India's Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) - the world's largest wage-based social protection programme-has been cited, in a first-ever UN report on Disability and Development, as one of the growing number of good practices being implemented by the countries that can create a more inclusive society in which people with disabilities (PwDs) can live independently.
"One example of a public employment program with measures to effectively include persons with disabilities is provided by India," says the report which was launched on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities last week.
It further noted that "through this programme, which guarantees 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to every household, state governments in India have to make efforts to ensure that PwDs are provided work opportunities close to their place of residence, as well as paid wages equal to PwDs.
"This public employment programme also seeks to ensure a stigma-free environment at the workplace, so that workers with disabilities are not looked down upon or face any form of discrimination. In 2015-16, about half of the 130,420 persons with disabilities registered under this programme engaged in work under the scheme," says the report. Countries that have started to explicitly take disability into account in their public employment services include India, Ivory Coast, Mexico, Peru, Philippines and Vietnam, said the report.
However, the report at the same time also points out that, in India as also in Cameroon, awareness of health services among PwDs is extremely low. In India, only 49 per cent have even heard of any general health services, whereas in Cameroon only 73 per cent have, it adds.
Overall, the UN's flagship report in disability and development, paints a gloomy picture on the state of the affairs of the PwDs, noting that the sector is at a disadvantage as far as the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is considered across the countries.
The SDGs are a collection of 17 global goals set by the UN in 2015, which include ending global poverty and hunger, implementing sustainable environmental practices and more. UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized that the 2030 Agenda represents a commitment to reduce inequality and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, including those with disabilities.
"In many societies, PwDs often end up disconnected, living in isolation and facing discrimination," he said, highlighting that more than one billion people in the world live with some form of disability.
The report demonstrates how disability-based discrimination has severe effects on transport, cultural life, and access to public places and services, and thus, the report leads with a push to change urban environments to make them more accessible.
The above challenges often go unseen as a result of insufficient questions relevant to disability, and consequently, an underestimation of the number of persons living with disabilities and affected by discrimination, and other barriers.
Javier Vasquez, who helps head up the health division at Special Olympics International in his role as Vice President, echoed the issue of gaps in inclusion and representation. On average, PwDs die 16 years sooner than those living without disabilities, however: "A lot of people think people with intellectual disabilities die earlier because of their disabilities, and this is not true," he said according to reports.
"The problem is that these illnesses, in the context of PwDs, are undiagnosed or undetected, and they go through life without treatment. They are excluded many times because of stigma and discrimination."