“How PwD-inclusive are our institutions?” is a relevant question to ask, given the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPwD) on December 3, whose motto is “fostering disability inclusive societies.”  The 64 million PwD in India (NFHS -5 National Family Health Survey), 4.4% of the country’s population, is just over 1/4^th of the WHO PwD global estimate of 16%. India, a signatory of the UN Convention for Rights of PwD (CRPD), enacted its Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act in 2016. It recognized more disabilities, mandated free education for children with benchmark disabilities, as well as increased PwD reservations in government jobs to 4% and in higher education seats to 5%.  The national vision of ‘Viksit Bharat’, a developed country, is not only about GDP per Capita, but also about the safeguarding of the rights of the marginalized.

Judy’s, Judith Heumann, fight against discrimination is testimony to a PwD faculty driving inclusivity in education, and beyond – public transport, Americans with Disability Act (ADA Act 1990), etc. Disability advocates like Nipun Malhotra carry the torch for an inclusive mindset in public institutions, such as the Delhi Police.  Paul Harpur, University of Queensland faculty, is a former Paralympic athlete, and he stresses the importance of PwD voices in academic governance – committees overseeing facilities development, curriculum, material procurement, testing, and in premium institutional groupings like Ivy or Russell or Indian CHEIs. “Amplifying the leadership of persons with disability for an inclusive…future.”, the 2024 IDPwD theme, requires affirmative action. India’s RPwD Act 2016 mandated reservation in faculty jobs at CHEIs, serving at least three purposes - (a) social uplift, encouraging PwD students to pursue higher education to the PhD level and beyond, (b) ensuring appropriate role models for students, and (c) PwD representation in important decision-making processes of autonomous institutions.