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Sensitization Workshop on the rights of persons with disabilities ACT 2016
FICCI Aditya Birla CSR Centre for Excellence in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Department of Empowerment Persons with Disabilities, organised a workshop on December 8, 2017 at FICCI, Federation House, New Delhi, Smt. Shakuntala Doley Gamlin, Secretary and Smt. Dolly Chakrabarty, Joint Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) Ministry for Social Justice and Empowerment graced the occasion with an inaugural speech.
As you are aware that the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 replaced the Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995 to comply with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The 2016 act contains progressive changes and is definitely going to bring major positive changes in the lives of millions of disabled people in our country.
Although the Government is primarily responsible for ensuring that disabled individuals receive equal treatment under the Disabilities Act, private sector organisations have also been made accountable for various obligations under the act. The obligations under the new disability act apply not only to Government establishments but also to “private establishments”, being companies, firms, cooperatives or other societies, associations, trusts, agencies, institutions, organisations, unions, factories or such other establishments as may be specified. Such private employers are now subject to requirements (i) to promote an equal opportunity policy, and (ii) to comply with the standards of accessibility prescribed by the Indian Central Government.
Disability is not a homogenous issue and does not affect everyone in the same way. The real task is to start now—to bring together all the stakeholders together to understand the act and discuss issues that affect lives of very diverse people, and work towards the common goal of overseeing uniform implementation of the RPWD law.
Mr. Anuj Jain, Mr. Raj Kumar Jain, Mr. Shashi Kant Pathak, Mrs. Ritu Panda, Ms. Sonia Bhatia from NAD with interpreters Mr. Shivoy Sharma and Mr. Michael Singha attended the workshop. During the Q & A session, Mr. Anuj Jain presented a suggestion to the panel of having an Interpreter’s Pool which can be used to call interpreters at public or private buildings like for court cases or interviews and making them accessible for a Deaf person.
The suggestion was greatly appreciated by Smt. Shakuntala Doley Gamlin, Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) Ministry for Social Justice and Empowerment and Smt. Uma Seth, Director & Team Lead, FICCI.