Off the Field- The Team Comprises us All

A friend was pleasantly surprised to spot on her flight to Birmingham, the Indian Women’s team of Cricket Association for the Blind in India. Few days later, they went ahead and beat England by a whooping 185 runs. Upon their victory, we were discussing how Dhoni and Kohli are the names what come to mind when cricket is discussed, however there are other categories of players who are no less in their commitment to the sport. Blind women cricketers in the country have it a little better due to the monetary support they receive via corporate social responsibility, being backed by the Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) but there are approximately 1.3 crore disabled women in India who probably do not have equal opportunities.

In 2019, August, the first-ever T20 ‘Physical Disability World Cricket Series’ was organised, featuring five participating nations. England hosted India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh for the tournament and the title was won by India as they beat England by 36 runs, bundling them out for 144 in the second innings. In India too, in 2019, the first-ever disabled women’s cricket camp was organised in Gujarat with the help of Baroda Cricket Association. In 2021, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) even set up a Committee for disabled cricketers but there has been no fund allocation for it up until today. There’s still a need for a robust government policy that supports disabled cricketers financially, just the way able-bodied cricketers find employment and survival by receiving aid from the private sector and job security by the government. Interestingly, sports like para-badminton and para-athletics have better opportunities since they are part of the Paralympics and can represent the country and get jobs through sports quota, the same is sadly not true of cricket - the most popular sport and sentiment in India.

The Divyang Cricket Control Board of India (DCCBI) has launched a separate committee for women, but there’s still a clear lack of female administrators spearheading this body. This reminds me of famous disability rights activist Javed Abidi’s emphasis on the concept of ‘nothing for us, without us’. Until persons with disabilities are actively involved in policy making, the functioning of bodies and organisations set up for their welfare, will not be able to function competently.

We at GDi believe that the success of governance is first and foremost to make society and the economy truly inclusive. With the same spirit and the same hope, we recently worked with many like minded partners such as Zero Project Omidyar Network India Youth4Jobs Foundation @CII and The Hans Foundation to organized Zero Project Conference's first event in India on September 19-20 in New Delhi.

Zero Project India is an initiative by Zero Project (The mission of the Zero Project is working for a world with zero barriers. The research-driven approach aims to identify, curate, and share inclusive solutions within the frameworks of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities) in partnership with Y4J. One of the core purpose of the conference is to bring together diverse stakeholders – with the Indian community of persons with disabilities, its ecosystems of innovators, the tech and business sector, organisations working in the grassroots and the public sector.

What this space needs the most is a bridge between ideas and solutions and for those working in silos to come together and create a composite world of connected solutions. The conference through exhibition brought together to one stage, innovative assistive technologies, accessible workplace solutions, and inclusive employment practices. It enabled the exchange of ideas and capacity building within the Indian ecosystem. With technology playing a crucial role, global collaboration supports the development of digital platforms and tools that connect individuals with disabilities to job opportunities, training resources and support networks.?

Saiyami Kher, a famous Indian actor who player lead actor in Bollywood movie Ghoomer, lent her support to the conference and the purpose more broadly.

Together, these efforts are transforming the disability space in India and policy makers and sectoral experts will be reminded of how they can turn the challenges that lie before them into opportunities that will last a lifetime and longer!

Let's all come together and create a world with zero barriers.

#Disability #Inclusivity #ZeroBarrier #NationBuilding #OffTheField