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DISCRIMINATION AND SOCIAL EXCLUSION   AGAINST PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

By Jigisha Agrawal

INTRODUCTION

“the people with disabilities do not need pity instead they need equality” this is very well said by someone. There are thousands and millions of people with disabilities in our world, still centuries have passed but the situations of the disables have not improved from so much time. Though there are many inspiring stories of people with disabilities like of Hellen Keller, Arunima Sinha, Pranjal Patil etc. these people inspire crores of people all over the world. though several laws have been passed to stop discrimination and establish equality between the disables and the main stream society but still disabled people face thousands of difficulties in their day to day life which the other people can not imagine and can not even think of. This article tells about the difficulties, social exclusion and  discrimination faced by the disabled people in their life and the laws related to the same in India.

 

DISCRIMINATION AGAINST THE DISABLES

The most important part of a person’s life is education which leads a person towards success and bright future. When a person is denied the right to education just because of his disability this is wrong. And the same thing happens with the people with disabilities. There are many households which are annoyed when a specially abled child is born in his house and tries to end the child’s life. They think that just because the child is disabled he or she can not achieve anything in his life and will be dependent on others for his needs forever. And so the family members do not educate the child. There are many educational institutions which totally deny to give admission to the specially abled children in their institute without even testing his intelligence like other children who so ever. This is discrimination. And if they are given admission in the institutions then they are not treated equally like the other children, they are not given attention for their difficulties and are neglected often in classes. If these children are not given special attention and are helped and given equal opportunities then how can you expect that they will achieve heights? Even though many students are not provided much support from the educational institutions but then also these students achieve heights of success and make their close ones proud. It I not only about the discrimination done by educational institutions but also at home, a specially abled adult or youth is not even allowed to take the decisions related to his or her own life. That person is stopped and restricted in every way possible and not even given the freedom to choose from where he or she has to do his education. The members try to just keep that person in a bar and operate him like a machine. That person is also a human being though disabled but then also he has emotions and has his own life and has every freedom which a normal person has. Even though if that person wants to do something new or learn something new he or she is demotivated and discourage despite of motivating him. If these people are not given freedom to decision, and choice then how will they be able to live their life, achieve success and become independent in life? If you are not limiting a normal person to live his life then how can you limit a specially abled person to live his life? If a specially abled person wants then he can do everything that a normal person can do if he is provided with equal opportunities and equal treatment. It is understood that the parents and family members care and are concerned about them but this does not mean restricting them  and just putting them in bars.

The rights of people with disabilities act [RPWD]  2016, is a legislation that tells about the rights of the people with disabilities like community life rights, protection from cruelty and inhumane treatment, protection from abuse, violence and exploitation etc. from other sections of this act there is section 3 of this act which tells the right to equality and non discrimination. It tells that no person with disability shall be discriminated on the ground  of disability.[section 3[3]]  It also tells that no person with disability shall be deprived of his personal liberty on the ground of his disability. [section 3[4]]. Though the section 5[1] of this act tells that the person with disabilities have the right to live in the community and the section 5[2][b] says that they shall not be obliged to live in a particular living arrangement but though these people have these rights but still they live in a community but are still alone and lonely. So what is the meaning of these laws? The section 6 of this act protects the disables from cruelty and inhumane treatment but in many places they face physical cruelty and in one or other way mental cruelty for example when they go to school and college and people say then anything and bully them then it is mental cruelty, this is only one incident but there are thousands of incident in a person’s life when he faces such cruelty.  

Discrimination not only happens in the above mentioned ways but there are thousands of way through which it happens but these are only few. Wen we come to employment also the disables are discriminated on the basis of disability and are not given jobs and equal opportunities. But according to section 20[1]  of the RPWD act tells that no governmental establishment shall discriminate against any person with disability in any matter relating to employment may it be working condition, wages or employment opportunities. According to section 20[3] no person shall be denied promotion on the ground of his disability. Even when it comes to adults with disabilities doing internships and jobs, people frame criteria on jobs for disabled people as well like professors, teacher, etc. but why these classifications? Why can’t they do anything other than these specific jobs and why so restrictions on going out of town for internship and jobs only for disables? Even when it comes to any co curricular activities the disables are not preferred to be taken in that and specially in sports the disables are not given much importance and it is said that they should only focus on studies and are not made for co curricular activities and sports.

 

SOCIAL EXCLUSION OF DISABLED PEOPLE

The biggest and the worst problem that a disabled faces in society is social exclusion. The disabled people are totally excluded from the society. They are left alone even by their family members and friends. Weather it be school or college people do not want to become a friend of a disabled person and leave them alone everywhere. People just use the disabled people for their own benefit and then leave them aside. People show them pity and do not understand that just like other people they also need friends and people to live their life. Wherever they go they are left alone and they become lonely even in such a big crowd. They remain alone at home and do not meet people because of which they are secluded. Even if they try to interact with people they are neglected, ignored and as usual left alone. In colleges also where other students roam with their friends here and there and enjoy on the other hand disabled people stay alone and have no one to enjoy with or to share their talks with. This social exclusion of the disabled people causes them many problems like anxiety, depression, loneliness etc. and also there are many who bear this loneliness but there are many who can not bear this loneliness and commit suicide.

 

CONCLUSION

This issue of social exclusion and discrimination against the disables is a universal even now. Disabled are discriminated from others in their own household where they are born, play and grow, not only in household but also in employment sector and many other sector of our life. Disables are also human beings and have all fundamental rights as other people of the country. Even having so many problems in their life they are not getting disheartened and moving forward then no one else has the right to stop, control or demotivate them. People are giving them punishment of the things of which they have no control and are not responsible. So it is time to recognize and address this injustice.  At last I would like to conclude by saying that it is an irony that the world worries about disability more than disabled people do.

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