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DRA India (Disability Rights Alliance) Profile picture
DRA India (Disability Rights Alliance)
@DisabilityIndia
#CRPD #Disability #Rights #India #Inclusion
Feb 16 • 46 tweets • 10 min read
This is an extraordinarily passive reaction @DGCAIndia. (Also what happens to the fine money invariably collected post such incidents - is it being used for passenger welfare?)
Please publicly release advisory issued & report when ready. Collating the many wheelchair incidents 🔻 🧵Flying with a disability in India - wheelchair woes collated

Sep 11, 2023 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
How many times to remind Govt that documents for public comments need a minimum of 31 days for feedback from date of press release?

@FinMinIndia pls extend banking accessibility standards' silly 1 week deadline, noone's picking up DFS' crackling phone.

financialservices.gov.in/whatsnewstatic… Also a stakeholder consultation is to be conducted by @IBA_org_in - instead we have an incomplete document published with no publicity and a 1 week deadline!

Shouldn't it be held BEFORE releasing the draft, @ChiefIBA ?

Or is this 1 week mockery of a deadline the consultation?! Screenshot of page from 4 September 2023 document. Feedback on 'Accessibility Standards and Guidelines for Banking Sector' Indian Banks' Association invites feedback from the public on the draft Accessibility Standards and Guidelines for Banking Sector. The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities has advised the Ministries / Departments to prepare and finalize the accessibilities standards in respect of the facilities and services accessible to persons with disabilities pertaining to their respective sector after stakeholder consultation. Accordingly, DFS has mandated IBA...
Sep 2, 2023 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
Why is Govt delaying organising a visit to check on whether Kilambakkam Bus Terminus design is inclusive for diverse populations, especially disabled citizens?

It's 2 weeks+ since #a11y concerns were flagged & access audit requested @CMDA_Official @PKSekarbabu @anshulmishra555! #KilambakkamBusTerminus
Noting the lack of proper facilities for the disabled persons, @TARATDAC1 has requested the @CMOTamilnadu @mkstalin to order the officials concerned to conduct a complete inspection soon, along with representatives of Associations.

dtnext.in/news/city/righ…
Aug 5, 2023 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
Dear @narendramodi @PMOIndia, @AshwiniVaishnaw @RailMinIndia , Members of the Railway Board & PM Gati Shakti - The Freedom of Movement Coalition (FMC) cautions you that 24470 crore of public funds must not be wasted to create infrastructure that can't be used by all.

#ABBS #a11y Montage of RPF officers assisting disabled people on wheelchairs awkwardly and unsafely board the train in India. In the background are words : Safety? Equity ? Dignity? Parity? Poster header asks "75 years of Indian Independence, and THIS is the best we can do ? Where is OUR Azaadi?" Text below reads : As is, Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS) will NOT make rail travel safer or better for Disabled Indians. 24470 crore of our money must not be spent without ensuring our Freedom of Movement : * NO POLISHED GRANITE. * 920 mm HIGH PLATFORMS. * Standard tactile platform edge ... There are gaps and faulty logic employed in current designs for redevelopment of stations under Amrit Bharat Station Scheme detailed in linked FMC media release and Railway Board communication :
Like missing or non standard tactile platform edge warning... bit.ly/on-access-track
Mar 16, 2023 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
List of 36 Indian rail stations with portable train boarding access ramps for passengers on wheelchairs :
Agra
Ahmedabad
Allahabad (Prayagraj)
Ayodhya
Bandra Local
Bhopal
Bhubaneshwar
Chengalpattu
Chennai Central
Dhanbad
Dharmapuri
EGMORE-Chennai
Erode
Guna
Hosur .@RailMinIndia 36 STATIONS WITH TRAIN WHEELCHAIR ACCESS RAMP (cont)

Howrah
Hyderabad
Itarsi
Jaipur
Jolarpettai
Kolkata
Lucknow
Madurai
Mathura
Patna
Ranchi
Secunderabad
Sitamarhi
Tambaram
Tata nagar
Thane
Vaishali
Vellore Katpadi
Vizag
Warangal
Wardha
Mar 3, 2023 • 5 tweets • 4 min read
More voices are being raised against the Silent Station trial @GMSRailway @DrmChennai @Ananth_IRAS .

When the world is fitting silent electric vehicles with warning sounds for blind pedestrians' safety, this continued silence on your part to our requests is ableist & insensitive Madras Central sign superim... Instead of increasing masses' access to vital travel information, the Silent Station trial of Chennai Central (MAS) reduces access, in its attempt to benefit the mainstream's convenience.

