Disability is a broad word that encompasses impairments, activity limits, and participation constraints. An impairment is an issue with a body’s function or structure; an activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in carrying out a task or action; and a participation restriction is a problem faced by an individual in participating in life circumstances.
Disability Constitutional Frameworks in India- Article 41 of the Directive Principles of State Policy states that the state shall, within the limits of its economic capacity and development, make effective provisions for securing the right to work, to education, and to public assistance in cases of unemployment, old age, sickness, and disablement.
The subject of’relief of the disabled and unemployable’ is stated in the state list of the constitution’s Seventh Schedule. People with Disabilities Act of 2016: Disability has been described using dynamic and developing ideas. The number of infirmities has been expanded from seven to twenty-one.
Mental illness, autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, chronic neurological conditions, speech and language disability, thalassemia, haemophilia, sickle cell disease, multiple disabilities including deafness, blindness, acid attack victims, and Parkinson’s disease were all included in the act.
The government has been empowered to inform any other defined handicap group. It raises the percentage of reserved seats for individuals with disabilities from 3% to 4% in government positions and from 3% to 5% in higher education institutions.
Every kid between the ages of 6 and 18 with a baseline disability has the right to free education. Government-funded and government-recognized educational institutions will be required to deliver inclusive education.
The Chief Commissioner for People with Disabilities and the State Commissioners will serve as regulatory and grievance redressal bodies, overseeing the Act’s implementation. A separate national and state fund was established to give financial assistance to people with disabilities.
Women and children are more vulnerable, and specific rights, such as reproductive rights, may be neglected or ignored more than others. In 2020, India will have 750 million Internet/smartphone users. There are around 12 crore disabled Internet/smartphone users.
Apps are used to order groceries, food, and medications, as well as for dating, socialising, entertainment, and education. Study evaluating the accessibility of ten of India’s most popular apps across five sectors: The report was launched by the Secretary of the Government of India’s Department of Empowerment for People with Disabilities.
These industries were picked after extensive stakeholder consultation with persons with disabilities, and the ten applications were chosen based on the volume of web traffic. Zomato, Swiggy, PayTM, PhonePe, Amazon, Flipkart, Uber, Ola, WhatsApp, and Telegram were among the applications. Implementation of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines:
A set of widely acknowledged characteristics to judge how disability friendly an app or website is to evaluate these apps.According to the number of violations: The applications are classified as “high,” “medium,” and “poor” in terms of accessibility. Four of the ten applications received bad ratings, while five received medium ratings. The only app that sent a representative was WhatsApp, which was ranked high in the index.
Begin talking about digital accessibility, product design, and the development process. Apps’ digital accessibility. Collaborate with these service providers to develop procedures and processes that will not only increase app accessibility but will also educate their stakeholders about accessibility and persons with impairments.
Enhance design and development procedures so that apps are usable from the start. Alter attitudes in the country about disability, particularly in the business community, shifting them away from a charity perspective and towards a rights-based and investment outlook. Use technology to automate a large number of accessibility tests, and combine that with in-depth manual testing to provide comprehensive accessibility feedback to developers.
It can evaluate at scale and give developers and businesses with actionable information. Recently, there have been encouraging developments from the courts regarding the necessity for accessibility across industries. Ensuring a more accessible digital ecosystem with the premise that “everything digital must be available to everyone.
This begins with embedding accessible and inclusive design principles into all digital offerings from the outset. Organizations, businesses, civic society, the government, and the courts must work together to make India fully accessible to all individuals with disabilities.