INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

The International day of persons with disabilities was observed on Saturday 03 December 2022 worldwide. It is promoted by the United Nations. On this day, various NGOs, schools, colleges, universities and other institutions do conduct events in order to highlight issues related to persons with disabilities. World Health Organization also joins the United Nations in observing this day every year, emphasizing the importance of securing the rights of people with disabilities, so they can participate fully, equally and effectively in society with others, and face no barriers in all aspects of their lives. It is all about promoting the rights and welfare of persons with disabilities at every level of society and development, and to raise responsiveness of the situation of persons with disabilities in all aspects of social, cultural, political, and economic life.

School of Law, CHRIST (Deemed to be University) – Lavasa campus, Pune had organized a lecture on Saturday 03 December 2022 from 11.30 am to 12.30 pm. Adv. Pushkar Patil delivered the lecture to raise awareness of the complexity of disability issues and the challenges faced by people with disabilities. Adv. Patil did his LLM from University of Glasgow, United Kingdom. He is currently practicing in District & Sessions Court, Pune. He has been exposed to the disabilities act during his training session while in Scotland. Prof. Mehak Vohra, the Faculty in Charge of School of Law, in her address made it a point that the student should sensitize themselves to the needs of persons with disabilities and try to defend their rights in the society in which they live.  Mr. Rahul Gulwani form BA LLB (Honours) welcomed Adv. Patil and introduced him to the audience. Adv. Pushkar Patil thanked the members of School of Law for inviting him to the event and continued to highlight the importance of observing this event.  The following is the summary of his lecture. 

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities defines persons with disabilities as ‘those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others’.

Adv. Patil spoke on the Persons with Disabilities Act of 2016 which had the features of non-discrimination, respect for difference and acceptance of disabilities as part of human diversity and humanity, equality of opportunity, accessibility, equality between men and women, full and effective participation and inclusion in society, respect for the evolving capacities of children with disabilities, and respect for the right of children with disabilities to preserve their identities.

He further opined that the government should take steps to utilize the capacity of the persons with disabilities by providing appropriate environment for them to sustain themselves. He also mentioned about the facilities available in the European Union where the European Commission is committed to raising awareness on the living conditions of persons with disabilities, the challenges they encounter in everyday life and tools to improve their lives. While in India, persons with disabilities are still suffering due to various superstitions, stigma attached to their disability saying, “it is because of the Karma of your elders you need to suffer”. He dispelled these notions by citing the works of Individual Advocates who are dealing with persons with disabilities in Australia who manage to take care of these persons as they are trained professionals who support or work on behalf of a person with disability to support them to speak out and defend their rights and interests as well as sort out complaints, issues and problems. 

Adv. Pushkar Patil said that the system of Individual Advocates works out well in Australia as the advocates take direction from the person with disability, keep their issues and information private and confidential and only release information with permission from the person. The advocates provide information and support so clients can also feel more confident advocating for themselves. He urged the budding lawyers to take up the causes of persons with disabilities as India has so many of them in rural areas who are kept away by their family members from the public glare and eventually they look after them as burden than blessing. 

Throughout the lecture Adv. Pushkar Patil brought out various examples from important countries where the legislature had played a crucial role while deciding the status of persons with disabilities by upholding their rights and made policies to educate the people to respect the rights of these people. Persons with disabilities are blessed with skills that are needed to be upgraded through training and workshops so that they also keep themselves engaged in daily activities and also become financially independent. 

The event was useful to the students as they had expressed their ignorance about the laws that are prevalent in India as well as foreign countries especially Europe and Australia. While concluding the event Ms. Saanya Dewett, form BA LLB (Honours) programme proposed the vote of thanks.