Disability studies and scope for rehabilitation of differently abled children

Disability Studies has offered us critical approaches with which to re-think and re-assess existing research tools and methods in any discipline. Examining existing bodies of knowledge from the disability perspective; collating, understanding and analyzing the construction of disability; providing voice to the lived experience of persons with disabilities and acknowledging their experiential expertise could be some of the overarching objectives to prompt disability studies. However, while education is recognized as a pathway of moving out of poverty, there is very little focus on how children with disabilities can be effectively included into the education system. While India is seen as having one of the most progressive education policies in relation to children with disabilities, evidence reflecting on the educational participation and effectiveness of schooling for this group of children which has not been a focus of disability research. In this paper drawing insights from field practices, an attempt is made to chart out the role of disability studies, to not only define a research agenda from the perspective of persons with disabilities, but also the role of research itself in emancipating the lives of poor persons with disabilities by influencing policy/environment change. In fact, it also underscores the need to incorporate the unique concerns and experiences of disabled people while designing and practicing research in the field of disability studies in India.