In the wake of India ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities  (UNCRPD) in October, 2007, it has become incumbent on India’s part, under the established and recognized international human right norms, to harmonise all its relevant domestic laws and policies with this international treaty.

Even 17 years after enactment of ‘PwD’ Act 1995, only a very few States/UTs do have some kind of a policy on disability in place, most others have none. Secon...

Dr Satendra Singh’s chapter ‘Disability: A Doctor’s Perspective’ was included in the book “Research study on employing persons with disabilities” published by PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry, New Delhi. The book was released by Hon’able Minister of Labour and Employment, Shri Mallikarjun Kharge on 27^th April 2012.

"Infinite Ability IMPACT"- We earlier reported discrimination of PwD's in getting assistive devices. The report was published in Dainik Jagran and you can read it here. We followed it up with Red Cross Society headquarters and they have replied back with a hint of concern.

Here’s a paper jointly written by Abha Khetarpal (Non-institutional expert, Enabling Unit) and myself (Founder, Infinite Ability; Enabling Unit) on infertility as disability.

Khetarpal A, Singh S. Infertility: Why can’t we classify this inability as disability? Australasian Medical Journal. 2012;5(6):316-321

Disability is a complex phenomenon. It reflects an interaction between features of a person’s body and features of the society in which he or she lives. International Classifica...

Here's an essay just published by Bill Peace, a disability studies scholar who has been working on bioethics.  This is about his own experience while hospitalized, and he has published it in a prominent bioethics journal.   The full article is available here.

Comfort Care as Denial of Personhood
William J. Peace Hastings Center Report 42(4): 14-17.

It is 2 a.m. I am very sick. I am not sure how long I have been hospitalized. The last two or three days have been a blur, a parade of procedu...

A paper written by Abha Khetarpal and myself on “Disability Studies in Medical Education” has been published in International Journal of User-Driven Health Care. Read the paper here. Here’s the abstract:

Uncompassionate attitudes of doctors can have adverse impact on the already shattered emotional health of a person with disability. The medical conditions or disabilities are seen in isolation from their daily lives. The quality health care is thus compromised. Disability Studies can i...

Physical, occupational, social rehabilitation and financial assistance for purchase of Aids & Appliances are provided under Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) with the basic objective to bring the target groups (which includes PwD) into the main stream of development by making them self reliant.

District RCS are preferred as implementing agencies for the Grant-in-aid under the “Assistance to Disabled Persons for Purchase/Fitting of Aids/Appliances (ADIP)” Scheme, with the objective of assis...

In what could prove to be a golden opportunity for the global travel & tourism industry to enhance its contribution to society, the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) has officially declared 2013-2022 as the "Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities" and invited all stakeholders to help make it a success.

Sponsored by Korea, the resolution was adopted unanimously at UNESCAP’s 68th ministerial session held in Bangkok between 17-23 May 2012. The...

Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment (D.O. No.16-04/2011-D.D.III dated 19.12.2011) and University Grants Commission (D.O. No.F.6-1/2012(SCT) has requested institutions to send self-contained proposals for financial assistance under Scheme for implementation of persons with Disabilities, 1995 (SIDPA) for making (a) buildings barrier-free, and (b) making websites accessible. The detailed proposal is available here.