International Day of Persons with Disabilities: Inclusive Future, Challenges and Shared Responsibility
Human life is full of diversity. Disability is one part of this diversity.
December 3, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, is often understood only as a day for celebration or slogans.
However, through the eyes of a specialist and social researcher, this day is not a celebration. It is a day of warning and self-reflection.
Disability is not a disease, nor is it a sin from a previous life (as is still believed in some corners of our society). It is a condition within human diversity, where a person experiences certain physical or mental barriers.
Yet it is our social structures and our way of thinking that turn those barriers into “disability”.
According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), around 15 to 16 percent of the world’s total population lives with some form of disability. In Nepal’s context, this proportion is not small.
Therefore, in this article I do not limit myself to numbers and speeches. I discuss in depth the real problems faced by persons with disabilities in Nepal, the existing legal framework and practical ways forward.
Historical Background: Why Is This Day Observed?
The United Nations (UN), through General Assembly Resolution 47/3 in 1992, declared December 3 as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
The main objective of this day is to raise global awareness for the dignity, rights and wellbeing of persons with disabilities.
The “Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD)” adopted in 2006 gave strong momentum to this movement.
It is encouraging that Nepal is a State Party to this convention. This means that the Government of Nepal has stood on the international platform and pledged, “We will ensure equal rights for our citizens with disabilities.”
But has this pledge been put into practice?
This is the central question of the present discussion.
Nepal’s Reality: The Gap Between Data and Pain
To solve any problem, it is first necessary to understand its depth.
What Do the Statistics Say?
According to the preliminary results of the National Census 2078 (2021), 2.24 percent of Nepal’s total population has some form of disability.
This figure is around 650,000 people.
However, if we consider the experience of subject experts and international standards such as the Washington Group Questions, this figure may in fact be much higher.
In many families, especially in rural areas, there is still a tendency to hide the presence of a family member with a disability due to fear of “losing face” in society.
State of Classification
The Government of Nepal has classified disability into ten types:
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Physical disability
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Visual disability (complete and low vision)
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Hearing disability
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Deafblindness
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Speech and language-related disability
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Mental or psychosocial disability
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Intellectual disability
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Haemophilia
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Autism
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Multiple disability
This classification is scientific, but the implementation side, especially the distribution of disability identity cards, is complicated and troublesome.
4. Legal Foundations: Strong on Paper, Weak in Implementation
Nepal’s constitution and laws are considered progressive in the field of disability rights within South Asia.
As a responsible writer, I must highlight some key legal provisions here so that readers become aware of their rights.
Nepal’s Constitution (2072)
Article 42, under the “Right to Social Justice”, ensures the right of citizens with disabilities to participate in state bodies on the basis of the principle of inclusion.
Article 31 guarantees the right to education, and Article 43 guarantees the right to social security.
Act Relating to Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2074
This Act replaced the earlier Act of 2039. It ended the “charity” approach and established a rights-based approach.
It provides for access to public spaces, free education and reservation in employment.
But where is the problem?
The problem lies in the ambiguity of regulations and directives, and in bureaucratic delay.
The Act talks about “reserved seats in public transport and 50 percent fare discount”, but if a wheelchair user cannot even get into the bus, what is the meaning of that discount?
5. Practical Problems: Where the Shoe Actually Pinches
From my visits to various districts and direct interactions with persons with disabilities, I have identified some common and serious issues.
a) Lack of Accessibility (Accessibility Crisis)
Our development model is centred on the “able-bodied”.
Roads and pavements
Even on newly built pavements in Kathmandu, tactile tiles (meant to guide persons with visual impairment) are often laid incorrectly, leading people into drains or poles.
Government offices
Many rural municipalities and ward offices are still not wheelchair-friendly.
Ramps have been built, but they are so steep that pushing a wheelchair on them is like climbing Mount Everest.
As per standards, ramps should follow a 1:12 ratio, but contractors often build “token” ramps just to show they exist.
b) Discrimination in Education
The government talks about free education.
However, Braille textbooks do not reach students with visual impairment on time.
There is a serious shortage of sign language interpreters and teachers for deaf students.
