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Witness History

India's campaign for disability rights

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.41.6K Ratings

🗓️ 25 November 2020

⏱️ 10 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In December 1995, the first disability rights legislation was passed by India's parliament. An estimated 60 million people, almost six percent of India's population, are affected by physical or mental disabilities. Farhana Haider spoke to Javed Abidi who led the campaign to change the law.

Photo: Disability rights campaigners protest in Delhi, December 19th 1995. (Credit: Javed Abidi)

Transcript

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0:00.0

Choosing what to watch night after night the flicking through the endless

0:06.8

searching is a nightmare we want to help you on our brand new podcast off the

0:11.8

telly we share what we've been watching

0:14.0

Cladie Aide.

0:16.0

Load to games, loads of fun, loads of screaming.

0:19.0

Lovely. Off the telly with me Joanna Paige.

0:21.0

And me, Natalie Cassidy, so your evenings can be a little less

0:24.9

searching and a lot more auction listen on BBC sounds. You are listening to the BBC World Service and now witness history.

0:39.6

November 2020 marks 25 years since the passing of the Disability Discrimination Act in the UK.

0:47.0

All this week we're looking at milestones in the lives of disabled people around the world.

0:52.0

Today we're going to India in 1995

0:56.0

and a demonstration by disabled activists outside the country's parliament

1:00.0

for Hannah Heater reports. The Hader reports. The Hindi version of the song We Shall Overcome was a theme, but it was direct action that would lead to a change in India's legislation.

1:20.0

We organized this March. I remember talking to my father and even he sort of said,

1:26.0

look you're wasting your time you're a small minority nobody will listen to you

1:30.0

it's a waste of time.

1:30.8

Javedabidi was 30 in a disabled rights campaigner in 1995.

1:35.7

He was affected at birth with Spina Bifida and later confined to a wheelchair.

1:40.3

He grew up in a Ligar in Northern India where his father was a university lecturer.

1:45.0

One of the advantages of growing up in a small town is everybody is very helpful.

1:49.0

I was lucky enough to be able to go to a normal school.

1:52.0

I don't remember any extra facilities being made for me except of

...

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