(c)Light-for-the-World
Disability Rights Movement in Meghalaya, North East India
The Disability Rights Movement in the North East Indian state is one of the few examples, where a disability rights movement inclusive of all persons with disabilities is strategically and successfully built up from a grass-roots level to eventually cover a whole state of Meghalaya. This success story demonstrates the potential of a bottom-up approach to fight discrimination and promote the rights of persons with disabilities.
Facing the limitations of traditional CBR approaches the local NGO Bethany Society started a pilot project aimed at empowering people with disabilities. The Association of Challenged People (ACP), a DPO formed in a few administrative units of the state back in 2003, was strategically strengthened and built up starting from 2008. Leadership development, the documentation and follow up of discrimination cases as well as success stories of persons with disabilities and the legal support through the NGO’s legal awareness cell fostered the development of the disability movement.
The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) boosted this process, and in the present phase the Movement is being broadened to cover the whole state of Meghalaya. The focus is on education, livelihood and social inclusion. The activists use already existing legal provisions to mobilise persons with disabilities. In collaboration with Bethany Society, LIGHT FOR THE WORLD supports this multi-stakeholder DPO- and CSO-initiative financially and also provides expert input on the UN CRPD and its legal obligations for national implementation and monitoring.
The learning, success-stories as well as the emotions and stronger self-esteem of the people with disabilities of Meghalaya are shared on regional and national level and are inspiring disability rights activists in other states of the North East to build up similar movements.
