MUMBAI: Only 6% of persons with disabilities (PwDs) in the state find public transport accessible, according to a study by the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP).A decade after the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016, major gaps persist, leaving many cut off from education, healthcare and jobs.The study, which surveyed 311 individuals and 84 civil society organisations across 30 districts, found that accessibility is failing across all categories of disability. A majority of responses were from cities like Mumbai and Pune.Arman Ali, executive director of NCPEDP, said that even when the govt invests in infrastructure, disability is often treated as an “afterthought” rather than a primary design requirement.“If you find a low-floor bus, then you don’t find the bus stand to be accessible. The pavements or the footpaths are not designed keeping in mind the needs of PwDs,” Ali explained.He said accessibility is failing everyone because the planning does not consider how a person navigates the entire journey from their house to their destination.This physical exclusion is mirrored in the digital and economic spheres. Currently, only 26% of PwDs in Maharashtra are employed. Ali pointed out that a major barrier to modern participation is the lack of digital accessibility.He noted that if banking, insurance or investment apps do not comply with mandatory accessibility guidelines, the community is effectively kept out of “financial democracy”.For the visually-impaired, digital platforms often lack compatibility with screen readers or voice-over functions. They may also lack high-contrast and brightness settings required for navigation.The absence of image descriptions (alt-text) on websites renders critical information invisible. Without removing these barriers, PwDs are unable to engage with modern services or the economy on an equal basis with others.The report exposed a pervasive lack of legal awareness, with 56% of respondents unaware of their rights. Vineet Bhagoji, program manager at NCPEDP, pointed out that govt infrastructure does not evolve unless people apply pressure from the ground.Interestingly, the study found a disconnect between employment and legal knowledge: those in the formal workforce often know less about the RPwD Act than the unemployed.The unemployed tend to rely more heavily on the Unique Disability ID (UDID) for welfare benefits. Bhagoji observed that employed people often avoid seeking the Act’s welfare and pension provisions because they have an income stream.This reliance on state support is further complicated by a broken healthcare system. The study found that 50% of respondents lack regular medical access due to high costs and a lack of local specialists.There is also major “pendency” in the certification process. Waiting periods for disability certificates reach up to eight months at nodal centres like JJ Hospital.This bottleneck forces rural residents to travel to Mumbai or Pune, placing an immense load on metro-city hospitals. District-level administrations are failing to deliver services locally.To bridge these gaps, the NCPEDP urges immediate capacity-building for govt officials and seeks better representation of PwDs in local governance.The organisation takes inspiration from successful models in states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It insists that the community holds a “seat at the table” to drive long-term change. As Arman Ali concludes, the report delivers a critical call to action for a state that houses India’s second-largest population of PwDs.To transform the RPwD Act from a “progressive piece of paper”, its impact must reach every bus, every hospital and every district office.
