Sharing with you the
presentation I submitted to the Nagaland Vision 2030 expert team. The team is
currently in the process of preparing a roadmap vision document for the
development of Nagaland over the next fifteen years.
WHAT DO PEOPLE WITH
DISABILITIES WANT?
They want the same things that everyone else in the
community wants. They want the opportunity to get a good education, get a job,
lead worthwhile lives and be valued members of the society. They want to be
able to go to church and worship, to go shopping, go out with family and
friends, and enjoy a concert or festival celebration. They want a chance to
participate meaningfully in the life of the community. They want their human
rights recognised and realised. They
want change and are hopeful that others will share their vision of an inclusive
Nagaland that leaves no one behind, a Nagaland that enables people with
disabilities to fulfil their potential as equal citizens, a Nagaland for all.
PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
ARE CITIZENS WITH RIGHTS
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities (UNCRPD), ratified by India in 2007, recognises that persons with
disabilities are right-holders instead of passive recipients of government
schemes. It affirms the dignity and human rights of all people with
disabilities and rejects the link between ability and impairment. It does not
create any new rights but clearly states that ‘persons with disabilities have
equal access and a right to full and effective enjoyment of all human rights’.
The principles of the UNCRPD are: inherent
dignity, non-discrimination, effective inclusion, respect for differences,
equal opportunity, accessibility, gender equality and respect for the evolving
capacities of children with disabilities.
People with disabilities are not ‘objects’ of charity but ‘subjects’
with rights, capable of claiming those rights, able to make decisions for their
own lives based on their free and informed consent and be active members of
society.
OVERVIEW OF NAGALAND
People with disabilities represent the most excluded of all
groups in Naga society. They are completely missing from the development
landscape.
Majority of children with disabilities cannot attend school.
Most adults with disabilities are unable to participate in community activities
such as meetings, community programmes and functions, festivals and religious
services. They have no access to the labour market and encounter serious
obstacles and discrimination in seeking employment or income-generating activities.
Girls and women with disabilities, particularly those with psychosocial
disabilities, are extremely vulnerable to physical and sexual abuse.
To sum up, People with Disabilities in Nagaland:
- Lack access to quality health services
- Lack access to disability support services
- Lack access to educational services
- Lack opportunity to livelihood and economic empowerment
- Excluded from participation in society due to environmental barriers
- Excluded from participation in society due to attitudinal barriers
WHAT IS DISABILITY-INCLUSIVE
DEVELOPMENT
Disability-inclusive development means that people with
disabilities are systematically and consistently included in and benefit from
development.
• EQUAL RIGHTS:
The entire community, including persons with disabilities benefit equally from
mainstream development processes. Disability-inclusive development sets out to
achieve equal rights for people with disabilities as well as full/active
participation in, and access to, all aspects of society.
• PARTICIPATION:
Persons with disabilities participate in all benefits of mainstream programmes
and thus also participate in decision-making.
• ACCESSIBILITY:
Environmental, institutional and attitudinal barriers are identified and
addressed to ensure that people with disabilities are fully included in all
spheres of life that they participate in society and are optimally able to
achieve their ambitions.
• SUSTAINABILITY:
Inclusive development is not a one-off activity; including persons with
disabilities needs to be embedded in all the veins of the organisational
culture. This will become visible in the organisations’ policies, systems and
practices.
(Count Me In: Light for the World, Netherlands)
TWIN-TRACK APPROACH:
A ‘twin-track’ approach must be adopted by the government. This means that the aim
must be to mainstream disability in all government policies and programmes while
also supporting disability-targeted programmes. Full and active support must be
given to programmes that target people with disabilities directly, but it needs
to go further to ensure that all mainstream government programmes are disability-inclusive
AN INCLUSIVE VISION FOR NAGALAND
People with disabilities are vulnerable because of the
many barriers we face: attitudinal, physical, and financial. Addressing these
barriers is within our reach and we have a moral duty to do so. Beyond that
moral duty we would do well to remember the many other reasons to act.
Legislation introduced to assist the disabled today will benefit nearly
everyone at some point: almost all of us will be impaired at some time in life
or care for someone who is.
But most important, addressing these barriers will unlock
the potential of so many people with so much to contribute to the world.
Governments everywhere can no longer overlook the hundreds of millions of
people with disabilities who are denied access to health, rehabilitation,
support, education, and employment - and never get the chance to shine.
- Stephen Hawking
STATED OBJECTIVE OF NAGALAND
VISION 2030: To prepare a document that envisions a sustainable,
progressive and viable Nagaland
FACT: There
cannot be a sustainable, progressive and viable Nagaland if Nagas with
disabilities are left out from the Nagaland Vision
A viable Nagaland is one that includes people with
disabilities in political, social, economic and environmental developments.
WHY:
- Because it is their human right to be included
- Because no effort at development will be successful without their inclusion
- Because not to do so is to consign another generation of children with disabilities to a life of isolation and indignity without education, with limited economic opportunity, with poorer health and with no involvement in the decisions that affect their daily lives
Also, mounting evidence points to the HIGH ECONOMIC COSTS of excluding people with disabilities on the
development agenda and the productive cycle – as it is estimated that the global
annual GDP loss due to exclusion of disabled people from the labour market is
between US$1.37 and 1.94 trillion. Furthermore, disability does not affect only
one individual, but usually has ongoing repercussions on an entire household,
especially in terms of time and money that is required to provide special care
for an individual with disabilities. (Social Analysis and Disability: World Bank)
Our VISION is a Nagaland where
no one is left behind. A Nagaland where all citizens have equal opportunities
to realise their rights, achieve their potential and live in dignity, free from
poverty, exclusion, stigma, discrimination and violence. A Nagaland where
people with disabilities have a voice, choice and control over the decisions
that affect them; where they participate in and benefit equitably from everyday
life, everywhere.
