People with disability have extraordinary talents and contribute to the society in many ways, proving that disability is not inability. Based on this premise, the district administration of Hojai in Assam has initiated a campaign with a view to including people with disability in every aspect of development.
Titled ‘Disability is not inability,’ the initiative was launched in collaboration with the Disabled Development Society of Hojai on World Toilet Day that fell on 21st November, 2017. It encourages people with disability to be a part of the Swachhta campaign and make the dream of Swachh India a reality.
The objectives of the campaign are to involve every person with disability in the Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin campaign and to do something unique; to raise awareness about the capabilities and potential of persons with disability; to address discrimination against persons with disability and to ensure the effective inclusion of such people in all areas of society, ZSBP-Hojai said.
To ensure that people with disability too have access to safe sanitation, members of the Disabled Development Society have been carrying out various activities. These include community mobilisation exercises to build awareness about the need to use toilets; IPC (inter personal communication) activities to promote behaviour change; and IEC activities such as hand-washing and cleanliness drive. In addition, they have been involved in the construction of twin pit toilets and so far the organisation has constructed about 114 IHHLs in the Udali block of Hojai District.
Currently, the organisation serves around 500 people with various forms of disability. In fact, from the inception of Swachh Bharat Mission, the organisation has been actively participating in various activities related to SBM. Right from the construction of IHHL (individual household latrines) to IEC/ activities, this organisation has made a name for itself in the community.
According to the Secretary, Disabled Development Society, Mr. Abdul Wahab, “The honourable PM Narendra Modi said that 125 crore Indians must come together to fulfil the dream of swacchta. Therefore we who belong to the 125 crore Indians, although differently abled are as capable as other people in the nation to contribute towards this Mission.”
The Disabled Development Society of Hojai is grateful to the Prime Minister as the Mission believes in the capability of these people, thereby encouraging them to be an integral part of the mission. The organisation is also grateful to the District Water and Sanitation Committee, Hojai, which believes in the ability of people with disability and has involved them in the construction of toilets.
Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) 