Hi, I would like to narrate my contribution to raise awareness amongst the non-disabled community about our issues. On prominant days like international day for PWDs, Braille day, white cane day, etc., I write a one paper message about the importance of such days and circulate it along with a chocolate in my office which has around 100 employees. Now all my colleagues know about issues like this. So, along with governments and NGOs, every individual should take some activity or other to raise awareness in his/her own small worlds.
This has another advantage. Some of us complain that colleagues are not sensitive to disabled. Programs like this will help to a great extent in getting help from people around us. On 2/28/12, Vamshi. G <[email protected]> wrote: > Is this article published in the main stream society? I think it's > more important to publish pieces like this in the press, instead of > posting on fora like ours. > Since this is posted on a public forum, will any print media accept to > publish this? > > On 2/28/12, avinash shahi <[email protected]> wrote: >> Spot on! >> Written from the core of heart and mind both. >> Thank you Shruti for sharing with us. >> Hats off to Shampa Sengupta lady activist. >> We need more such writings in mainstream to brodden our movement and >> open well of people's eyes. >> >> >> >> >> >> On 2/28/12, Sruti disAbility Rights Centre <[email protected]> wrote: >>> This article is written by Shampa Sengupta, a Kolkata based activist >>> working on gender and disability issues. As Indian disability sector is >>> upset with several cases of discrimination faced by disabled passengers >>> in >>> the air, she ponders whether as activists the issues of masses are being >>> overlooked which makes the movement more for the selected few. >>> >>> >>> All of us who work for disability rights were enraged at the news of >>> treatment meted out to fellow activist Jeeja Ghosh by Spicejet Airlines >>> when she was flying to attend an International seminar from Kolkata to >>> Goa. >>> Media played a vital role and gave ample coverage to the incident >>> screaming >>> loud that such behaviour with disabled passengers is totally unbecoming. >>> In solidarity, different groups came together to organise a protest >>> meeting >>> in Jeeja’s own city Kolkata. National level rights based groups raised >>> hue >>> and cry. And for a change, to our satisfaction, we came to know that our >>> newly appointed Chief Commissioner of Disabilities of India took >>> suo-motu >>> action and issued a show-cause notice based on media reports to the >>> concerned airlines. >>> >>> However the question here is not that of one Jeeja Ghosh or one specific >>> airline. We all know of similar cases in past. Some of them got media >>> coverage and some of them did not get any. When activists face these >>> kinds >>> of situations, they raise their voices. Some of these make news >>> headlines, >>> some do not. However, large numbers of cases remain unreported. So one >>> does not feel surprised when within few days of Jeeja Ghosh incident, >>> another disabled activist Anjlee Agarwal faces humiliation while flying >>> from Delhi to Raipur. We are aware that these experiences are part of >>> lives of disabled people. We are proud that Jeeja and Anjlee have the >>> guts >>> to put up the fight. The disability sector of India has also started >>> looking at civil aviation policies and rules once again, started >>> discussing >>> and demanding changes that should be incorporated. It is ironical that >>> both >>> Jeeja and Anjlee work for including disability in mainstream with one of >>> them focusing on accessible environment. It is humiliating and painful >>> for >>> any disabled person to face this while travelling by air. >>> >>> But a greater irony is the fact that we are forgetting the large number >>> of >>> disabled population who face harassment in travelling by any mode of >>> transport on a regular basis. And here I am not talking about physical >>> accessibility of buses, metro, trains, trams or any other public >>> transport. >>> I am talking about the attitudinal barriers they face when they try to >>> use >>> public transport. It is important to remember here that thousands of >>> disabled people in India do not even dream of boarding an aircraft in >>> their >>> life-time. One does not have to be an activist to know that poverty and >>> disability go hand in hand. While most of us spending our time in >>> thinking >>> of making “skies” inclusive, let us give some time to make the ground >>> below >>> our feet more inclusive. >>> >>> Endless cases are heard about attitudinal barriers disabled people face >>> while travelling in a bus. Only once we could make it to a newspaper >>> headlines. Bidyut Dey, a 50 yr old man with amputed leg was thrown out >>> of >>> a >>> Government bus as he said he has the right to travel without tickets. >>> Dey >>> himself a West Bengal Government employee is an organiser of sports of >>> disabled people. He travels all over India with a cricket team >>> comprising >>> of disabled youngsters. He refused to let this incident go unreported >>> and >>> lodged a FIR and followed up the case regularly. That he was ridiculed >>> by >>> Police for making such trivia a case, and the Magistrate who was >>> listening >>> to his case was shocked to find that a man can refuse to buy tickets >>> while >>> travelling and say that this is his right, is another story. Neither the >>> Police officer nor the magistrate was even aware of a law called Persons >>> with Disabilities Act after 12 years of enactment. These are the facts >>> we >>> have learnt to accept. Like we have accepted