It is shocking that as we go about our daily lives, scant thought is given to people living with disabilities and senior citizens when it comes to infrastructure. Majority of government facilities lack vision to make these facilities "inclusive". A good example is the Naharlagun Railway Station and its destination, the Guwahati Railway Station. The former has revolutionised connectivity for Arunachal Pradesh, however, the station suffers from the common oversight of being "inaccessible" to senior citizens and people with disabilities. The foot overbridge, one needs to cross is unthinkable for this section. Not a single escalator, no ramps. The same is the plight of Northeast India's biggest railway station at Guwahati. 

How can we speak about inclusiveness when their  dignity is in tatters?! Barrier-free spaces is not a big ask and ought to be implemented in every public utility, for it to be accessible by all citizens.

The International Day of Persons with Disabilities is celebrated on December 3 every year,  to promote the rights and well-being of people with disabilities at every level of society and development. Additionally, it also aims to raise awareness of the situations of persons with disabilities in all aspects of political, social, economic and cultural life.

People living with disabilities often find themselves at the fringes of mainstream society because of a lack of participative inclusion in social and economic fields. This has resulted in a dependency syndrome which the differently abled aren't able to shrug off readily. 

The IDPD must not only be celebrated as a symbolic gesture one day in a year but there is need for people to remind themselves constantly so that behavioural changes lead to a more differently abled inclusive society. Including people with disabilities in the social fold and ensuring their economic sustainability is crucial for their empowerment. There is an urgent need to make them financially empowered and government and society must work in this field. Many social welfare schemes are seldom utilised because of a lack of awareness, this is a field where the government must step up to ensure benefits reach the target beneficiaries.

 The true realisation of IDPD will be when students are taught in their early years about compassion towards their differently-abled classmates; When we build ramps in every building and treat people with disabilities with respect not sympathy.

 

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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