Context: The differently-abled community offers a massive potential that can be tapped with the right steps.
Background

• According to the World Health Organization, nearly 15% of the world’s population suffers from some form of disability. This amounts to a billion people worldwide being impacted by disability and the stigma surrounding it.
• About 80% of the estimated one billion persons with disabilities worldwide live in developing countries.

Concerns
For disabled people

• Continuous discrimination and lack of understanding of the special needs of the disabled and their rights often lead to denial of equal access to education, employment, healthcare and other opportunities to such people.
• Despite the considerable improvement in enrolment rates of children with disabilities in schools, there is very little capacity available currently to ensure inclusive education which can meet the special and diverse needs of the disabled children.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has only worsened the situation for the students with disabilities as they have found it extremely difficult to access remote learning through digital platforms.
• The International Labour Organization, reports that 73.6% of persons living with disabilities in India are outside the labour force. This would have a detrimental impact on the financial and economic needs of such people.
• Women and girls with disabilities are at a higher risk of experiencing sexual and other forms of gender-based violence.
• People with mental disabilities, women with disabilities and those in rural areas have to face higher discrimination.
• In such a scenario, it becomes very difficult for disabled people to attain their full potential.

For society

• Given that the disabled account for a substantial proportion of the total population, the lack of opportunities for their meaningful involvement in the development process has led to a situation where an enormous reservoir of untapped resources is being excluded from the workforce.
• An unequal society is not sustainable as the pandemic has shown us that we are only as healthy as our neighbour. The inequality being faced by the disabled will only hold back India from realizing its full potential and ensure a sustainable society.

What were the steps taken to deal with the worst-hit group (the disables) during the pandemic?

• The COVID-19 pandemic has had its worst impact on marginalized communities.
• For instance, students with disabilities have found it extremely difficult to access remote learning through digital platforms.
• The UNESCO’s 2019 State of the Education Report of India acknowledges that inclusive education is complex to implement and requires a fine understanding of the diverse needs of children and their families across different contexts.
• UNESCO joined its partners in the Global Action on Disability (GLAD) Network to raise awarenessabout the need to put in place strategies to lessen the impact of school closures on learners with disabilities.
• The implementation of the groundbreaking National Education Policy,2020 provides a historic opportunity to utilise the immense potential.
• India has made considerable progress in terms of putting in place a strong legal framework and a range of programmes that have improved enrolment rates of children with disabilities in schools.

Road Ahead

• The society needs to reaffirm faith in the dignity and worth of humans, and in equal rights of all.
• All persons with disabilities must be able to enjoy the full range of human rights. This would require the need to make inclusion the norm in all future endeavours.
• The marginalised PWD community must be brought back into the developmental mainstream with appropriate governmental measures.

Additional Information

• UNESCO’s Global Action on Disability (GLAD) Network aims to raise awareness about the need to put in place strategies to mitigate the impact of school closures on learners with disabilities.