Dear Rahul, It is indeed a great piece of work. Regards, Dr. A. Marisport
On 9/3/21, [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote: > I wrote in the Hindu recently, on how India can use its significant > > success in the Paralympic Games this time as an opportunity to > > reorient its approach towards its disabled citizens. The article is > > here: > > https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/making-the-paralympics-count/article3 > 6208592.ece > > The article is behind a Paywall. For ease of access, I am pasting the text > of the article > > below this mail. > > > > "Making the Paralympics count > > This is a chance to improve the conditions for the disabled pursuing > > sports and to refresh the way we view disability > > Rahul Bajaj > > August 30 was a big day for India at the Paralympics. The country won > > five medals, including two gold, bettering the Rio 2016 contingent's > > haul in just > > a day. Indians with disabilities, like all Indians, are proud of these > > achievements. This presents an opportune moment to reflect on how we > > can make the > > Paralympics truly count for India. > > The Paralympics is a unique opportunity to empower the disabled. It > > offers everyone the chance to watch disabled bodies in action and to > > find commonality > > with them in the shared desire for national success. Sustained media > > attention ensures that athletes with disabilities capture the public > > imagination in > > an unprecedented way. > > Discourse around the disabled > > In India, persons with disabilities find it extraordinarily difficult > > to live a life of equal productivity and dignity as their able-bodied > > counterparts. > > The discourse around their status as Divyang - persons with divine > > bodies - fuels their alienation. Instead of viewing the disabled as > > ordinary individuals > > who require additional support to meet their unique needs, this > > language places them on a different pedestal and presents them as > > being endowed with supernatural > > powers. Rather than engaging with them in meaningful, constructive > > ways, many people either make a person's disability their focal point, > > stripping away > > their multi-layered identity, or ignore their additional challenges > > altogether. Stereotypes and unfounded biases about the disabled's > > incompetence, inability > > to make informed choices and asexuality, amongst others, are still > > alive and kicking. > > It is no surprise, then, that engaging in recreational activities like > > sports is rarely on the minds of disabled people. Even those disabled > > persons who > > wish to undertake such activities face formidable obstacles. > > Mainstream schools, parks, colleges and swimming pools do not provide > > a conducive environment > > for them. Arguments about complications and causing inconvenience to > > others are commonly made to deny access. As a blind person myself, I > > remember being > > turned down by a swimming pool in Delhi when I approached them with a > > wish to pursue swimming classes. The reason? They had received > > complaints from female > > swimmers about unsolicited contact in the pool and felt that having a > > blind person in the pool could get them into trouble. One doesn't have > > to be a Paralympian > > to enjoy the benefits of sports. Recreational sports can help build > > identity, confidence and a healthy relationship with one's own body. > > This is what many > > disabled people miss out on. > > Disabled people with more ambitious sporting aspirations often enter > > into exploitative coaching relationships and navigate a complicated > > and unfriendly > > sports governance framework. This state of affairs is particularly > > troubling as Section 30 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities > > Act, 2016, requires > > appropriate governments and sporting authorities to measures to > > improve access to meaningful sporting opportunities for the disabled. > > These include redesigning > > infrastructural facilities and providing multisensory essentials and > > features in all sporting activities to make them more accessible. > > For India, the success in these Paralympics will be truly meaningful > > only if it prompts introspection and reorientation. At the systemic > > level, this has > > to cover governance reforms in the Paralympic Committee of India. The > > Committee is now headed by a medal-winning former Paralympian, Deepa > > Malik. The Union > > Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs brought parity to the cash > > rewards structure for medal-winning Paralympians placing them on equal > > footing with their > > able-bodied counterparts at the Olympics. These are steps in the right > > direction. > > An opportunity for everyone > > To deliver the value of sport more inclusively, satellite television > > providers and sports broadcasters must take steps that enable the > > disabled to watch > > and participate in sporting activities. Further, pictures of the > > Paralympics in electronic media and on social media must be > > accompanied by image descriptions > > for the visually challenged. At the individual level, everyone can > > view athletes with disabilities in a holistic sense while also > > acknowledging their additional > > challenges and striving to create more opportunities for the disabled > > people in our lives so they can participate in all walks of life. > > It is easy to admire the courage of our para-athletes from afar. It is > > much harder to use these Games as an opportunity to do our bit to > > change things, > > to ensure that we are regularly surrounded by such competent and > > driven disabled people who are given the additional support they need > > to thrive. With > > intent, resolve and action, we can make the Paralympics count for > > India not just on the medal table but in the everyday. > > Rahul Bajaj, a Rhodes Scholar, is a Senior Resident Fellow at the > > Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy" > > > > Rahul > > > > > > -- > 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.. > > > Search for old postings at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "AccessIndia" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/a/accessindia.org.in/d/msgid/accessindia/0b1a01d7a07a%244ac22250%24e04666f0%24%40gmail.com. > -- 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.. Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "AccessIndia" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/a/accessindia.org.in/d/msgid/accessindia/CAFNjjha9R7MR49rL8zqHLpm-5r_f%2B4YW_UoC6-X%3DiHZ9QW-KMg%40mail.gmail.com.
