Please also see related posts based on my complaint letter:
'Communication gap' hits disabled students.
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Salman Khan's Dixcy Scott Ad irks disability activists
In
a commercial (video below) to sell Dixcy Scott inner wear for
men, Salman Khan deliberately loses to a father of child with disability (shown
in crutch) to make him win the cash prize. By losing deliberately for charity or to show
magnanimity only because the child has disability sends wrong signals. It is more ‘a sell than a sale’ by
showing pity on the people with disabilities they want to encourage the
attitude of patronizing. If the child shown was a non-disabled child, then
would the wearer of vest be not as macho as he is now? Or if the child shown
was having invisible disability (hearing impairment), would the wearer of vest
still lose the fight? Why do media want to portray that the people with
disabilities are only ‘the takers’? Or does it
give the society an opportunity to "demonstrate to themselves that they
still belong to a moral community?’’
It
is completely outrageous to see deliberate portrayal of helplessness just to
sell a product. Disability is considered a problem that needs corrections and
through the charity. And unfortunately because of this age long labelling and
branding of people with disabilities, they themselves have accepted this as an
order of the day. Such depictions of disability
that originate in the arts, literature, film, television, and other mass media
fiction works, are frequently normalized through repetition to the general
audience. The cute, loveable child in
need of a cure and care sends the message that if benevolent others contribute money;
we can make disability go away.
These
instances don’t only create attitudinal barriers but also promote
internalization of disability in the people themselves disabling them all the
more.
Unfortunately
disability still remains an issue of charity not only in our society but also
in the psyche of the
common man and the media world tends to promote this stereotype just for the
sake of profits.
This
psyche needs to be changed because thought processes do tend to become
hereditary. We need to unlearn certain things and certain behaviours which we
otherwise tend to ignore in the name of trends, patterns, etc. What we need is
a paradigm shift. Otherwise we would never be able to come out the medical or
charity model of disability and shift towards right based issues. To
do businesses and ‘use’ disability as an object of pity to assuage conscience and
giving the non disabled an opportunity to feel altruistic, I think, is
absolutely inhuman.
As
Salman Khan writes on the Dixcy Scott’s website ‘Difference starts within’, we
must understand that we all are different and any one of us can have impairment
any time in our life. It’s perfectly normal to be different, to have
impairment. The indifferent attitudes of society make us disabled. It is like
being inhuman. We strongly condemn the depiction of such things and would
request the authorities to ban this commercial from being aired at the
earliest.
Complaint has been sent to Indian Broadcasting
Foundation and Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, India.
Abha Khetarpal (President, Cross the Hurdles), Counsellor with a disability
Dr Satendra Singh, Doctor with disability
Sunday, August 18, 2013
विकलांग क्षेत्र में योगदान के लिए डॉ सतेन्द्र सिंह को सम्मान
विकलांग क्षेत्र में योगदान के लिए सम्मान
राष्ट्रीय उजाला १८ अगस्त २०१३
राष्ट्रीय उजाला १८ अगस्त २०१३
समाज सेवा के लिए सम्मान
नवभारत टाइम्स गाजिअबाद
१७ अगस्त २०१३
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Disability awards presented
Business Standard
New Delhi August 14, 2013 Last Updated at 14:40 IST
The NCPEDP-Mphasis Universal Design Awards 2013 were Wednesday presented to people who have made a mark in working for the disabled.
The awards were given in three categories - persons with disability, working professionals and organisations.
Nekram Upadhyay of the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre here was awarded for his work in helping improve the functional capability of people with disabilities.
Satendra Singh, a doctor and professor at University College of Medical Sciences and GTB Hospital in Delhi, was awarded for advocating accessibility in medical colleges and hospitals.
Srinivasu Chakravarthula, Arathi Abraham, Arun Mehta and Bhushan Verma were awarded for their varied work on promoting accessibility for people with disabilities.
Lucknow-based Handicare group, which has advocated construction of ramps and parking spots for disabled people, and the Kriyate Design Solutions firm that made a Braille-enabled mobile phone were also given awards.
The NCR Corporation India Pvt. Ltd. was awarded for designing ATMs with voice assistance for the benefit of blind people.
The School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal, was also awarded for its work in the disability sector.
Presenting the awards, Balram Naik, minister of state for social justice and empowerment, said a law should be passed to provide accessibility to disabled people in educational institutions, government offices and private companies.
Recommendations made by the previous minister in this connection would soon be tabled in the cabinet, he said.
They innovate to e-nable
NEW DELHI: Arun Mehta wanted to do more with his engineering skills than stare at a computer screen all day. He wanted to use his skills to interact with and empower different kinds of people. Mehta, who has coded a software for scientist Stephen Hawking, has developed many software and apps for people with disabilities.
Bhushan Verma, a multimedia professional, developed a tool for children to help them learn basic concepts like social skills, language and expressions. His inspiration was his little son Sainyam who is autistic.
Arun and Bhushan are among six individuals who were awarded the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP)-MphasiS Universal Design Awards on Wednesday. The awards, which were instituted in 2010, recognize contribution of people under three categories: persons with disabilities, working professionals and organizations. Four companies that work on innovations that can make infrastructure accessible and inclusive were also awarded.
Mehta says his interaction with Hawking was "life altering". It changed his vision and idea of a career in programming. He had to develop software for Hawking that would help him perform many functions with just one button. "It was tough but I really worked hard to make the software fast and useful for Hawking. He is kind and has a brilliant sense of humor," says Mehta .
He has developed a software called Skid for mentally challenged children. "Children, who cannot speak properly, including many with cerebral palsy and autism, are denied access to a regular school, even though they could communicate in other ways, for instance using a computer. It is such other ways that Skid explores," says Mehta.
