Someone asked me which disability is the least inconvenient to have. I said, if we compare persons with different disabilities but with same intensity, blindness is the one which can be managed with least inconvenience. To be lifted by porters into a train, using diaper instead of going to toilet, and all this despite having mother as escort is horrible even to digest, especially for a lady. Presence of escort solves many, if not all problems for blind people. Making all Indian trains accessible (forget about buildings ) for wheel chair users, will it happen?
On 2/10/17, avinash shahi <[email protected]> wrote: > In the summer of 2008, Virali Modi traveled from Mumbai to New Delhi > on Indian Railways for medical purposes. A near-death experience in > 2006 had left her wheelchair dependent and she was traveling by the > railways for the first time since. As a young women passenger, > however, her experience left her distressed and unsettled. When her > mother rolled her in on the wheelchair near the entrance of the Mumbai > railway station, Modi was taken aback by the abysmal condition the > ramp was in. It was marked by beetle juice stains, spit and urine, and > blocked by commuters. After much persistence, they finally gave her > way. > http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/web-edits/the-coolie-groped-me-while-carrying-me-into-train-this-womans-story-is-something-suresh-prabhu-cant-ignore/ > Modi’s mother needled the wheelchair through the crowd of commuters > and porters, and she finally reached her train’s platform. When the > Rajdhani train pulled into its station, however, Modi was overwhelmed > by the anxiety. “The first thought that entered my mind was, how will > I get inside the train? There was no ramp; the doorway was extremely > narrow and the wheelchair wouldn’t possibly fit in,” she told The > Indian Express. The only way to board the train was to be lifted up > and carried to the seat. Modi’s mother managed to find two coolies who > were apprehensive at first, but eventually decided to do the deed. “At > first, the two discussed with each other as to how they would lift me > – who would hold which part of my body. It was really awkward.” The > situation escalated to becoming uncomfortable. “One guy held me > between my legs, from underneath my knees, while the other went inside > the train and grabbed me by placing his hands underneath my armpits. > While he was doing that, he put his hands on my breasts. Initially, I > thought it was unintentional, something that could have happened by > mistake, but his hands felt me up repeatedly till the time I was put > on my seat.” > > Modi remembers looking down in embarrassment, unable to look at any of > her co-passengers as she was guided to her coach, “Everybody was > staring at me, but no one said a word. At that time, I didn’t say > anything to the coolie either because I was scared that he’d drop me.” > Later, Modi made the decision not to inform her mother about what had > happened in order to avoid commotion. Lodging a complain wasn’t an > option either; as a 17-year-old at that time, she was fearful that it > might unnecessarily embroil her mother and her in an precarious > situation. “I was so embarrassed. I felt ashamed – not for myself, but > for the coolies,” Modi continues. > > “I wondered why these men were taking advantage of my disability. Why > hadn’t the government implemented appropriate facilities for those who > were disabled? Did it not care about our safety? Those were the > thoughts that were running through my mind at that time. I was ashamed > because these were my people, my country, and this was the way I was > being treated.” > > Unfortunately, that wasn’t the last time such an incident would occur. > In her succeeding train experiences (one in 2011 and another in 2014), > she was groped by porters again. > > Virali Modi. Courtesy: Virali Modi/Facebook Virali Modi. Courtesy: > Virali Modi/Facebook > > This month Modi, who is a Disability Rights activist, a writer, a > motivational speaker and a former Miss Wheelchair India Runner-Up, > decided to finally take the matters in her own hands. She began a > petition on Change.org titled, “Implement disabled-friendly measures > in Indian railways”. In the petition (which has received over 32,000 > signatures so far), Modi listed the debilitating challenges and > difficulties she has faced as an invalid woman traveling by the > railways. Being forced to wear a diaper due to the inaccessibility of > bathrooms was one of them. “The toilets are so compact that a > wheelchair definitely cannot fit in. The commodes are too low and the > sinks are too high. I’ve therefore had to wear diapers, which in > itself is an embarrassing feeling. It gets soiled and wet, but I’ve > have to wait till night, until the lights have been switched off, so > that my mom can help me change them. At the same time I feel unsafe, > because there is no privacy. There are no proper curtains in place and > anyone with a prying eye can see what I’m doing,” she says. > > Initially, Modi