The Urgency of Universally Accessible Early Warning System

In the Headlines —

Trigger Warning: “Deaf-mute man dies in house collapse in MP”

“Unable to call for help, a 44-year-old deaf-mute man was buried alive when his mud house collapsed following incessant rains in Madhya Pradesh’s Satna district. As Tomar couldn’t raise an alarm because of his disability, it took villagers quite some time to grasp that he was trapped under the debris. They began looking for him in the rubble only when they realised that no one had seen Tomar all day. Police were called in but couldn’t save him.”

{Times of India | 6th August 2024}.

Visual/Image Description [Alt Text]: A poster with a paper-textured white background features the logos of The Sangyan, Build Forward Better Campaign, and Poornamidam, along with their mottos centred on the page. QR codes for both initiatives are placed on either side. The title reads, “Deaf-Mute Man Dies in House Collapse in MP”, followed by a screenshot of a Times of India article. The article includes a representative photo showing the feet of a deceased person with a tag attached to the toes. The body text reads: “Unable to call for help, a 44-year-old deaf-mute man was buried alive when his mud house collapsed following incessant rains in Madhya Pradesh’s Satna district. As Tomar couldn’t raise an alarm because of his disability, it took villagers quite some time to grasp that he was trapped under the debris. They began looking for him in the rubble only when they realized that no one had seen Tomar all day. Police were called in but couldn’t save him.” [Times of India | 06th of August 2024]. At the bottom, there’s a customized infinity symbol representing climate resilience and universal accessibility, along with a QR code linking to the Change.org petition for endorsing the ‘Charter of Demands: Call to Action for Disability Justice’. The poster also includes hashtags #BuildForwardBetter #UnitedInAction and #WeAllBelong at the extreme bottom.

Contextual Background —

It’s high time such news stirs our collective consciousness and we become unwilling to compromise on our freedom and fundamental human rights. These incidents highlight the urgent need for disability-led and inclusive climate action and disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction (DiDRR) as well as universally accessible early warning and emergency response systems. There’s a dire need for the effective implementation of the Disability-inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DiDRR) Guidelines 2019; Section 8 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (equal protection and safety in situations of risk, armed conflict, humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters); and Article 11 of the UNCRPD (Situations of Risk and Humanitarian Emergencies).

“Unable to call for help, a 44-year-old deaf-mute man was buried alive when his mud house collapsed following incessant rains in Madhya Pradesh’s Satna district. As Tomar couldn’t raise an alarm because of his disability, it took villagers quite some time to grasp that he was trapped under the debris. They began looking for him in the rubble only when they realized that no one had seen Tomar all day. Police were called in but couldn’t save him.” [Times of India | 06th of August 2024].

Note: Language(s) and content(s) used as in the news article and any unintentional and unknowing error(s) or omission(s) is deeply regretted. The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 employs the following legal terminologies for Hearing impairment — “Deaf” and “Hard of hearing”.

Accessible Early Warning System

Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC)’s initiative of ‘Free of Cost Online Interpreting Services / Video Relay Service (VRS)’ (launched in July 2023) to meet the requirements of the deaf community in emergency situations through WhatsApp video call facility, must extend its scope and function in integration with Sachet National Disaster Alert Portal & Mobile App that provides alerts in a geo-targeted manner in multiple languages across all media simultaneously for all-natural and human-induced disasters to ensure Disability-inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DiDRR) and Disability-led and inclusive Climate Action. [https://x.com/thesangyan/status/1684850109320962048]

A Circular with the letter head of ISLRTC & the following information — “ISLRTC has initiated free of cost online interpreting services/video relay service (VRS) to meet requirement of deaf community in emergency situation through WhatsApp video call. The online interpreting service/VRS is a video communication which enables deaf people to communicate with hearing people via a remote sign language interpreter linked through video communication. Currently the online interpreting service may be availed for the following purposes: i. To get communication access in the hospitals for medical treatment & at police station to lodge complaint. iii. To get communication access for availing government schemes & benefits such as disability certificate, UDID card, scholarship etc., iii. To get communication access in the educational institution for admission etc. WhatsApp Number 8929667579 to access online service. For any queries/comments/suggestions, videorelayserviceisirte@gmail.com

Charter of Demands: Call to Action for Disability Justice

The ‘Charter of Demands: Call to Action for Disability Justice’ also seeks —
Periodic National Disability Census and Real-Time Tracker Dashboard for Disaggregated Data; Formation of National Mission on Climate Change and Vulnerable Communities under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), 2008; and Climate Resilient and Universally Accessible Housing under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. [https://chng.it/q5FVYJQRzP]

Charter of Demands: 1. Amendment to Article 15 of the Constitution & Addition of “Disability” as the Ground of Forbidden Discrimination. 2. Formation of the National Commission for PwDs under Article 340 of the Constitution 3. Legislative Impact Assessment of The Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 & Citizens’ Chatters 4. Periodic National Disability Census & Real-Time Tracker Dashboard for Disaggregated Data. 5. Proportional Budgetary Allocation for PwDs to tackle historical marginalization & backwardness. 6. Formation of National Mission on Climate Change & Vulnerable Communities under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) 2008. 7. Initiation of Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan 2.0 [Accessible India Campaign 2.0] 8. Establishment of Centre of Excellence for R&D on Universal Design & Accessibility. 9. Access to Affordable Assistive Technology, Insurance & Universal Health Coverage for All & 10. Climate Resilient & Universally Accessible Housing under PM Awas Yojana.

