Understanding disability in India: Retrospect and prospect

Pages: 1956-1960
Sangita Kumari (ICSSR Doctoral Fellow, Division of Social Psychology, A.N. Sinha Institute of Social Studies, Patna, Bihar)

Disability has acquired a centre stage in public policy discourse in India. Public policy has tended to become more inclusive and equitable for all its citizens. Target specific policies by the government agencies are based on data available in the public domain. However, as there is no consensus to define “disability” there are problems associated with authenticity of data owing to prevarications in identification by the government. Inclusion and exclusion of persons with disability have led to numerous categories emerging. The paper attempts to recapitulate the definitions and methods of measuring disability in Indian perspective and to compare the scenario of disability in past and present with emphasis on community attitude which could help in planning, framing policies and development initiatives and rehabilitation as well as.