Country strategy

Disability situation in India

Poverty in India in general prevents a significant improvement in the quality of life of disabled people. The demands and needs of persons with disability are not in the list of priorities of Government. The enactment of the PWD Act offers opportunities for the interests of people with disability to be mainstreamed into social and economic development strategies. However, the lack of political will and of financial capacity hinders the ability of persons with disability to take full advantage of the situation. This calls for innovative solutions in terms of both organisational building and service provision. There is a need to transform the provisions provided in the PWD Act into tangible services and programmes.

DPOD's focus areas in India

Increase the active participation of persons with disabilities in existing structures at various levels of political decision-making
Enhance focus on currently neglected disability groups, e.g. mentally ill, muscular dystrophy, autism, epilepsy, parents of disabled children, women etc.
Increase awareness among disabled people themselves and their relatives about their capacities and rights and thus empower them to break out of the dependency syndrome the strong charity tradition has created
Organise persons with disability themselves and strengthen the human and organisational capacities among existing groups and organisations of disabled people
Strengthen co-operation and co-ordination among existing groups and organisations of disabled people

Country strategy

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