Disability inclusion not an act of charity: Justice Vikram Nath

Supreme Court judge Justice Vikram Nath on Wednesday said disability inclusion was “not an act of charity” but an affirmation of “equal personhood”.

Justice Nath was delivering his keynote address at a webinar organised by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

The top court judge, also the executive chairman of NALSA, said, “Inclusion (of people with disabilities) is not an act of charity; it is an act of affirmation of equal personhood. When we remove the barriers, we do more than create accessibility; we unlock human potential.”

Underlining that inclusion meant creating a new and better space where every individual could participate meaningfully, Justice Nath said that legal aid outreach must be disability-inclusive. He said that District Legal Services Authorities (DLSAs) had to regularly visit places, like mental health institutions, special schools, community centres and others, besides ensuring that mobile legal services vans and legal literacy camps reached people who could not approach the system.