that problems in daily >>> commuting is not a big issue. >>> >>> I still remember when Jeeja and I were co-workers in the same project, >>> she >>> faced similar harassment while travelling in a mini-bus. Jeeja being >>> the >>> fighter did not let it go, she made a formal complaint to the Bus >>> Workers >>> Union and was given a formal apology. But such instances of resistance >>> remains isolated cases and on a whole disability sector never made a >>> consolidated effort to make this a priority issue. >>> >>> When on 3rd December 2011, a group of 10 blind people were not allowed >>> to >>> board a bus. They were not allowed as the conductor felt that there are >>> two >>> reserved seats in a bus marked “handicapped” and anyway blind people >>> will >>> not pay bus tickets, so he is not obliged to give them a ride. These >>> people >>> were coming to join a Rally organised for World Disability Day organised >>> by >>> West Bengal’s largest disability network Paschim Banga Rajya Pratibandhi >>> Sammilani. When political activists are barred from joining rallies or >>> meetings, it becomes “headlines”. But such infringement of right to join >>> a >>> Rally by disabled people was given a miss by all media houses despite >>> this >>> rally being covered by press. >>> >>> People who have invisible disability suffer other kinds of harassment in >>> the buses. As Joyeeta Ganguly, another colleague narrated to me what is >>> a >>> common experience for her. She has 100 % hearing impairment, but very >>> often >>> conductors believe that she is entitled to “handicapped” seat or free >>> bus >>> ride. Carrying disability certificate and showing it when required does >>> not >>> always help. Often conductors believe that she is acting to be disabled >>> to >>> get away with a free ride. I am not even trying to include experiences >>> of >>> people with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities in this article. A >>> complete thesis can be written on those experiences. >>> >>> We have also seen several meetings demonstrations and demands regarding >>> making Railways accessible to all. Demands to make buses and >>> bus-terminuses >>> disabled friendly are also not unheard of. There is a need to think of >>> making bus drivers and conductors sensitive towards the issue of >>> disability. An organisation called National Institute of Professionals >>> who >>> run computer classes for the blind tried to make an innovative effort >>> towards the same. For the last two years they used the occasion of >>> Raksha >>> Bandhan to do so. On this occasion, rakhis are tied on the hands of bus >>> conductors/ drivers at a central Kolkata Bus depot by disabled girls. >>> Thus >>> a very popular religious and social festival is used as a platform to >>> start >>> a bonding of friendship between disabled and those who are not. Being >>> personally present on both these occasions, I saw a visibly touched bus >>> –conductor grabbing a mike and announce that from today he will make >>> extra >>> effort to take care of disabled passengers. There are reasons to believe >>> that these kinds of sensitization programmes can have far reaching >>> effects >>> where a seminar or a workshop cannot reach. >>> >>> However the onus on mass awareness campaign cannot lie in the hands of >>> NGOs. Article 8 of UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with >>> Disabilities >>> to which India is a signatory mandates the state parties to adopt >>> immediate, effective and appropriate measures to raise awareness >>> throughout >>> society. There are provisions of awareness raising in both Persons with >>> Disabilities Act and the National Trust Act. The draft Country report >>> “poised For Change” gives us some ideas on kinds of activities taken up >>> by >>> the Government agencies on awareness. Unfortunately, most of the >>> programmes >>> seem to be addressed to talking to those who are already converted. The >>> National Trust website says that they have spend Rs. 80.01 lakhs in the >>> year 2010-11. Its flagship awareness programme Badhte Kadam 2011’s >>> budget >>> was almost 50% less than the same programme of 2010. If non-disabled >>> community is not sensitised then the dream of building an inclusive >>> world >>> will remain a distant dream. >>> >>> Yes it is important to document the cases of discrimination faced by >>> disabled people in airline travels. It is important to review the >>> existing >>> civil aviation rules and policies and to punish the offenders in such >>> cases. But should we not prioritise our work so that we can bring the >>> poor >>> and marginalised disabled population within the arena of rights? If we >>> leave behind the mass and try to take off to make the sky inclusive, >>> will >>> we be able to navigate the disability rights movement towards right >>> direction? >>> >>> 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 >>> >>> >> >> >> -- >> "The best things and most beautiful things in the world Cannot be seen >> or even touched. They must be felt within the heart." — Helen Keller >> >> Avinash Shahi >> M.A. Political Science >> CPS JNU >> New Delhi India >> >> >> 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 >> >> > > > -- > G. Vamshi > PH Res : +91 877-2243861 > Mobile: +91 9949349497 > E-mail ID: > [email protected] > Skype: gvamshi81 > > www.retinaindia.org > From darkness unto light > -- G. Vamshi PH Res : +91 877-2243861 Mobile: +91 9949349497 E-mail ID: [email protected] Skype: gvamshi81 www.retinaindia.org >From darkness unto light Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] with the subject unsubscribe. 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