Inclusive Strategies To Empower The Physically Challenged

Inclusion of people with disabilities into everyday activities involves practices and policies designed to identify and remove barriers such as physical, communication and attitudinal that hamper individuals' ability to empower in society, the same as people without disabilities. In this context, this study has clearly brought out the strong linkages between poverty and disability. The study was undertaken by the author also corroborates the same. Thus, increasing the poverty line criteria for the disabled persons also needs consideration by the planners. The problem of mobility and physical barriers are the roadblocks for the disabled in accessing facilities, accessing people and accessing information. Mitigating the problem requires resources and attention. The study, based on perceptual responses, corroborates the general feeling that the majority of disabled feel socially excluded and discriminated. The attitudinal barriers are, therefore, the real barriers that need to be crossed over in the first place. Higher inflow of resources to the sector to the schemes and programmes run in the social welfare sector as also through the tenth plan committed component plan approach coupled with capacity building of NGOs for working in the remote rural areas are required to be ensured in order to materialize the commitment of an inclusive, barrier-free and rights-based society