Many schools still refuse to enrol children with autism and intellectual disabilities.
c) Economic Dependence
There is a provision of 5 percent reservation for persons with disabilities in the Public Service Commission.
Even within that quota, persons with complete disability who hold the “Category A” red card do not get opportunities.
Employers often see persons with disabilities as “unable to work” or as a “burden”.
Yet research has shown that, in an appropriate environment, their productivity can be equal to or higher than that of others.
d) Double Discrimination Against Women
Women with disabilities face double discrimination.
On one side, they face stigma due to disability, and on the other, they face violence and exploitation due to being women.
In cases of sexual violence, the lack of systems that can record their testimony (for example, police officers or lawyers who understand sign language) deprives them of justice.
Disability Identity Cards: Problems and Solutions
In Nepal, disability identity cards are of four types:
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Red card (complete disability): monthly allowance from the state
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Blue card (severe disability): allowance is provided (sometimes interrupted due to budget shortages)
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Yellow card (moderate disability): no allowance; limited facilities
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White card (mild disability): reservation and facilities are limited
Problem:
Due to collusion or ignorance among doctors and staff, people who should receive a red card sometimes get only a yellow card.
At the same time, there are reports that persons with access and influence obtain fake cards.
Solution:
At the local level, experts and representatives from organisations of persons with disabilities must be included compulsorily in the card distribution process.
To make this process transparent and scientific, a digital database system should be implemented immediately.
The Way Forward: Practical Solutions
It is not enough to list problems.
As a specialist, I present practical solutions here for policymakers, society and the affected community itself.
a) For the State and Policymakers
Implementation of Universal Design
Any new structure (roads, buildings, parks, websites) must be designed to be accessible to all.
The idea of “we will add a ramp later” must be abandoned.
Better Data
To collect reliable data on disability, door-to-door campaigns should be conducted from the local level so that hidden individuals can be identified.
Psychosocial Counselling
Mental disability should be recognised as a health issue, not as madness, and each local level should have access to counselling services.
b) For the Private Sector and Employers
Creating Opportunities
Instead of asking “What can you not do?”, ask “What can you do?”.
Persons with visual impairment can be excellent telephone operators or teachers.
Persons who are deaf can be highly capable in data entry or design.
Workplace Adjustments:
Offices should ensure disability-friendly toilets and necessary software such as screen readers.
c) For Society and Families
Change in Vocabulary
Terms like “lato” (mute), “langado” (crippled), “andho” (blind), “pagal” (mad) should no longer be used.
These words damage a person’s dignity.
We should use respectful terms such as “person with disability” or “person with different abilities”.
Letting Go of Over-protection
In the name of love, families sometimes keep members with disabilities confined inside the house.
This is harmful.
Let them struggle, learn and become self-reliant.
d) Use of Technology
This is an era of technology.
The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and assistive technology can radically improve the lives of persons with disabilities.
Examples include:
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Text-to-speech software for persons with visual impairment
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Communication apps for persons who cannot speak
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Smart wheelchairs for wheelchair users
The state should provide tax exemption on such technologies and make them available at subsidised rates.
Inspiring Examples
There are many examples within Nepal of people who have overcome physical limitations.
(Names have been changed for privacy, but the events are real.)
Example 1
Sita from Jhapa, who is visually impaired, completed her master’s degree by listening to audio recordings despite the lack of Braille books. She is now a successful teacher.
Example 2
Ramesh from Kathmandu, a wheelchair user, began playing wheelchair basketball after a spinal cord injury. He is now a successful athlete and motivational speaker.
There are thousands of such stories which prove that, given the right opportunity, no one is inherently “incapable”.
Conclusion
The International Day of Persons with Disabilities has meaning only if we remain equally sensitive to their rights during the remaining 364 days of the year.
We must not turn persons with disabilities into objects of pity.
They can be taxpayers, decision-makers and partners in nation-building.
In the end, I have one request:
The next time you see a person with a disability on the street, do not stare and do not look at them with pity.
Simply offer a warm smile and, if needed, ask, “Can I help you?”
The standard of a civilised and developed society is determined by how it treats those it calls its most vulnerable members.
On this December 3, let us make a commitment:
“Let no one be excluded, let no one be left behind.”
Leave No One Behind.
International Days and Weeks