Advocates with Special Needs Battle for Significant Participation in Maharashtra Politics
In a country where the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, the Niramaya Health Insurance Scheme, and numerous local schemes have been little more than words on paper, a new initiative is aiming to bring about real change. Pune, known as a smart city, is about to take a significant step towards becoming more inclusive, with the establishment of a treatment and counselling centre for persons with disabilities and special children at Divyang Park, Balewadi.
The centre, set up by the PMC's Social Development Department as part of the Disability Welfare Scheme, offers subsidised treatment to all patients and has seen a daily footfall of at least ten patients, with seven receiving regular treatment. The centre is fully funded by the PMC and is administered by the Umnag Institution of Autism and Multi-Disability Centre.
However, the fight for inclusion does not end with the creation of facilities like this one. Disabled people in India still face numerous barriers to basic rights, such as the right to travel freely and access to education. Many schools deny admission to disabled students due to a lack of facilities, and job opportunities slip away because workplaces refuse to adapt to accommodate PwDs.
Diksha Dinde, an advocate for disabled people's rights and a person with a disability herself, is leading the charge for change. She has faced discrimination in her daily life, such as Uber drivers refusing to give her rides and airline staff refusing to assist her on international flights. Dinde aims to make public schools and spaces in Maharashtra accessible and promote inclusive education by 2035.
To achieve this goal, Dinde has launched the "Hundred-Day Inclusion Yatra" through Maharashtra, starting on September 8, 2025. The Inclusion Yatra, organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), will travel across all districts of Maharashtra over 100 days, holding workshops with schools, colleges, teachers, parents, and local governments to change the picture of PwDs in education and build empathy.
The Inclusion Yatra is a personal journey for Dinde, inspired by her experiences in the UK and the need for accessible schools and bus stops in India. She questions the lack of representation of disabled people in decisions regarding their inclusion and emphasises the need for awareness and education to achieve inclusion, including awareness in general society, among parents and schools, and genetic testing before pregnancy.
The experiences of Diksha Dinde highlight a system that doesn't see people with disabilities (PwDs) as students worth adjusting for. According to the 2011 Census, 45% of PwDs in India are illiterate, only 9% complete secondary education, and just 0.56% reach higher education. The Inclusion Yatra aims to change this picture and build empathy for PwDs.
Families of PwDs navigate a maze of inaccessible government offices, inadequate policies, and stigma, often feeling invisible and excluded from the systems designed to serve them. Diksha Dinde's fight for inclusion is a beacon of hope for these families and for all PwDs in India. With the Inclusion Yatra, she is taking a significant step towards a more inclusive society.