Hindi Version of Charter of Demands: 1. भारत के संविधान के अनुच्छेद 15 में संशोधन और निषिद्ध भेदभाव के आधार के रूप में “विकलांगता/दिव्यांगता” को शामिल करना। 2. भारत के संविधान के अनुच्छेद 340 के तहत/अंतर्गत विकलांग/दिव्यांग व्यक्तियों के लिए राष्ट्रीय आयोग का गठन। 3. दिव्यांगजन अधिकार अधिनियम, 2016 (आरपीडब्ल्यूडी एक्ट, 2016) का विधायी प्रभाव आकलन और नागरिक चार्टर/राजलेख। 4. वर्गीकृत आंकड़े के लिए आवधिक राष्ट्रीय विकलांगता/दिव्यांगजन जनगणना और तात्कालिक/वास्तविक समय अनुपथक/ट्रैकर डैशबोर्ड/नियंत्रण-पट्ट। 5. ऐतिहासिक उपेक्षा और पिछड़ेपन से निपटने के लिए विकलांग/दिव्यांग व्यक्तियों के लिए आनुपातिक बजटीय प्रावधान/आवंटन। 6. जलवायु परिवर्तन पर राष्ट्रीय कार्य योजना (एनएपीसीसी), 2008 के तहत/अंतर्गत जलवायु परिवर्तन और कमजोर/असुरक्षित समुदायों पर राष्ट्रीय मिशन का गठन। 7. सुगम्य भारत अभियान 2.0 [एक्सेसिबल इंडिया कैंपेन 2.0] की शुरुआत बड़ी दूरदर्शिता और बड़े लक्ष्यों के साथ। 8. सार्वभौमिक रूप-रेखा/रचना (यूनिवर्सल डिजाइन) और सुगम्यता पर अनुसंधान और विकास के लिए उत्कृष्टता केंद्र (सीओई) की स्थापना।

Manifesto: For and By Citizens with Disabilities

Moreover, the ‘Manifesto: For and By Citizens with Disabilities’ curated by the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) and envisioned by the National Disability Network (NDN) and the National Committee on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (NCRPD), demanded —

India’s tricolour-themed background cover page with the following details — “MANIFESTO For and By Citizens with Disabilities. WE ARE > 1,00,00,000 VOTERS. NOTHING WITHOUT US.” At the top-left and bottom-right corners are certain elements depicting disability and accessibility.

निम्नलिखित विवरण के साथ भारत का तिरंगे-थीम वाला पृष्ठभूमि कवर पेज — “विकलांग नागरिकों के लिए और उनके द्वारा घोषणापत्र। हम > 1,00,00,000 मतदाता हैं। हमारे बिना कुछ भी नहीं।” ऊपर-बाएँ और नीचे-दाएँ कोने पर विकलांगता और सुगम्यता को दर्शाने वाले कुछ तत्व हैं।

“We will form a dedicated National Mission on Climate Change for Vulnerable Communities, including people with disabilities under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), 2008 for umbrella protection.” AND “We will ensure District Disaster Management Authority undertakes real-time disaggregated data collection for persons with disabilities across all districts in India in accordance with Section 8 of the RPwD Act 2016.” [https://ncpedp.org/reports-publications/]

India’s tricolour-themed background page with the following details — paragraphs on 6. Socio-Political Inclusion, 7. Economic Participation, and 8. Climate Change. Please refer to the PDF file to access and read the complete content.

निम्नलिखित विवरण के साथ भारत का तिरंगे-थीम वाला पृष्ठभूमि पृष्ठ — 6. सामाजिक-राजनीतिक समावेशन, 7. आर्थिक भागीदारी, और 8. जलवायु परिवर्तन पर अनुच्छेद। पूरी सामग्री तक पहुंचने और पढ़ने के लिए कृपया पीडीएफ फाइल देखें।

Post in Collaboration — Poornamidam X The Sangyan (द संज्ञान)

Authored by —

Adv. Abhishek Kumar, Founder and Curator — The Sangyan

Ar. Kavya Poornima Balajepalli, Founder and Curator — Poornamidam

Cover Page —

Visual/Image Description [Alt Text]: A poster with a paper-textured white background features the logos of The Sangyan, Build Forward Better Campaign, and Poornamidam, along with their mottos centred on the page. QR codes for both initiatives are placed on either side. The title reads, “Deaf-Mute Man Dies in House Collapse in MP”, followed by a screenshot of a Times of India article. The article includes a representative photo showing the feet of a deceased person with a tag attached to the toes.

The body text reads: “Unable to call for help, a 44-year-old deaf-mute man was buried alive when his mud house collapsed following incessant rains in Madhya Pradesh’s Satna district. As Tomar couldn’t raise an alarm because of his disability, it took villagers quite some time to grasp that he was trapped under the debris. They began looking for him in the rubble only when they realized that no one had seen Tomar all day. Police were called in but couldn’t save him.” [Times of India | 06th of August 2024].

At the bottom, there’s a customized infinity symbol representing climate resilience and universal accessibility, along with a QR code linking to the Change.org petition for endorsing the ‘Charter of Demands: Call to Action for Disability Justice’. The poster also includes hashtags #BuildForwardBetter #UnitedInAction and #WeAllBelong at the extreme bottom.

Hashtags —

#PrakritiRakshatiRakshitah #BuildForwardBetter #WeAllBelong #BhuleTohNahi #WhatsYourPlan #InkForInclusion #CharterOfDeamnds #CallToAction #LeaveNoOneBehind #NothingWithoutUs #MakingRightsReal #Sustainability #UniversalAccessibility #Accessibility #UniversalDesign #AccessibilityIsFreedom #ActNow #Disability #DisabilityJustice #DisabilityLedClimateAction #InclusiveClimateAction #DIDRR #SDGs #DisasterRiskReduction #GlobalGoals #ThreatMultiplier #Disaster #SustainableDevelopment #EarlyWarningSystem #SignLanguage