Dr Satendra Singh, assistant professor, University College of Medical Sciences who was also awarded on Wednesday recollects how he had applied for the position of assistant professor in physiology in 2011 but did not get an interview call. "All others who had applied got a call from UPSC but I didn't. When I called to check why, they said I was not eligible and a person with disability cannot teach at a medical college," says Singh. He did not lose hope. Singh consulted NCPEDP and went to court against such discrimination. Since then, he has filed several RTIs and exposed inaccessible hospitals, ATMs, colleges and post offices.
Nekram Upadhyay, a rehabilitation engineer, was also awarded. He is currently developing a low cost electric wheelchair. While electric wheelchairs costs between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 25 lakh, Nekram's prototype is likely to cost Rs 30,000-40,000. He says customizing technologies for different kinds of disabilities is a tough but satisfying job.
Srinivasu, who is leading accessibility initiatives at a private organization and Arathi Abraham, alumna of NID who designs alternative communication material were also among awardees. Organizations like Handicare —Indian Association of Persons with Disabilities, Kriyate Design Solutions, NCR Corporation India and School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal were awarded.
Times of India 15 Aug 2013
Monday, August 12, 2013
AIIMS plans access to disabled, others silent
Times of India 12 Aug 2013
NEW DELHI: When it comes to access for disabled people, Indian hospitals have a long way to go. In April 2013, the Medical Council of India wrote to all the medical colleges in the country asking them to submit compliance reports stating the degree to which the institutions are accessible to the disabled.
They received responses from only 32 of over 300 colleges and only from AIIMS in Delhi. Medical College and Hospital at Sangli is the only one to send photographs as proof of accessibility. Almost all others promise to do better with their new buildings.
The council has sent the set of responses to Satendra Singh, professor of physiology at the University College of Medical Sciences (UCMS), Delhi University, who had made a representation to the chief commissioner of PWD on the same issue. The letter from the MCI was prompted by this representation and he had also asked for "access audits" to be made a mandatory part of MCI's inspection before accreditation.
The response from AIIMS said that the authorities are working on this issue."The engineering services department of AIIMS has already initiated action in this regard," said the report. An internal memo with the report shows that AIIMS had constituted a committee in April "to inspect the institute building with respect to access facilities of persons with disabilities... and thereafter shall give their specific recommendations."
Several other institutions that have admitted to not being fully accessible say in their reports that they are getting there. "State PWD has agreed to provide toilets in the building for people using a wheelchair" at Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed College in Barpeta, Assam; "Government of Jharkhand, Ranchi is being requested to provide necessary budgetary provision to provide barrier-free access to persons of disability," said Patliputra Medical College, Dhanbad. Dr PDM Medical College in Amravati also said, "Procedure to fulfill requirements is being initiated."
Most of the 32 colleges that have responded to the MCI claim to be accessible. But these claims ought to be verified, feels Singh. M S Ramaiah Medical College and Hospital, Bangalore said in its response, "We have an escalator in the college and the hospital which provides easy access to the building."
Considering the only kind of disabled persons eligible for admission though reservation in medical colleges are "persons with lower limbs locomotive disabilities of 50% to 70%", escalators will act as barriers, added Singh.
However, Medical College, Kolkata, doesn't think its disabled students "require any special access." Their response said, "There are about 21 physically disabled students studying MBBS Course in this college, at present, with 50%-70% having disability of lower limb. They are attending classes without any difficulty."
Others on the list simply replied saying that there are no disabled students on their rolls. Many colleges said they are accessible to wheelchair users but don't have appropriate signage for the blind or hearing-impaired.
AIIMS plans access to disabled, others silent
They received responses from only 32 of over 300 colleges and only from AIIMS in Delhi. Medical College and Hospital at Sangli is the only one to send photographs as proof of accessibility. Almost all others promise to do better with their new buildings.
The council has sent the set of responses to Satendra Singh, professor of physiology at the University College of Medical Sciences (UCMS), Delhi University, who had made a representation to the chief commissioner of PWD on the same issue. The letter from the MCI was prompted by this representation and he had also asked for "access audits" to be made a mandatory part of MCI's inspection before accreditation.
The response from AIIMS said that the authorities are working on this issue."The engineering services department of AIIMS has already initiated action in this regard," said the report. An internal memo with the report shows that AIIMS had constituted a committee in April "to inspect the institute building with respect to access facilities of persons with disabilities... and thereafter shall give their specific recommendations."
Several other institutions that have admitted to not being fully accessible say in their reports that they are getting there. "State PWD has agreed to provide toilets in the building for people using a wheelchair" at Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed College in Barpeta, Assam; "Government of Jharkhand, Ranchi is being requested to provide necessary budgetary provision to provide barrier-free access to persons of disability," said Patliputra Medical College, Dhanbad. Dr PDM Medical College in Amravati also said, "Procedure to fulfill requirements is being initiated."
Most of the 32 colleges that have responded to the MCI claim to be accessible. But these claims ought to be verified, feels Singh. M S Ramaiah Medical College and Hospital, Bangalore said in its response, "We have an escalator in the college and the hospital which provides easy access to the building."
Considering the only kind of disabled persons eligible for admission though reservation in medical colleges are "persons with lower limbs locomotive disabilities of 50% to 70%", escalators will act as barriers, added Singh.
However, Medical College, Kolkata, doesn't think its disabled students "require any special access." Their response said, "There are about 21 physically disabled students studying MBBS Course in this college, at present, with 50%-70% having disability of lower limb. They are attending classes without any difficulty."
Others on the list simply replied saying that there are no disabled students on their rolls. Many colleges said they are accessible to wheelchair users but don't have appropriate signage for the blind or hearing-impaired.
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