National Human Rights Commission Chairperson Justice Arun Mishra has said the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities (CRPD) needs to be defined properly as it is culminating in the proportionate opportunity, which is restrictive in nature.
Intervening in the 3rd Roundtable on Implementation of CRPD as part of 16th Session of the Conference of State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (COSP16) being organized at the UN headquarters in New York, USA from June 13 to 15, Justice Mishra, who is accompanied by NHRC Member Rajiv Jain, said opportunities for employment should not be denied by prescription of kind of disabilities; full opportunity should be afforded to ensure need-based distributive justice.
The NHRC Chairperson said discrimination in adoption must come to an end. Physical, mental, and emotional stability needs required to be defined. He also said the concept of severe disability should be properly defined along with circumstances to take the consent of guardians etc for surgery to avoid its misuse.
Giving a brief inside into the legal provisions in India for the protection of the Rights of disabled people, Justice Mishra said that the standards for accessibility have been defined in India’s The Rights of Persons with Disabilities, RPWD Act, 2016. Now the challenge is to create awareness. Disabled are called specially abled to provide them dignity and improve their mindset. Preparation of education and other material for the primary to secondary level education in sign language, audio-visual mode, print, and electronic media is being focused upon.
He also said that separate National level institutes have been set up for visual, speech and hearing, intellectual, multiple disabilities, locomotor disabilities, rehabilitation and training, mental health, and retardation. They are providing specialized postgraduate degree courses, and diplomas, imparting vocational training, clinical services, running indoor hospitals, and providing OPD services. Regional centres are functional.
Referring to some of the recent initiatives of the NHRC, India for the protection of the rights of disabled persons, he drew attention to an Advisory issued by it in relation to the prevention of visual impairment of children by toys, crackers, and chemicals. He also said that in the Draft National Action Plan 2022, the Commission has recommended for special treatment for women to inch towards the much-desired gender justice.
The Accessible India campaign is in vogue for digital help literacy. Besides, the National Skill Development Corporation and regional centres for the development of skills of disabled people have been established. Infrastructure needs are being looked into to make them broad-based in pursuance of the enabling provisions of the Act besides ensuring the audit of buildings for access including in prisons, beggar homes, and mental hospitals.