Q. How do you understand disability? Substantiate the need for inclusive policy framework in India in this regard.

Model Answer: 

Disability is not merely a biological impairment, but a social construct resulting from the interaction between personal health conditions and environmental, institutional, and attitudinal barriers (UNCRPD, Article 1).

Conceptual Shift: From Medical Deficit to Rights-Based Model

• Charity to Rights Approach: Shifts focus from welfare dependency to legally enforceable socio-economic entitlements (RPwD Act, 2016).
• Universal Design Paradigm: Treats societal barriers, not individual anatomy, as the core determinant of exclusion.

Imperatives for an Inclusive Policy Framework in India

• Demographic Footprint: Over 2.68 crore individuals (Census 2011) face exclusion, compounded by the undercounting of 21 recognized disabilities.
• Economic Empowerment: Bridges severe workforce deficits through targeted skilling and accessible workspaces (PM-DAKSH Yojana).
• Built & Digital Accessibility: Eliminates structural barriers across public infrastructure and digital portals (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan).
• Intersectional Vulnerabilities: Addresses double marginalization faced by rural persons with disabilities (PwDs) and disabled women regarding education and healthcare.
• Constitutional & Global Commitments: Upholds fundamental rights (Articles 14, 21) and advances SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).

Mainstreaming universal accessibility transforms persons with disabilities from passive aid beneficiaries into active drivers of nation-building, realizing genuine social justice.