Book Review

Title of the book: Disability & Social Exclusion in Rural India

Author: Insa Klasing

Year of Publication: 2007

Publisher: Ravat Publications – Jaipur

Pages: 200

Price: 450

Reviewed by: Kishor Bhanushali
Faculty Member – Economics
ICFAI Business School
Ahmedabad
kishorkisu@redifmail.com
Mob: 09898422620

People with disabilities living in rural areas are the most invisible and under represented groups in the country without any social, political, economical and research considerations. Incredibly little information is available in the literature about the life of the people with disabilities living in rural areas is available about their problems in various sphere of life including education, work, medical care and marriage.

This book, based on the experiences from study of rural disabled in Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan, is an attempt to bridge this gap. Participatory research with the involvement of persons with disabilities themselves and staying with the families of persons with disabilities makes the study more meaningful.Qualitative and quantitative information is collected through Participatory Rural Appraisal on various dimensions like medical care, education, livelihood, and social life.

About medical care and aids and appliances, major problems were non accessibility, poor quality, cost, lack of training, inappropriate to local needs, inadequate attention on disability prevention and barriers in accessing medical care are highlighted by the author.

Author suggested policies awareness generation, guidance and training to mothers and ANM s, better coordination among institutes, improvement in quality of medical care, controlling injuries, low cost locally designed aids and appliances, and mobile camps for rural disabled.

Geographical, emotional, physical and attitudinal barriers play a major role in keeping the majority of disabled people in rural area illiterate of low literate. This creates the situation of social and economical dependency by confining them to low skill low return occupations. Inappropriate design and implementation of educational programmes, along with lack of accessibility awareness makes the situation worse.

As a solution to this problem, author suggested creation of enabling environment, removal of physical barrier, awareness generation, teachers training, and involvement of local community ion education programmes.

Vicious circle of poverty and disability has become the destiny of many of the disabled living in rural areas. Employment is beyond the reach of the majority of the disabled in rural areas and many of them are engaged in low return jobs as agricultural labourers and petty businesses. Insensitive employers and non–cooperating coworkers along with long working hours and wage discrimination add further to the hardships for those somehow get in to employment.

Low level of education, physical and social barriers, and ignorance of the employers about the potentials of persons with disabilities are major hindrances in their employment. Government schemes including that of vocational training do cater to the needs of rural disabled. Author suggested provision of vocational training, cheap micro credit, formation of self help groups, cooperatives, sheltered workshops, and promotion of self employment for persons with disabilities.

It is not the impairment, but negative social attitude towards the impairment that creates the sense of being disabled. Social beliefs and attitudes reflected in the deep rooted in the negative attitude on the part of non–disabled in the family and community results in horror, fear, anxiety, distaste, hostility and patronizing behavior towards the disabled. Over protection, complete neglect or absolute denial results from the age old social beliefs of karma, sin, evil spirit, bad omen, and spiritual mantras.

Social discrimination is reflected in the trend where disabled are not allowed to participate in social functions like marriage. Disabled themselves are more prone to remain unmarried or married at latter age, some times without their own consent or under compulsion which does not bring end to their desertion and abuse. Author suggested formation of self help groups and saving and credit groups led by disabled themselves. Amendment in the Persons with Disabilities Act and reservation of seats in the village committees is also recommended by the author.

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