Poll promises for persons with disabilities and some concerns

Political parties' manifestos for persons with disabilities reveal promising initiatives but highlight concerns over implementation and genuine representation.

Different political parties, in their manifestos for the Assembly election, have come up with a variety of promises for persons with disabilities, from increased welfare assistance to employment opportunities. But activists have flagged certain gaps and concerns.

Namburajan, working president of the National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD), said most of the promises were a repetition of those from the previous election manifestos. Though some of the promises, like a dedicated cell at every government medical college hospital to allow all speciality doctors to examine patients with disabilities, were truly assuring, they often failed to go beyond the conceptual stage owing to lack of budgetary allocation and administrative willpower, he said.

“While such centralised medical boards would provide an immense relief by eliminating the need for multiple hospital visits, the history of unfulfilled promises suggests that without a concrete timeline for implementation, these assuring words risk becoming yet another hollow promise,” he said.

‘Parties lack the will’

Mr. Namburajan expressed concern that the political parties still lacked the political will to transform accessibility. According to him, despite rhetoric, there is little progress in making public and private spaces truly barrier-free, as mandated by both the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016. “Even in critical government buildings like the Secretariat, there is a glaring absence of digital announcement boards and tactile flooring,” he added.

While parties like the Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) have promised to ensure all buildings are fully accessible with ramps, accessible toilets, elevators, and special handrails, the two major parties — the DMK and the AIADMK — have made no mention of such comprehensive infrastructure reforms.