Did you know that more 15% of the world’s population lives with a disability – that is 1 in 6 of us. We are talking about 1.3bn people here. It is the world’s largest minority group. You add caregivers of the disabled people, and the number easily doubles or triples.

And yet, much needs to be done even today to ensure that people with disabilities are treated with dignity and are recognized for their abilities and their disabilities. Across the globe – developing or developed countries, people living with disabilities continue to face discrimination, marginalization, exclusion and inaccessibility.

One might wonder why there is talk about inclusion everywhere? About including women, about including people of all colour, caste and religion, about including people with any or all disabilities, about including people with a different sexual orientation and/or gender identity, about financial and social inclusion, about inclusion in the workplace. Inclusion, Inclusion, Inclusion. What is it and why is it even important?

Inclusion is essentially the practice of including and accommodating people who are usually excluded due to their race, gender, sexuality, or ability. Inclusion means that all people have the right to be respected, to access education, to realise their potential, to access any products and services and have freedom, equality, and opportunity to participate fully in public life. In short inclusion applies to all parts of life.

But why bother – why is inclusion so important? Because it is the right thing to do. Because it takes us towards a more just and empathetic society. Because EVERYONE should have a place at the table. Because every person has their place in the world and have something to contribute.

And for those who put a greater importance on numbers – inclusion also makes good economic sense. The economic cost of social exclusion can be captured by foregone gross domestic product (GDP) and human capital wealth. (https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/social-inclusion). Globally, the loss in human capital wealth due to gender inequality alone is estimated at $160.2 trillion. (https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/33396 ). A study by ILO found that economic losses related to the exclusion of persons with disabilities from the labour force can range from between 3 and 7 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). (https://www.ilo.org/skills/pubs/WCMS_149529/lang–en/index.htm)

In 1992, the UN, designated December 3^rd, as the International Day of Persons With Disabilities.

While this is just one day of a calendar year, it symbolizes the actions we should take every day, in order to create diverse and accepting communities.

To mark this day, last year I organised a blog hop to spread awareness and empathy to make this world a more inclusive space. I was pleasantly surprised that many people wanted to write about the topic and many more to read about it. Encouraged by last years’ experience, I am planning to make this a yearly initiative.

So here we are, at the start of another blog hop, which I will be kicking off tomorrow. Around twenty bloggers from across India and beyond have come together to share their perspective with us and you will get a new insight every day for the next 14 days!

Our bloggers include persons with disabilities, people who are caregivers to persons with disabilities and those that are passionate about the subject. We all come together with one aim – “Let’s make this world a more inclusive place”. Please do read our blogs and share them as far and wide as possible!

Meet and read the bloggers – each with their own experiences and perspectives! Keep an eye on this space and come back to read a fresh new perspective every day, for the next 14 days! Starts on 1st December! You can access all the blogs in one place as you scroll down!

Blog Roll!!!

Day 1, 1st December Blogger Sakshi Varma starts the ball rolling with a discussion around inclusion at the workplace. She talks about the why and how of an inclusive workplace and summarises by saying that even smaller firms can become disability inclusive. Read all that she has to say here: Disability Inclusion at the Workplace

Day 2, 2nd December Blogger Vedalakshmi Venkatesh believes that a little kindness can go a long way. She shares a real life example where empathy, awareness and kindness have led to the development of an inclusive environment. Read all that she has to say here: A Little Kindness Goes a Long Way

Day 3, 3rd December Blogger Monidipa builds on the previous blog by sharing a short story about the lives of Aarav and Ananya and how they start to build an empathetic and inclusive community. Read her story here: https://www.withlovemoni.com/empathy-in-action/

Day 4, 4th December Blogger Ambica Gulati believes that in a world that often labels individuals with disabilities as less capable, it is crucial to challenge these ingrained perceptions and embrace the true essence of inclusivity. She goes on to share her encounters over the years. Read her perspective here: https://queenoftreasures.com/2023/12/04/beyond-pity-shifting-perspectives-on-specially-abled-individuals-through-personal-encounters/

Day 5, 5th December Blogger Medha Prakash, shares her personal and professional experience to emphasize the point that the set up and mindsets of the society are still not ready to accept a child with disability. She attributes most of it to lack of awareness and understanding which she believes are more important than just having accessible spaces. Read her experiences here. https://tripleamommy.com/2023/12/05/exclusion-in-the-name-of-inclusion-in-educational-spaces/

Day 6, 6th December Blogger Sindhura Gaddepalli, talks about the difference between visible and invisible disabilities and shares her thoughts about making this world more inclusive. Read her thoughts here. Let us Make this World more Inclusive and Diversified

Day 7, 7th December Blogger Preeti Chauhan, draws from her temporary disability experience and shares how it made her look at disability differently. In her post she delve into the legal framework and specific examples of government initiatives aimed at empowering individuals with disabilities across various facets of life. Read her here. https://www.sin-plypretty.com/social/the-role-of-government-policies-in-promoting-the-rights-of-people-with-disabilities-in-india/