MAKING THE VISION A
REALITY
To make this vision a reality a State Disability Strategy
must be developed with a time-bound State Plan that addresses issues in all
areas of life that exist solely on the basis of disability. The Strategy must articulate long-term
goals across key policy areas which impact on people with disabilities, their
families and carers. It must also provide leadership for a societal shift in
attitudes towards disability and people with disabilities.
The Disability
Strategy must be geared towards:
• establishing a policy framework to guide government
activity across general and disability-specific areas of public policy
• driving improved performance of mainstream/general services
in delivering outcomes for people with disabilities
• giving visibility to disability issues and increasing the
understanding and importance of the needs of persons with disabilities and
ensuring that these needs are recognised when policy is developed or when
initiatives which impact on disabled people are implemented
• providing state leadership toward greater inclusion and opportunities
for people with disabilities across all areas of society
KEY POLICY AREAS
• ACCESSIBILITY: Current situation: ZERO accessibility –
in the physical environment as well as information and services.
Accessibility is at
the core of inclusion. Making the environment and services accessible must be
the goal - the physical environment including public transport; buildings and
housing, commercial spaces and all public places; digital information and
communications technologies; civic life including social, sporting,
recreational and cultural life.
• EDUCATION AND
SKILLS: Current situation: Most
children with disabilities have no access to education due to physical and
attitudinal barriers, as well as lack of trained teachers – the repercussions
of this situation echoes throughout their lives.
Ensuring inclusive
and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities
for all must be given top priority - early childhood education and care,
accessible schools, further education and vocational education
• HEALTH SERVICES:
Note: Having a disability is not synonymous with having a health problem: most
people with disabilities live healthy lives. However, there is some evidence
that, collectively, they experience poorer levels of health and require more
healthcare than the general population (WHO & World Bank, 2011).
Health services must
be made accessible and affordable. Early
intervention and rehabilitation health services must also be put into place on
priority. This can help reduce future costs of care and support. Establishing
strong interface between health and disability systems is also critical.
• SUPPORT SERVICES:
Current situation: ZERO disability services - there is not even a single
rehabilitation centre or any other support service available for people with
disabilities in the state.
There is urgent need
for person-centred care and support provision by specialist disability services
and mainstream services, as also informal care and support. Sustainable funding
models and service approaches must be adopted.
• ECONOMIC SECURITY:
Work is the pathway to long-term economic security and wellbeing for most
people. But while people with disabilities face greater direct costs than other
people because of additional expenses with transport, personal and health care,
diet and communications, and disability assistive requirements, they have
little or no earning opportunities. People with disabilities and their families
and carers suffer immense economic burdens as a result.
Barriers to
employment and income generating opportunities must be identified and
addressed, financial independence must be promoted and adequate income support
must be provided for those not able to work.
Note: The
inclusion of people with disabilities in work/employment can lead to greater
economic self-sufficiency, which not only improves their quality of life but
also decreases demands on social assistance.
• RIGHTS PROTECTION
AND JUSTICE: People with disabilities face discrimination in many areas of
life.
Statutory protections
such as anti-discrimination measures, complaints mechanisms, advocacy, and
justice delivery systems must be put in place
DISABILITY RESPONSIVE BUDGETING
It goes without saying that no action will be possible if funds and resources are not made available. Therefore, it is critical that the State Budget must demonstrate and reflect a commitment to give people with disabilities and their families a serious start to a life of inclusion and hope.
NOTHING ABOUT US
WITHOUT US
“Nothing about us
without us“(Latin: “Nihil de nobis, sine nobis”) is a slogan used to
communicate the idea that no policy should be decided by any representative
without the full and direct participation of members the group(s) affected by
that policy. This involves national, ethnic, disability-based, or other groups
that are often thought to be marginalized from political, social, and economic
opportunities - Wikipedia
The Government must
work collaboratively with people with disabilities and their representative
organisations in the development of policies, programmes and systems that
affect people with disabilities.
Disabled people are the experts
in their own lives and their views are an essential part of any evidence base
for action. Involving them in developing policy and development programmes will
help identify gaps in knowledge and give an indication of whether the policy or
programme will work in the short and long term.
Including and engaging People with Disabilities and local
Disabled Person’s Organisation (DPOs) in the design, delivery and monitoring
and evaluation of policy and programmes and in round table discussion with the
government is critical to hear first-hand the challenges people with
disabilities are facing and identify effective approaches for collectively
addressing these challenges.
“Be participatory, actively and meaningfully involving
people with disability in all matters concerning them in the process of forming
policies and programmes; DPOs are key players in this process” (UN
DESA 2011)
CONCLUSION
An Inclusive and
Enabling Nagaland where ‘No one is
Left Behind’ is not an impossible dream. All it needs is political will and
a strong commitment to take EVERYONE
along.
For too long, Nagaland has ignored, excluded, isolated and
neglected its citizens with disabilities. This is discriminatory and wrong and
it needs to CHANGE.