‘We need to realise that disability is not a gift’

How is Chennai equipped to facilitate needs of the disabled?   

Honestly, we have extremely poor facilities. Be it the MTC buses, trains, theatres and other public spaces, they’re barely accessible. We are denied of many other services and face discrimination in fields like education, health services and even communication. It has been so since time immemorial and it’s sad that there’s hardly any progress in this regard. 

Has social stigma against the disabled changed over the years?   

It certainly hasn’t and one of the main reasons for this is that people do not understand what disability means. The government and educational institutions should address the issues of stigma, discrimination and marginalisation that persons with disabilities are subjected to. It is these factors that hinder their effective participation in the country’s economic, social and political fabric. 

What are the steps to be taken to make the city more disabled-friendly?  

The first step is to stop calling them differently abled. People need to acknowledge it as an impairment and not a gift. Having said that, if all public spaces were equally accessible, a disabled person would not identify oneself as disabled, though the impairment would still be a part of him or her. We need to acknowledge the presence of the community and indulge in dialogue to ensure they’re given an equal platform as anybody else.