Differently abled stage rail-rokos seeking report on Bill

A large group of differently abled persons and their caregivers participated in the protests held at over 20 locations across the state. The event was organised by four associations - Tamilnadu Association for the Rights of All Types of Differently Abled & Caregivers – TARATDAC, December 3 Movement, National Federation of the Blind and the National Association of the Deaf. 

According to the 2011 Census, there are more than 11 lakh differently abled people in Tamil Nadu. They include those suffering from disabilities relating to vision, hearing, speaking, movement, mental and others in eight categories. For many years, they have been protesting about being marginalised by the government both at the state and central levels. Speaking to DTNext about the lack of apathy among the officials concerned, S Namburajan, State General Secretary, TARATDAC, said, “The bill has been pending for a very long time and there has been very little efforts from the government’s end to take any action on it.” 

At various places, including railway stations like Thanjavur, Tiruvannamalai, Karur, Dindigul etc, close to 2,000 protestors were arrested. TMN Deepak, founder of December 3 Movement, said that when he contacted the Central government officials, he was informed that the bill will be taken up in the Rajya Sabha during the ongoing winter session. 

“That is a welcome move, but they have done nothing to address our concerns. There is no clarity on the concept of legal capacity of the disabled. Nor have they addressed the concern of discrimination. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has outlined the definition of disability in clear terms, but it is barely followed in India. Those who make rules and regulations do not empathise with us and there is no representation of the disabled for a more practical framework,” he pointed out. He said that the bill was being taken up in whatever form it is, ignoring its utility for the disabled. 

“They seem to think something is better than nothing, but that’s not going to serve any purpose. We will still continue to suffer apathy and discrimination,” Deepak added.