Disability and Mental Health in India
Unnati Roongta
Psychology Major and Addictions worker, Amity University ? Cambrian college
Do you have less freedom because you are disabled? [Indian Context]
Unnati A. Roongta
Abstract
If we are someone who isn’t disabled. It might be a little difficult to wrap our heads around the numerous everyday hassles these individuals have to face in a country like India. Much of these issues we usually don’t even think about as they are simply non-extent in our lives. But to even remotely grasp what we are talking about. We need to understand the meaning of the term Disability - A disability is any condition of the body or mind (impairment) that makes it more difficult for the person with the condition to do certain activities (activity limitation) and interact with the world around them. E.g. Hearing impairments, Mental illness, Handicaps, etc.
Keywords: Impairment, Limitation, and Interaction
Do you have less freedom because you are disabled? [Indian context]
Now, there are different kinds of disabilities. Each posing different issues individuals face daily. However, we should know that no disability is easier to survive than the other. Some disabilities are visible (handicaps, autism, or paralysis), and those that are invisible (brain injuries, depression, diabetes). With that in mind, for this paper, we will be focusing on Physical disabilities and some mental disabilities that individuals (mostly women) have a little extra trouble with within their lifetime.
The lens of Gender & Disability (Ruchi, 2018)
Women with disabilities face significantly more barriers to accessing adequate housing, health care, education, vocational training, and employment in both the public and private spheres. They also have a higher likelihood of being institutionalized, according to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Disability. Inequality in hiring, promotion rates, compensation for equal effort, access to financing, training and retraining, and other productive resources are major issues they face. They also seldom engage in economic decision-making(Disability rights in Sub-Saharan africa - sida).
India
In a country like India, it is difficult enough for an abled girl child to make it through and be born due to social evils like Foeticide that continue to largely be practiced in our country. When women who are Abled try to seek jobs or a promotion experience a glass ceiling in our country along with banter that goes on at home about their work and married or potential married life. They are often discouraged and asked not to indulge in the world of work simply because they are women and need to take care of their home, husband, and someday their child. This makes it harder for a woman with either a visible or invisible disability to survive or make a name in the world. It isn’t impossible but it isn’t easy.?
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What are some areas of immediate effect?
I wouldn’t want to put this simply because it certainly isn’t a simple matter. It is a difficult truth. An abled woman who is not valued makes it psychologically and socially harder for a family to accept and keep in their home a disabled woman. So, Family would be one of the first places where she might face resistance and rejection. In school, she might face isolation, belittle, and mockery which makes it difficult to find a social connection and safety. Finally, a? work-life which she may or may not have to depend upon whether or not she continued school and if she had the privilege of a superior.
This is not all. In the future, looking for marriage, she might be rejected by too many because of her disability and might remain unmarried.
Future consequences,
Now, that we have discussed some potential effects of disability, let’s talk about potential consequences.
Hundreds of people, senior citizens lose this sense of control every day. And it is our duty as a society to be kind and helpful towards them when we see them struggle in public spaces.
An incident took place with Ms. Jacqline Colaco in a shop at the time she was disabled. I would like to share the link of the same in the citations below and I humbly ask all my readers to click on it. I hope I am able to deliver part of my message through it.
Conclusion
The above are just discussions from a very small lens of women and disability. But simply thinking of a woman from the LGBTQ+ community who is disabled scares me when I think of the consequences she might be facing. Disability is not an easy topic to talk about and it certainly isn’t easy to do justice to. I hope I have done some justice to it by writing this article to the best of my ability. I would like to conclude with one sentence, in a webinar I once attended (by a woman who was disabled) she said, "There is an external oppression and I already internally feel oppressed".
Citations