Silent refuges in travel hubs are desirable for autistic pax...
Jan 3, 2023 • 4 tweets • 4 min read
Dear @flyspicejet @IndiGo6E @AirAsiaIndia @airindiain
@allianceair @airvistara airlines,

With the @PurplefestGoa coming up we'd like to ensure no hiccups as far as power wheelchair travellers are concerned.

Currently our colleague Adv Ummul Khair is stressed because of Spicejet Table 23 A of IATA 2023 Dangerous Goods Regulations says lit Table 2.3.A of @IATA's 2023 Dangerous Goods Regulation permits power wheelchairs using installed lithium ion batteries :
"Where the battery is not removed, there is no limit to the Watt-hour (Wh) rating for the installed battery"

Restrictions apply to removable batteries only. Annotated extract from IATA 2022 Mobility Aid Guidance demon
Dec 31, 2022 • 6 tweets • 6 min read
Sidelined. Visual metaphor for the continuing marginalisation of disabled citizens even when we insist on being part of the big picture.
Bad enough inaccessible buses meant wheelchair users couldn't test the #Nirbhaya panic button @chennaicorp, but why no inclusion in awareness? Actors in a street theatre creating awareness about bus pani We were asked for id @GSBediIAS . Simply for being there and perceived as being potentially 'disruptive'.

Are disabled women not women?
Are we so asexual in the mainstream's mindspace that violence against us doesn't merit acknowledgement? Or thought? Or design considerations? So near but yet so far. Mary is next to the 3 steps leading
Dec 7, 2022 • 5 tweets • 3 min read
2 cities were mandated by court to provide universal access in public transport buses. 1 has complied, the other is a repeat / serial offender for 17+ years.

If Delhi could go low floor with universally designed city buses after 2019, why not Chennai ?

main.sci.gov.in/supremecourt/1… In Delhi, a wheelchair user having just exited from a low fl We need to recognise public transport's role in determining social equity.
For STU, pressure for profit needs to be evaluated from a macro POV of overall social impact and gains in pollution, wellbeing via decommodification.
For PwD user, what provides least monetary pressure? Infographic depicting extra living costs like transport incu
Sep 13, 2022 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
🪡 India's NLEM is out. "Essential medicines are those that satisfy the priority health care needs of a population. They are selected with due regard to disease prevalence and public health relevance, evidence of efficacy and safety and comparative cost-effectiveness" says @WHO . But where do disabled people and those living with chronic medical conditions fit in? There's no acknowledgement of the priority of life-saving and life-sustaining pharma needs of 15% of the population in the Essential Medicine List of either WHO / NLEM. Do minorities not matter?
Jul 23, 2022 • 4 tweets • 3 min read
Good intentions, yes. Enthusiasm, yes. Awareness of law, no.

@policecbecity citywide clean sweeps seem more efficient but are in reality dehumanising. The police has traditionally held responsibility wrt wandering mentally ill destitute persons, but a mass approach is wrong ... We urge you @ipspolicetn @sameerangs @CollectorCbe to instead refer the @NHM_TN draft policy for homeless mentally ill and work towards a community based, individualised approach that is in compliance with current mental health, disability & privacy law.

nhm.tn.gov.in/en/node/6236
Jun 25, 2022 • 6 tweets • 5 min read
Whose side are you batting for @MSJE_AIC @MSJEGOI @Drvirendrakum13 @PratimaBhoumik @socialpwds?

"The States/UTs were advised to assess public buildings by 31-7-22 & submit the proposal seeking extension of time, if needed, with justification & detailed action plan."
#15June2022 Are you supposed to uphold the rights and participation of disabled Indian citizens or are you Personal Assistant to Central Govt & States of the Union?
When a statute provides for a time limit, then the basic rule of statutory interpretation is that the deadline must be observed
Jun 25, 2022 • 13 tweets • 8 min read
Non-compliance with the Harmonised Guidelines on accessibility for disabled citizens is not only a building violation but a violation of our right to freedom of movement & access. And RPwD Act.

Not one public facility in India will pass the AIC audit checklist!
#WhereIsOurAzadi Please issue Stop Work notice on TN Govt till attitude towards accessibility requirements in respected and rectified @CMDA_Official @chennaicorp !

You have an active and vibrant disability presence in the State, activists have been non-adversarial for decades and input pro bono.
Jun 3, 2022 • 12 tweets • 5 min read
Thread on uninformed policymaking & PLCP.

