Sep, 2019
Recently Virali Modi, a US national was recently asked by security personnel at the New Delhi airport, to stand up from her wheelchair during a security check procedure.
She was accused of acting and doing drama. What is important to note here is that this was not the first incident where she had to face this.
Having said that, is it right to blame the CISF officer totally. The real issue rests in lack of disability awareness and sensitization in society. Disability awareness is not included in our education system / On the job training in India.
Our society typically looks down at people with a disability or treat them with sympathy. In worst cases like this one, people assume that the other person is just doing “DRAMA”. Our surveys have also found that people in some sections of our society also attach disability to past life sins. In other cases, people assume that people with disability have superpowers.
In a recent Bollywood movie with a Blind protagonist, there was a scene where a woman selling lottery tickets asks the protagonist to touch her tickets and buy one from her. Considering it as a stroke of good luck. It was a classic portrayal of the perception that is there in our society towards people with disability.
It’s a serious issue and the way to stop these incidents is to spread awareness. Disability sensitization. Not knowing how to act or respond to someone very different can be uncomfortable.
Disability Etiquettes training can help individuals to be comparatively more sensitive and overcome any biases they might have towards people with disability. Training is crucial to equip a person with the know-how of providing assistance to people with disabilities when required. This will help people with disabilities to be accepted and not alienated from society.
It’s time we start looking beyond action & reaction. Blaming a person who has never been educated on the concept of disability sensitization is not the solution. All this person might be trying to do is “To do their job” without realizing that they are on the wrong front.
Let’s start pushing and promoting disability awareness and sensitization as an important part of education. It’s only by education, we can change our society.
