In the India of today, academic, social and physical spaces continue to be profoundly disabling for anyone except those who are hyper-able-bodied and whose minds run neatly on rails. (Representational image) June 1, 2023. My daughter and I are meeting a friend and her daughter at a café in Chennai. The café is Harry Potter-themed, my daughter’s choice. Between the four of us, we order butter beer, goblin juice, beer coffee and good old hot chocolate.
My friend is a newly-made friend. We met for the first time at a literary festival a couple of months ago, but I feel like I have known her for years. We share a similar story of despair and hope. My friend’s daughter is in her early teens — unlike mine who is at the tail end of college. Our daughters struggle with invisible disabilities. In 2023, this means that our lives essentially involve manoeuvring around various educational and other landmines, seeking not just safe, inclusive spaces but also islands of hope and happiness. This visit to the café, the butter beer and the goblin juice, our conversations about gaming and the world that gamers inhabit are, at present, our island of happiness and hope. The moment we step out of this carefully curated alternate universe, we will be back to the harshness of the real one — an India where people with disabilities often work ten times as hard as able-bodied people merely to earn the privilege of existing. In the India of today, academic, social and physical spaces continue to be profoundly disabling for anyone except those who are hyper-able-bodied and whose minds run neatly on rails. So how do I imagine an India at 100 when it comes to persons with disabilities? To answer that, I would need a licence to apparate to an India which is respectful and mindful of persons with disabilities, an India which considers them a valuable part of its citizenry. An India with low-floor buses and pothole-free roads, an India with ramps that are not just a checkbox tick. An India in which children who learn differently are taught and assessed differently. When I was casting about for a venue to launch my book This Kind of Child: The ‘Disability’ Story, a friend who works in the disability space suggested I consider the Museum of Possibilities, a museum in Chennai which showcases assistive technologies (in the domains of living, working and playing) for persons with disabilities. I went there for a recce only to fall in love with the museum space, a parallel universe like the Harry Potter one — except that in this one, it is the Muggles who pulled off all the magic. A member of the staff, Prabhakaran, shows me around the museum, inviting me to explore various assistive technologies. His wheelchair moves smoothly across the floor — you can tell he owns the space, and that he is truly at ease. The museum’s “live” domain includes a model accessible home and assistive devices suitable for the kitchen, bedroom, living room and dining room. There are tactile scrabble boards, a talking blood pressure monitor, story books in braille and tactile story books with big print for children with low vision. Upstairs, there is a cafeteria with a breathtaking view of the Marina beach. The cafeteria is staffed by people with disabilities. The door is manned by Appu, a person with dwarfism. Appu too, like Prabhakaran, has the look of a man comfortable in his own skin. There is a quiet joy to all of this, a dignity and confidence that comes from fully belonging, from inhabiting a place where it is okay to be who you are and not have to twist yourself into a pretzel to fit into the world’s narrowness. This, then, is my dream prototype for an India at 100 — a country that is a dynamic museum of possibilities for persons with disabilities. Srilata is a writer, poet and academic. This article is part of an ongoing series, which began on August 15, by women who have made a mark, across sectors https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/india75-looking100-a-museum-of-possibilities-for-persons-with-disabilities-8649356/ -- सादर/ Regards अविनाश शाही/ Avinash Shahi सहायक/ Assistant मानव संसाधन प्रबंध विभाग/ Human Resource Management Department भारतीय रिजर्व बैंक/ Reserve Bank of India लखनऊ क्षेत्रीय कार्यालय/Lucknow RO विस्तार/ Extension: 2232 -- 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/CADeSQ2hYBU-A46J8Vjs49wmv0gMU0BtF9gV94oci7_ASGQV9TA%40mail.gmail.com.
