We encounter persons with disabilities every day and the instinct to take a nonchalant approach to such persons is commonplace. After all, in a developing nation with a population of over a billion, there are far more alarming statistics than the fact that two in every 100 people live with some form of physical or mental impairment. So the sights of a wheelchair, a seeing-eye dog, a cane, a hearing aid or any facilities that support assisted living evokes reaction ranging from indifference to pity, but rarely extend to encouragement and support of such individuals, least of all social inclusion.
It is this blasé mentality that led the United Nations Information Centre for India and Bhutan, UNIC — an acronym for UN-India Connect — to join hands with the We Care Film Festival as their founding partner. The film festival, beginning this Monday in New Delhi, is a caravan of change that screens Indian and international films and documentaries on disability issues across the world. It is held annually to raise awareness about living with disability, dispel misconceptions and prejudices, drive attitudinal and behaviour change and foster their integration into society. The festival will run in tandem with UNESCO’s conference “From Exclusion to Empowerment: Role of ICTs for Persons with Disabilities” from the November 24- 26 at Vigyan Bhavan.
Over the last decade with the festival, my appreciation of the issues faced by persons with disability has grown by leaps and bounds. The short film The Attitude left a lasting impression. The film narrates the aspirations of a young man with a physical disability seeking employment amongst other hopeful, ‘normal’ candidates. The protagonist is mocked by his peers, led by the most outstanding candidate there, for daring to apply for the job.
The top candidate, during his interview, lists his merits and adds that he wouldn’t be a liability to the company, unlike the disabled candidate waiting outside. In an unlikely turn of events, he finds that a person with disability leads the company. The film beautifully captured the sentiment of a dark horse, an unexpected aspirant who strives for success in the face of derision.
I saw this, and other films, as Head of the Jury of the festival and I was moist-eyed, not out of pity for those differently abled but because of the apathy with which we regard the issue of disability. The real message driven home when I first saw this film was how society faces its biggest handicap in the way it treats disability issues. I looked around to see other jury members go through a similar experience and we unanimously agreed that cinema would go a long way in influencing positive change towards disability.
Through UNIC’s involvement with this event, I have realised that people can be moved to action through eye-opening and hard-hitting films and documentaries. The use of a cinematic medium combined with the treatment of a delicate topic evokes a range of responses. Schoolchildren approach these screenings often unenthused, restless or talkative. But once the showcase begins, there is a perceptible change. Conversations reduce to murmurs and then silence, as they begin to understand and appreciate the lives of persons with disabilities, a first for most.
Persons with Disabilities face many obstacles in their daily routine from discrimination and exclusion to inaccessibility and poor infrastructure. Their environment is not conducive to their needs and is an impediment to their routines. The success of our endeavour with the film festival is when people, young and old, walk out of the film asking, “What can I do about this issue?” While government intervention is key to addressing this issue, in our own way, we too can create an inclusive society, by beginning with the use of appropriate terminology to refer to persons with disabilities. The crux of the festival is to bring about an attitudinal and behavioural transformation towards disability in the hope that it can spur positive and inclusive action towards the community. This also engages audiences through its participatory rating process and invites viewers to contribute to the dialogue on using filmmaking as a means of raising awareness. The United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disability is celebrating the decade from 2013-22, for the third time consecutively, as the Decade of Disability across Asia-Pacific. The Government of India is also eager to aid disability-driven programmes and the festival has received support from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment’s Department of Disability Affairs. A focused global campaign brought to mass audiences through creative mediums like film should give the issue of disability the much-needed boost it deserves.
The global effort to address developmental challenges through the achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals will do little good if persons with disabilities continue on the periphery. Their rights deserve to enter mainstream human rights discourse and our aim with the festival is to champion a ‘Persons First’ approach where Persons with Disability are considered for their abilities, skills and talents and therefore regarded as people first. We will begin to make strides only when we dispel the disparaging attitude and clouded mentality towards disability.
As we endeavour towards economic progress, the real test of our times will be in the way we treat the weakest and most vulnerable members of society. We will need to evolve beyond our own rigid mindsets as we create opportunities for the disabled sections of our society.
(The author is Director, United Nations Information Centre for India and Bhutan)
I was moist-eyed, not out of pity for those differently abled but because of the apathy with which we regard the issue of disability