Day 8, 8th December Today we have the pleasure of having two bloggers. Tannishtha Datta brings to fore a very important albeit comparatively overlooked aspect – the intersection between disability and consequent greater vulnerability to Gender Based Violence. She argues that “The intersection of disability with factors such as sex, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, race, ethnicity, and economic situation also affects the experiences and services on GBV.” She hopes that her post will trigger conversation around what we can do to prevent and respond to it. Read her thoughts here. https://reluctantactivisit.blogspot.com/2023/12/endviolence-beinclusive.html

Shruti Pushkarna, a disability advocate shares stories of ten heroes who she believes deserve a hearty applause for their efforts on disability inclusion. these are ten heartening stories, inspiring each one of us to do more, do as much as possible. Read these stories here: Disabilities Day 2023 Heroes: Yes, they can, and they do!

Day 9, 9th December Blogger Shveta Mishra thinks aloud the many questions that have perturbed her in the two years of working with neurodiverse kids and shares her experience and understanding. Read her thoughts here https://shveta5elements.wordpress.com/2023/12/09/disabled-or-not/

Day 10, 10th December Blogger Sachin Jakhotia, rightly points out that parents of a special needs child have the daunting task of planning finances for two generations. He speaks from his own experience when he says that most parents are running after various therapies and might not be able to give enough attention to long-term as well as goal-based financial planning. Read his tips here https://shlokabiity.blogspot.com/

Day 11, 11th December We have the pleasure of hearing from two bloggers today as well. Continuing on the theme from the previous post, financial planning expert Shilpa Bhaskar Gole lays out a step by step plan for parents and guardians of special needs children. In her post, she lists out five action steps to serve as a guidepost for them to start taking care of themselves financially. Read the steps here https://nerdybird.substack.com/p/financial-care-for-parents-and-guardians

In the second post, blogger Anjena Raghuram talks about the importance of sign language and how by learning some basic sign language, we can help making conversations more accessible and inclusive for deaf individuals. This highly informative post promises to impart some new knoweledge to everyone who reads. Read it here. https://tripleamommy.com/2023/12/11/sign-language-coz-it-matters/

Day 12, 12th December Today we hear from our bloggers Jeannine and Arti Deo.

Jeannine focuses her post on mothers with disability. We all know that parenting is not a piece of cake and can prove to be even more challenging if the parent has a disability. Jeanine gives self care tips to moms with disabilities, reminding them that it is important to prioritise themselves and also guides others on how to support mothers with disability. Read her tips here https://mommywithagoal.com/2023/12/12/how-to-empower-mothers-with-disabilities-raising-little-ones/#google_vignette

Arti Deo, a practioner of the Anat Baniel Method for Neuro Movement, shares her experience of working with kids with Autism. She advises parents to seek support as soon as they observe any signs of Autism and not wait for the symptoms to go away. While the brain can change itself at all ages, growth is exponential in early years. Read her post here https://artideo.blogspot.com/2023/12/moving-from-fixing-to-connecting.html

Day 13, 13th December. Today’s post by Surya Joseph, delves into the various models through which society perceives disability and how that plays a big role in empowering or disempowering the disabled. She described the vast differences in the approaches through the examples of India and the U.S. Read her post here Shifting perspectives: from Disabled to Differently-Abled

Day 14, 14th December. Blogger Charu shares her experience of tackling depression and coming out of it in this inspiring post. Her depression, partly caused by her congenital condition, threatened to consume her, when she finally decided to take it head on and overcome it. Read her experience here Oh—I was Depressed

Day 15, 15th December. In today’s post, blogger Svetha Venkatram, talks about how the able – bodied enjoy so many privileges, that one would not even realise in the normal course. She goes on to share an example of how it is possible to design more inclusive spaces for the disabled. Read her thoughts here https://tripleamommy.com/2023/12/15/leisure-and-travel-are-the-privilege-of-the-able-bodied-what-can-we-do-to-change-it/

________________________________________________________________

Thanks for reading this post. Please like, comment and share!

Regards, Sakshi aka tripleamommy
You can find me at:
Blog: https://tripleamommy.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tripleamommmy

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/tripleamommmy/ 

FB page: https://www.facebook.com/Tripleamommy-2101887313189940
Pinterest: https://in.pinterest.com/tripleamommmy/

Do consider buying my book “Raising Capable Children” that shares hundreds of tips and ideas on bringing up confident children. See below for buying options.

India – Amazon: https://amzn.to/3j3QSrx ; Flipkart: https://www.flipkart.com/raising-capable-children/p/itm2134c13e7108f?pid=9789390267033

For US and UK- https://www.amazon.com/dp/939026703X ; https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/939026703X