aRTICLE | Making Cities Inclusive
Are Smart Cities Inclusive For Differently-Abled Inclusivity is the new watchword for cities all over the world. Till now, development has been focused on making cities fast and efficient. The rapid pace of life and cut-throat competition is what defines big cities, but there has been little progress in making our cities inclusive, especially for persons with disabilities. It is high time that we make the transition from a welfare-based approach to a rights-based approach while designing our cities Ayesha Saeed | Reporter
H
istorically, within religious and mythological worldviews, disability was looked at as an anomaly - a result of sin or bad karma. Think of the figure of the witch mostly presented with
a hunchback, a crooked face and a faulty gait. It is not a surprise then that ableism has always been a norm in the world. Consequently, we’ve built our world for able-bodied people. As I sit in my home writing this piece, I think of the front steps of my house which make it inaccessible for a wheelchair user. Back in my college days, I remember teachers making exceptions for students who were differently-abled, by having classes on the ground floor, for a lack of an elevator in the building, or organising a writer for a visually impaired student. But the point is, why were these instances mere exceptions. Where is the place for the differentlyabled in our cities?
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40 June 2022 | www.urbanupdate.in
In India, a comprehensive framework of policies and guidelines provides for the provision of an inclusive environment to the differently-abled population. But the numbers tell a different story. According to the 2011 census, 26.8 million people are differently abled in India, which is about 2.21 per cent of the population. On the other hand, WHO, in a 2011 report, pegs it at 15.3 per cent. But these numbers are highly under-reported because of the stigma associated with disability in India. According to experts, in the Indian society, the discourse around disability
