ADVOCACY AND POLICY MAKING


In the spheres of advocacy and policy making, the Society for Disability and Rehabilitation Studies has contributed significantly by taking up with the concerned organizations the cases of discrimination and victimization as also denial of basic human rights faced by the persons with disabilities (who are the aggrieved parties) at various levels---ranging from difficulty in issuance of Disability Certificate, Medical/ Clinical Referral Services, Accessibility and Education to Employment, Social Security as also Promotion and Protection of Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Thanks to the sustained efforts of the organization, thousands of persons with disabilities have so far been ensured justice at various levels, apart from a series of policy changes introduced for empowering the persons with disabilities. The most important contribution of the Society for Disability and Rehabilitation Studies lies in giving a new impetus to policy formulation in disability sector from rights- based framework inter alia the Working Group on Empowering the Disabled for the Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-2012), constituted by Planning Commission, Government of India under the chairmanship of Dr G. N. Karna (Honorary President of the SDRS), apart from getting recognition for Disability Studies as an interdisciplinary academic discipline to be offered for teaching and research at various levels.

Moreover, the Society for Disability and Rehabilitation Studies has also been actively associated with Core Group on Disability constituted by National Human Rights Commission/ Govt. of India to monitor the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by Central as also State Governments. It is because of unrelenting efforts of the SDRS that the scourge of polio could be wiped out from a village named Mohan Budhiyam (falling under Pandual Block of Madhubani district of Bihar); as the NHRC, Govt. of India took suo moto action on the petition of the SDRS and directed the Government of Bihar in this regard. Efforts are constantly and relentlessly made by us at various levels to promote teaching and research in Disability Studies.