Frontline ·
Barriers everywhere
Indian cities structurally exclude persons with disabilities from public life.
What does it mean to be able? One may have a physical or sensory capacity, but whether that capacity translates into ability depends on the environment. Ability is not intrinsic—it emerges through relationships between bodies, environments, and the worlds they inhabit—and is an idea consistent with the biopsychosocial model of disability.
To overcome bodily limitations, humans formed relationships, developed technology, built environments and infrastructure to expand their lives. We tamed horses, built cars, made air travel possible (for those who can afford it), and each time, redesigned the urban environment and laws to accommodate those changes. Yet, Indian cities continue to be egregiously inaccessible for people with impairments. They are disabling to people with impairments.
Everyone has the capacity to participate in and contribute to public life, but uneven environments distribute that capacity unevenly. Addressing this requires shifting attention from what an individual is unable to do to what a city can do to make it possible for everyone to live well and participate fully on an equitable basis.