It was a moment of national pride when the Physically Disabled Indian Cricket team won the Singapore tour this year. The team showed great strength, determination, and commitment. Yet on the other hand the society holds stereotypes against disabilities and they continue to be disrespected as if don not exist.
According to the 2011 census, more than 26,810,557 men and women are disabled. In both urban and rural India the male ratio is much above than female. Rural India Data indicates that the male ratio of disabled is around more than ten crores, the female ratio is more than eight crores. In urban India male disabled population is approximately 4 crores, and female is more than three crores.
63.66 per cent of the disabled population is unemployed compared to 60.21 per cent employment in rural and urban areas. The census mentioned eight categories qualified to be called disability – seeing, hearing, speech, movement, mental retardation, mental illness, multiple illnesses, and multiple disabilities. At the same time some NGOs, activists and celebrities are doing their best for the cause with the help of the government. It always has been a challenging situation for bringing a person with disabilities into the mainstream due to socio-economic differences.
A person suffering from any physical challenges needs social inclusion, empowerment, financial independence and awareness of his or her rights. Skill development training is offered by the government and NGOs for digital training, mobile repairing, sewing, and so on. Narayan Seva Sansthan also provides basic tool kits of hardware & networking, mobile and appliances repairing; and sewing machine in free after successful completion of programs
Since 2011, Narayan Seva Sansthan has provided skills to 8,750 differently disabled in different segments as mobile repairing 2,875 and sewing 3,045 and computer hardware 2,830. After the training, the NGO offers free certificate and tools to establish their own startup business. Along with this, NSS has operated on over 3.5 lakh patients in the last 30 years. Narayan Seva Sansthan gives aids and appliances, distributes food & clothes, provides free treatment, and free house distribution. Skill development training is focused on an individual’s disability, educational qualification and job requirement. Narayan Seva Sansthan’s founder believes, making patients physically fit is not enough, to make them more confident and self-reliant we must change their perspective towards life by bringing them into the main stream.
Asha Ka Jharna has been supporting children with disabilities in rural area of Rajasthan. Since its inception in Nawalgarh, more than 500 children have flourished through the special school, and about 250 beneficiaries have graduated from school board levels equivalent to class 8th from the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS).
Sarthak Educational Trust is supporting disabled and providing them the skills. They have trained more than 11,000 candidates and employed around 14,000. This NGO offers three months training program in 3 broad segments IT,-ITES, Tourism & Hospitality and Organized Retail.
As per news reports, The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is planning to make Delhi 'a disabled-friendly city.' This move will definitely change the life of the disabled and the way society looks at them, will uplift and improve their standard of living as they will be able to access most of the public and private places in their city.
