Disability As Diversity In India Theory Practice And Lived Experience – Sandhya Limaye

She would never leave home alone because she was afraid of being ridiculed. Even when she went out to the neighbourhood with her sister-in-law, she described: I would walk behind my sister-in-law and hide myself within the fold of her so that no one could see me. I used to be shy because I am like this and others always commented on it. I never used to speak to anyone.

I used to feel, as a short person, I should be ashamed of myself. If I go out, then people will say or make fun [of me]. So, I never went out. I used to feel ashamed of being so short. Tithi also experienced a period of self-imposed withdrawal from society when she was in adolescence. She described: I realised that just being different didn’t matter. People used to laugh at me openly [in front of me], and crack crude jokes. I stopped going to any place other than my school.

There, my friends used to call me, “Thumbelina,” but that seemed more affectionate, and they never made fun of my limitations. Confronting Barriers and Attitudes The life of a person with RG is further complicated by normalizing, inaccessi- ble physical environment within private, as well as public spaces. Anita points out that most shelves that store important materials at home are too high for her to reach, which makes it difficult for her to access what she needs without others’ help.

She described, “I have to keep reminding my family members [that they need] to put keys, etc. on the shelves where I can reach.” Anita lives near the river where high tides and heavy rains can cause flooding. Thus, all beds in her house are made high so that they do not get wet. Anita, however, has a problem climbing onto her bed every day.

Shibu also faces similar problems especially to lock and unlock his home. He noted: You can lock the door using a chain which is located on top of the door. If I am outside and the chain is on, I have to wait until someone else comes back home and opens it for me. There’s no way I can reach [the chain that is] so high. Anita also described that she is not able to go out of her own home for the same reason, “The latch is on the top of the door.

So, if I have to go out, I have to wake up others sleeping in the room. This is why we never lock the door from the inside.”

Sandhya Limaye is a Professor and Chair of the Centre for Disability Studies and Action, School of Social Work, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. As an Erasmus Mundus, Nehru-Fulbright, and Rockefeller fellow, she presented the alternate report on women with disability in India at the UN, Geneva. She also is involved in C 20 Summit for Diversity, Equity, and Disability groups in India. Christopher J. Johnstone is an Associate Professor of Comparative and International Development Education, University of Minnesota, USA. He has written widely on issues of inclusive education, inclusive development, higher education, and disability studies.

He first visited India as an undergrad- uate study abroad student and has since led two major research grants on top- ics related to disability with his colleague Sandhya Limaye. Misa Kayama, Ph.D., MSW, is an Associate Professor of Social Work at the University of Mississippi, USA. Her research focuses on the cultural shaping of children’s experience of stigmatization due to disability in Asian countries and the U.S., and other intersectional issues such as race and immigration sta- tus, through cross-cultural, ethnographic approaches.

The findings have been published in a number of peer-reviewed journals and two academic books. This book critically analyses diverse experiences related to disability in India. Drawing upon intersectionality theory, it explores a range of issues regarding everyday experiences of disability in relation to gender, religion, social experi- ences, and India’s neoliberal economy and its built environment.

From theoreti- cal to deeply personal, this book discusses themes like invisible disability and identity; women with disabilities in India; bodily frustrations and cultural stigma; emotional stability and self-esteem of children with disabilities; neurodiversity and queerness; and overcoming the barriers. It also emphasizes the impact of the writings of women with disabilities on their personal experiences. The volume discusses perspectives and practices of schooling, curricular transactions, and inclusive education that have evolved for children who are deaf in India.

Conversational and interdisciplinary, this book will be of interest to schol- ars and practitioners of disability studies, social care, mental health, social psy- chology, gender studies, social work, and special education. Disability as Diversity in India Disability as Diversity in India Theory, Practice, and Lived Experience Edited by Sandhya Limaye, Christopher J. Johnstone, and Misa Kayama First published 2024 by Routledge 4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2024 selection and editorial matter, Sandhya Limaye, Christopher Johnstone, and Misa Kayama individual chapters, the contributors The right of Sandhya Limaye, Christopher Johnstone, and Misa Kayama to be identified as the authors of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

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• ISBN: 9780367410216, 9781032766263, 9780367814298
• Pages: 278
• Language: English (en)

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