Securing Access to Rights of Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in India
Abstract
Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) do have the equal right to enjoy human rights to life, equality, security, and dignity like their counterparts without disabilities. Yet, owing to various attitudinal, structural, and systemic barriers, indifferent treatment by the society, and dearth of adequate data, PwDs continue to live as an invisible category in India (Bansal, nd). The census of India gives the statistics that around 1.5 million population lives Individuals with some form of intellectual disabilities Developmental Disabilities (IDDs) of whom 1.2 million are under major non-economic activities in our country . For centuries persons with disabilities have been facing discrimination and are denied to exercise their fundamental rights. Often, they are treated as the neglected part of the society resulting in denial of their rights related to education, employment, and political life (Janardhana et al., 2015).
