Nagpur | December 21, 2019

Miby Miriam Jacob, intern at National Institute of Speech and Hearing (NISH) and a hearing impaired person, writes:

It is an unsaid truth that disabled women share the pain of double marginalisation – of being female and disabled at the same time. They have been denied opportunities throughout history. It is sad that some people do not see the disabled as persons with their own identities. But women are now gaining the power and confidence they lacked in the past. It is high time that we broadened our world views and realised that each one of us is unique. Being different is special. Rather than a disability, it is a different way of life.

The workshop “Workshop on Empowering Women with Disabilities” organised by Pallium India in collaboration with Women’s

There were 20 women with different kinds of disabilities as participants, who shared what all difficulties they face in their everyday lives. Deaf and Hard of Hearing women expressed how the absence of subtitles in movies takes away their access to them. Similarly, railway announcements regarding cancellations of trains and re-scheduled times are not shown in visual formats that are accessible to the Deaf. It is also important to encourage sign language in deaf schools, since a lot of students complain that following an oral approach in Deaf education delays their language development. They also highlighted the need to have sign language interpreters in government offices and other institutions, so that the Deaf can have accessibility. There are many who consider Deaf as dumb and mentally unstable, and families that deny them from living independently. Women in wheelchair shared the difficulty of not having barrier-free ramps, disabled-friendly public transportation services and accessible toilet. Due to the barrier in accessibility to doctor’s offices and clinics, people with disabilities are less likely to have proper health care and medical assistance than others. The high unemployment rates regardless of educational qualifications were also another problem they raised. Some even shared the pain of body shaming. Their real experiences proved that the hardship disabled women face in the modern times is not negligible.

It is necessary to provide women with disabilities a space of their own by empowering them and bringing them to the mainstream, and by creating access to equal opportunities and civil rights. They need to be prioritised with leadership positions held by them. But the lack of knowledge and awareness makes it harder for them to realise what all rights are entitled to them. Adv. Sandhya J’s session on disability rights was a thought-provoking experience for everyone. Out of the 7 lacs disabled people in Kerala, 3 lacs are women. We would never get the rights done unless we come forward in groups and fight for it. There are acts and policies to ensure that women and children do not face any social, domestic or sexual harassment. But the laws that are meant for the equal rights and protection of the disabled are not available when we need them the most. Adv. Sandhya made it clear that any discrimination regarding gender, race or class in one’s own family or in workplace in the name of disability is legally punishable. She provided new information on the programmes and schemes of the government for persons with disabilities, such as reservation, concessions etc. as well as on what to do and whom to call and complain in case of any need. This discussion on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) act and women’s rights couldn’t be any better!