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Educate and empower disabled people: The voice of ‘India Poised’

D.N.I.S. News Network - One of the major points that have emerged from The Times of India’s (T.O.I.’s) ‘India Poised’ campaign launched on 01 January 2007 is that access to public places for disabled people must be recognised as a right, not a favour; that the Private Sector should be given fiscal incentives; that society needs sensitisation with regard to needs of disabled people; and that there is no need for more Government policies, but the proper implementation of those that already exist on paper. Of those surveyed on topics of education and empowerment of disabled people, 45 per cent said that fiscal incentives should be given to the private sector; and 32 per cent voted for access for disabled people.

In the past few weeks, T.O.I. had zeroed in on specific sectors and analysed their successes and shortcomings. And from this campaign has emerged a ‘Citizen’s Charter’ which calls upon policy makers to take proactive steps to catalyse the immense human potential that is being unleashed within India. It recognises that sweeping reforms are urgently needed for this country to attain the stature that is its rightful due. The focus is on power, law & order, agriculture, transport, education, telecom, health, sports, financial services, entrepreneurship, environment and most importantly, disability.

On disability, this is what the Citizen’s Charter says, “Even as India surges ahead, there is a distressing lack of compassion. Lack of access for the physically disabled acts as a barrier to education and employment… Access to all public places for the disabled must be recognised as a right, quota of Government jobs for them filled, and private sector given incentives to follow suit…”