So @DGCAIndia has proposed an addition to the CAR (Civil Aviation Rules) related to air travel passengers with disabilities after the #IndigoIncident at @aaiRanchiApt - comments by 2nd July to rthakur.dgca@nic.in

dgca.gov.in/digigov-portal/ Text of CAR amendment draft. Addition of clause 4.1.36 which First off, thanks to @DGCAIndia for obliging with a month for comments as per the PLCP (pre legislative consultation process) guidelines - some 100+ pages policy documents give barely a week.
But as a policy on disability, the amendment formatting can't be read by blind citizens!
May 28, 2022 • 15 tweets • 8 min read
This is not enough @DGCAIndia @MoCA_GoI @JM_Scindia.
People need to recognise the diversity in human communication, behaviour and appearance. Disabled people don't need doctors to certify their 'fitness' to fly, some unwell passengers may. CAR changes with disabled reps only pls! Missing InAction: Airlines shall incorporate appropriate provisions on website within 3 months from CAR date of issue, so that while making bookings, passengers with disability have the option to select the required facilities, required during the journey. flyhigh-dra.blogspot.com/p/civil-aviati…
Mar 4, 2022 • 11 tweets • 11 min read
"Level Boarding = Level Playing Field.
Anything less and it's not PUBLIC transport.
#BusKaro excuses!"
For 15+ years now, India's disabled citizens have been advocating for public transport that actually includes ALL.
All these years wheelchair users heard the same tired excuses Illustration from MoHUA transport Conference in 2021 called @armanaly @NPRD_IN @drsitu @SCVashishth @vjayakumar @RajivSpeaks @Shampa_Sengupta @Deepak_TMN @SUMNetIndia ... Roads and Monsoons (And Money... And other conveniently selective 3rd world excuses from the Land of Chandrayaan)

In 15 years India's space odyssey has witnessed 2 missions to the moon, 1 to Mars with 2022 promising Chandrayaan 3, Aditya and prep for Mars 2 and Venus in 2024 Image of a woman on crutches crawling onto a high floor bus
Aug 26, 2021 • 8 tweets • 4 min read
How long will disabled lives be sacrificed due to crying govt departments claiming they don't have money for pension funds?

Cost of low floor bus
vs
cost of disabled person's education, livelihood and freedom.
How can we even compare without looking at the bigger picture?
#A11y Disabled people are under involuntary house arrest due to inaccessible public transport.

The Govt of Tamil Nadu has magnanimously made travel free for women and disabled @mkstalin .

Yay mobility = right, but how can a wheelchair user board a 3 step bus?

Low floor is for all
Jul 28, 2021 • 10 tweets • 9 min read
Dear @Subramanian_ma ,
It has come to our notice that @NHM_TN and @chennaicorp have planned a 'drive' tomorrow (29-7-21) in Chennai with 19 buses to 'round up' destitute homeless people with significant mental health problems and bus them for eventual treatment.

This is unlawful Only @chennaipolice_ is authorised to intervene in this case as per Mental Health Care Act 2017. ONLY when police officer of area jurisdiction has reason to believe of person wandering at large that there is presence of mental illness AND inability to fend for self / poses risk Read section 100 of MHCA here : https://disabilityrightsalli
Mar 1, 2021 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
Redo it @MoHFW_INDIA
#20 Persons with disabilities due to Intellectual disabilities/ Muscular Dystrophy/ Acid attack with involvement of respiratory system/ Persons with disabilities having high support needs/ Multiple disabilities including deaf-blindness
pib.gov.in/PressReleasePa… Disability need not be a co-morbidity, but most disabled citizens in the Indian context, are at a higher risk for Covid acquisition and death. And while the inclusion of some disabilities in India's Phase II vaccination strategy is welcome from an inclusion pov, it's not enough.
Mar 18, 2020 • 9 tweets • 7 min read
Thread : Disability & #COVID2019india

Putting disability-related Coronavirus action points in 1 place.

1st, as told to @ndmaindia , crisis comm from @MoHFW_INDIA and states is classist and ableist. Bilingual, responsive, multimodal content pls. #A11y bit.ly/33sFLkX We've had to defy Govt rules on approved content, in the interest of serving the disability community in India by making a resource for a range of specific needs of PwD in India - sign language, AAC, media description, EasyRead... #DIDRR bit.ly/aider-covid19
Shame @MSJE_AIC !
Nov 14, 2019 • 15 tweets • 52 min read
It's #ChildrensDay2019 in India today, so gather around for a rambling story about a Colaba boy called Tarun who loves balloons.

(Almost said loved there, but how this story ends is up to you and the youniverse.) A balloon seller outside some small shops is almost completely obscured by masses of Indian tricolour balloons with some red heart balloons interspersed. @vinodd2017 @drsitu @MajDPSingh @SCVashishth @ActionAutism @AutismSupportIN @JoChopra @smritiirani @fayedsouza Tarun also loves to dance.

Flashback to the eve of another Indian great's birthday...

It's 1st October and Maharashtra is in the throes of election fever.

Tarun is carried away by an election rally, dancing away from his comfort zone of home, neighbours and balloon seller.