Posts

COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown: Disability Inclusion Must Go On

-
Image
Date: 10 June 2021 Author: Samarthyam, India (www.samarthyam.com)                  The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the vulnerability of people with disability to isolation and discrimination, affecting their right to live independently and be included in the community. The pandemic threatens to reverse gains achieved from years of advocacy that had started to ensure policies and programs were disability-inclusive in line with the UN CRPD.  In such situations of humanitarian crisis, people with disabilities (PwDs) remain the most left out and deprived category in availing support and care. No Looking Back Using new communication technologies such as WhatsApp, Samarthyam Team set up an active group of the APNO Organisation of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) under UNESCAP partnership project “Protecting and empowering persons with disabilities in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic”. The project activities were planned in full swing; however, India was hit by the second wave
Post a Comment
Read more

Protecting and empowering persons with disabilities in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

-
Image
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) has rolled out a five grantee project in the Asian Pacific region in order to cull out an assessment of the current situation of persons with disabilities (PwDs). As a part of this initiative, Samarthyam Organisation was selected as a partner in India for project titled “Protecting and empowering persons with disabilities in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic”.   Aims and Objectives ·         To strengthen the capacities of PwDs and Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPD), mainstream community networks and government agencies in the State of Rajasthan, India ·         To integrate disability rights and inclusion into institutional and community structures, processes and mechanisms, thereby contributing to an improved standard of living for persons with disabilities. The Soft Launch of the UNESCAP- Samarthyam Project In order to achieve this, Samarthyam chose to collaborate with the
Post a Comment
Read more

Don’t Leave People with Disabilities Behind in the Covid-19 Response

-
Image
Date: 25 May 2021 Author: Samarthyam, India                  At present with India battling probably the most mutant version of the deadly Covid-19 virus, there have been innumerable instances that have shown how persons with disabilities (PwDs) are neglected and end up falling through the cracks. As the ongoing devastation of the pandemic continues to unfold; in such a scenario, the poor, the marginalized and the ostracized end up being the most badly affected. Amongst them, PwDs are one of the most vulnerable populations. Introduction Inclusion of PwDs through the various aspects of the pandemic from the initial phase of the lockdown in 2020 to the vaccination drive to the present humanitarian crisis has been flawed, with challenges and gaps, at every step along the way. Even though, PwDs are at a higher risk of Covid-19 and even death, yet they are not being given the needed priority in India’s Covid-19 response. This can be observed from the fact that every guideline issued f
Post a Comment
Read more

Rethink the Language of Accessibility: Global Accessibility Awareness Day #GAAD

-
Image
I am a wheelchair-user  in perpetual pursuit of a barrier-free life . I have been advocating for accessibility on a global scale for over two decades now. And what has become apparent to me over the years is that when advocates like myself talk about accessibility, we are actually talking about something far more profound than what the word itself suggests and something far more transformative than how the word is used.   Accessibility should be a catalytic force for something more. What makes a space accessible is the empathy, connection, freedom and possibility it engenders for people of all abilities and identities to come together.   Accessibility is a slippery, deceptive word that belies its own emancipatory meaning.   To move beyond the ramp, the sign-language interpreter, the Braille pad, and reclaim accessibility to mean more than the bureaucratic administration of disabled bodies, we must move beyond the logic of compliance. Audio and video support, Textbooks That
Post a Comment
Read more

Disability Rights during the Corona virus Pandemic: Leave No One Behind

-
Image
While Covid-19 has exposed the vulnerabilities of the disenfranchised in our country, once again the invisibility of persons with disability has come to the fore. India has over 150 million persons with disabilities (30 million with severe disabilities) approx. 120 million of senior citizens and 85 million super senior citizens, i.e. persons above the age of 80. Each of these three groups comprise persons with partial or complete dependency on others for their daily needs, mobility and access to resources and information. This is the case in normal times. In times of a lockdown this dependency, particularly with lack of access to caregivers, makes them vulnerable, and in many cases, completely incapacitated. “The aged need help to get around, to buy groceries, to resources and services, based on their mobility level, age related health conditions or debilitating co-morbidity. This is true for persons with disabilities, particularly those with mobility related disabilities, as well”
Post a Comment
Read more

Action Collaborative of Organisations of People with Disabilities and Government on COVID-19

-
Image
Samarthyam (www.samarthyam.com) is an Organization of People with Disabilities (OPDs) founded in 1993. We have a Special Consultative Status with United Nations ECOSOC, since 2015. The pioneering efforts of Samarthyam are recognized by UN agencies and Government of India, for example promoting rights based advocacy, inclusive, accessible and sustainable environment with focus on independent, safe mobility and gender equality (girls and women with disabilities). Samarthyam team  is working with proactive approach to reach out to grassroots OPDs with the help of  central and state governments  and  UN agencies . As India continue to battle the pandemic, we are amplifying our outreach to people with disabilities to reassure that their survival is a priority by promoting connectivity in rural and remote areas, assuring information in accessible formats and preventing discrimination. The Covid-19 crisis is new.   It is requiring us all to act, interact and communicate so that
Post a Comment
Read more