Consultation on 'Towards Inclusive Society: From Disability
Perspective
The
National Council of Churches in India's (NCCI) Indian Disability Ecumenical
Accompaniment (IDEA) joined with the Engage Disability Network (EDN) and
Christian Service Agency (CSA) to organize a consultation on 'Towards Inclusive
Society: From Disability Perspective" at NCCI Campus on 21st July 2015.
30
participants including persons with disabilities, activists, social workers,
pastors, academicians, educators, counselors and students participated in this
consultation.
The
consultation aimed to come-up with a few collective action plans to work at the
grass-root communities to become inclusive by not considering the PWDs as
burden or sending them to hostels and homes or make them socially isolated by
our attitudes and behaviors including use of derogatory and abusive languages
that stigmatize and discriminate the PWDs.
Rev.
Dr. Roger Gaikwad, the General Secretary – NCCI, in his presidential address
informed that the NCCI has developed a work place policy where there will be 'zero discrimination' on
the basis of physical fitness, caste, creed, gender and generation in working
environment of NCCI. He also suggested that, all the organizations and churches
and other religious institutions must have such policies that promotes
inclusiveness.
Rev.
Amin Kalwale, Pastor at All Saints Cathedral, Nagpur, presented a paper on
'Inclusive Church'. He mentioned that the churches and other faith communities
have to be sensitive towards people with special needs and they have to become
disable-friendly by constructing ramps
and such. Also he suggested to develop
and produce liturgies and publications considering the PWDs in Braille and
other such means of communication.
Ms.
Ashrita Bhelwa, an educationalist from St. Ursula Girls High School, Nagpur,
informed the participants that, every human has right to schooling including
the children with disabilities. She suggested that every school and educational institution has to be
inclusive not only having and developing
disabled-friendly infrastructure but also admitting children from all types of
disabilities with all necessary systems
including appointing a teacher who could communicate using sign language
while the other teacher is teaching the same subject in the classroom. She pointed out such measures would
definitely motivate the younger generations to become inclusive in their living
environments and in the future also.
Mr.
Philip Alloysis, a trainer shared the living
testimony of of Arunima Sinha a National
Basket Ball Player and the first person with disability to have climbed Mount
Everest. Further he said that the 'major
disability in our society today is in
the minds of the able that excludes and discriminates the PWDs.'
Rev.
Christopher Rajkumar, Executive Secretary, Commission on Justice, Peace and
Creation (NCCI) and the Director of IDEA noted that, the ‘visible disability has become
invisible in the society at large since the society, socially and
psychologically isolates the PWDs from access in the public spheres of community life’. He also, spoke about how the society could
become inclusive by realizing and accepting the PWDs as they are by recognizing
their limitations and accompany them in their life journey.
Mrs.
Cynthia Shinde organized the programme and facilitated the discussions. She shared her story as a PWD and the
challenges to become part of the mainstream of the society. She shared that the support of family is important and that makes even the PWDs to feel being included. Earlier she welcomed the gathering.
Mr.
Sathia Rabbin Das proposed the vote of thanks and Rev. Anand Michael offered
the prayer. The consultation has decided
to work with all the care-giving institutions and faith communities to
sensitize the society to become inclusive.
Reported
by the:
NCCI
Commission on Justice, Peace and Creation