had decided to approach the government herself. A > month ago, she had sent countless tweets to Prime Minister Narendra > Modi and Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, voicing her demand for > disabled-friendly trains. She posted an Open Letter addressed to both > of them, and even filled out the grievance forms on their websites. > The only response she got was an automated reply from the Prime > Minister’s office stating that it had received the form and had > redirected to the Ministry of External Affairs. The Ministry > conveniently closed her case with a succinct reply: The grievance did > not pertain to their specific ministry. “I was furious,” recalls Modi, > “because they hadn’t read my letter!” > > From the Railway Ministry, there was a deafening silence. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Modi’s story holds a magnifying glass over not only how inept our > transportation apparatus is in terms of handling the disabled, but how > little concerned our government is in terms of addressing the needs of > those who’re physically-challenged. Though we have over 21 million > people who suffer from one disability or another, they are still > treated as minorities. > > Source: Reuters Source: Reuters > > In 2016, Voice of Specially Abled People (VoSAP), an advocacy-focused > platform, provided a memorandum to Suresh Prabhu ahead of his annual > budget stating, “Based on variables such as number of platforms, > trains per day, average daily passenger traffic at the station (5% of > which assumed to be people with disabilities including Senior > Citizens), type of station etc., railways should provide suitable > solutions and devices for passengers to safely get into the train”. In > 2017, while India’s Finance Minister announced that it would make 500 > railways disabled-friendly by installing lifts and escalators, it > seemed like a half-hearted attempt. > > Read Also: Gujarat govt to help Railways acquire land for bullet train > project > > You see, installing lifts is not enough. Making wider doorways, > revamping the trains so that wheelchairs can maneuver easily through > the compartment corridors, expanding bathroom space, reducing the gap > between the platforms and the trains, employing staff to protect the > compartments built specifically for the handicapped – are a few of the > things the Railway Ministry should invest funds in. The fact that the > government is spending ridiculous amounts of money on bullet trains > and building larger-than-life memorials glorifying certain Maratha > kings , it’s unfathomable why it shies away from providing basic > facilities for the disabled. “The thing is, not many can afford a > plane ticket,” explains Modi. “A train is a cost-efficient mode of > transportation and there are so many people who’re using the railway > every day in India. It’s high time things change.” > > Since the time she has started her petition, Modi has received a > deluge of messages from doctors, physicians, the disabled, their > relatives and even those who aren’t psychically-challenged, promising > unwavering support. She has even received anecdotes from people > sharing their own experiences about insensitive train personnel. > “There was one instance where a lady had a fractured foot and she > wanted to board the train. She requested the ticket collector to stop > the train for her and he didn’t do it. And due to that, she fell and > now she’s bed ridden. There have also been other women who have been > manhandled while boarding the train, so mine is not a unique story,” > she shares. > > “The thing is, we don’t need sympathy, we don’t need pity, we need > empathy. We need the government to empathise with us and provide > facilities. Ever since I’ve become disabled, I’ve been trained by > therapists to be as independent as possible, and my government is > making my life as an independent, disabled woman difficult,” Modi > says. And that’s a fact. Even though approximately 5 percent of the > population is disabled and travels by trains, they shouldn’t be > disregarded. > > > > © The Indian Express Online Media Pvt Ltd > > > > > > > > > > -- > Avinash Shahi > Doctoral student at Centre for Law and Governance JNU > > > Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of > mobile phones / Tabs on: > http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in > > > Search for old postings at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > > To unsubscribe send a message to > [email protected] > with the subject unsubscribe. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please > visit the list home page at > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in > > > Disclaimer: > 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the > person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; > > 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails > sent through this mailing list.. > -- G. Vamshi Mobile: +91 9949349497 Skype: gvamshi81 WWW.VIBEWA.ORG EQUALITY AND DIGNITY Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
