India being the IT giant, with resources in hand why do we still have to follow the means of the bye gone era where voters lined up for several hours to cast their vote!! I learnt that within my close circle so many couldn't vote. Few travelling, few had official trips & one couple was so old that they couldn't venture out of the house at all. I also learnt from my interaction that all those on poll duty are not able to vote – this includes sizable chunk of teachers and government employees and security forces put on election duty. Their right to vote is denied.
Access at Booths for voters with Disability
On the top of it, our friends in the Disability Sector too, without thinking out of box, campaigned & pressurized and advocated the Election Commission of India to make all the voter booths accessible to voters with disabilities based on a Supreme Court Verdict. That included providing EVMs with braille and ramps to access booths.
The feedback is mixed. At many places especially in rural India, no access was provided in terms of Ramps or braille enabled EVMs while at some places where it was provided, the blind voters did not know the braille!!!!
I am not negating the work, lobbying & successes that we as a sector achieved during this. But to bring home the larger question- Are we giving sufficient choices to our electorate - disabled or not?
Is that the only solution?
Will it suffice and make it accessible to all if we just focused on booths and EVMs in the name of equal rights for the voters with reduced mobility (I include elderly, disabled & those with fractured leg or back, sick and those not able to move out due to any pre-occupation or condition in the definition of reduced mobility) ?
The fact remains that 50% of India couldn't vote. I would say “could not” and not “did not” because the election system is still not friendly to people. I can not vote with comfort still, leave aside those experiencing disability, sickness, busy work schedules or simply have other personal priorities.
Some Solutions
I was just looking at how a multinational bank services its customers. There will always be few who prefer to visit bank and do the transactions – may be due to any reason like illiteracy, bank is closer, not very IT friendly etc. While there are others who use ATMs, Internet Banking for all their transactions, few pay their installments by EMIs and give instructions for payment of utility bills few who give bearers cheques!
To me, this throws ample of examples how voting system could have more choices to facilitate the voting system for the diversity of citizenry. While voting at accessible Booths should continue, more options like email, SMS, (on the lines of phone banking and internet banking), postal ballots should be given to citizens to choose from so that no one is denied his right to vote as a citizen.
For those few who are not able to step out of the houses due to old age or severe disabilities or sickness and yet not friendly with the modern means could be offered choices like the vehicle mounted EVMs (taking clue from mobile ATM Machines) and the same could even go to houses (on the lines of door to door Polio campaign). The voting process can be a week long for those opting email & SMSs and one day for those who physically vote on election booths. It is all the more possible when we have the citizen’s data base on Election Commission’s website, Photo ID cards have been issued and any body can check his data on the internet. Only thing we need to do is relate one email per person for those who are internet savvy. These are just few ideas thrown and I am sure many new could be though out.
Way Ahead
Also, firstly each Indian Citizen entitled to vote should be counted and identified - placing faces to the numbers - with proper identity proofs (biometrics, face recognition, eye recognition software could be used for data base. This would necessarily include identifying voters with disabilities to bring them in to the mainstream. Access to all including those experiencing disability should be an inbuilt feature in all such options.
If we have to become a strong democracy, India has to make enabling provisions that every one irrespective of the situations they are in - busy, out for work, out for wedding, sick at home, caring loved ones in the hospitals, posted at borders as a combatant in forces, experiencing reduced mobility or a disabling condition should be able to vote with equal comforts and with ample choices. I am hopeful that if implemented such ideas could generate 90% turn-out during poll process, for we are a vibrant democracy with maximum young people in the world!
Subhash Chandra Vashishth
Advocate-Disability Rights
09811125521, subhashvashishth@gmail.com
Friday, April 10, 2009
Election Commission clarifies - Grant can't be stopped in the name of Model Code of Conduct
This is in response to my earlier post on "Should Rehabilitation Services come to stand still when Model Code of Conduct is in force ?"
I have been informed by Sh. JL Kaul, Secretary General AICB that our communication and the resonance that your efforts created did work very well!
Election Commission of India has directed the Government of India, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to release grant to NGOs before 31st March and work has already been started.
Mr. Kaul has expressed thanks to all organisations who supported the petition/appeal and also wrote to the Commission directly.
Who says, the reason and strong advoacy doesn't work in India?
Congratulations to the sector and thanks to the Election Commission for their quick and timely resonse.
Warm regards,
Subhash Chandra Vashishth
Mobile: +91 (11) 9811125521