Question

In what sense can one say that ‘disability’ is as much a social as a physical thing?

Answer 1

The disabled are struggling not because they are physically or mentally challenged but also because society is built in a manner that does not cater to their needs.

In the Indian context, one of the leading scholars of disability, Anita Ghai, argues that the invisibility of the disabled can be compared to the Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison which is a famous indictment of racism against African Americans in the USA.

Common features of the public perceptions of disability are:-

• Disability is understood as a biological factor.
• Whenever a disabled person is confronted with problems, it is taken for granted that the problems originate from his/her impairment.
• The disabled person is seen as a victim.
• Disability is supposed to be linked with the disabled individual’s self-perception.
• The very idea of disability suggests that they are in need of help.

In India, in a culture that looks up to “bodily perfection’, all deviations from the “perfect body’ signify abnormality, defect, and distortion. Labels such as “Bechara’ accentuate the victim status for the disabled person.

The roots of such attitudes lie in the cultural conception that views an impaired body as a result of fate. Destiny is seen as the culprit, and disabled people are the victims. The common perception views disability as retribution for the past karma (action) from which there can be no reprieve. The dominant cultural construction in India, therefore, looks at disability as essentially a characteristic of the individual. The popular images in mythology portray the disabled in an extremely negative fashion.

The very term ‘disabled’ challenges each of these assumptions. The disabled are rendered disabled not because of biology but because of society.

The social construction of disability has yet another dimension. There is a close relationship between disability and poverty. Malnutrition, mothers weakened by frequent childbirth, inadequate immunization programs, accidents in overcrowded homes, all contribute to the incidence of disability among the poor people that is higher among people living in easier circumstances.

Disability creates and exacerbates poverty by increasing isolation and economic strain, not just for the individual but for the family.

Recognition of disability is absent from the wider educational discourse. This is evident from the historical practices within the educational system that continues to marginalize the issue of disability by maintaining two separate streams - one for disabled students and one for everyone else.

The concepts of inclusion is still an experimental concept in our educational system which is restricted to a few public schools only.