Interrogating intersections
CHENNAI: With a blue horizon in the backdrop, the ripple of the waves, and the call of the birds, Marina Beach is often synonymous with Chennai. A regular haunt for many, the beach provides a sandy escape from everyday life, a stolen moment of leisure, or a public space to gather. For disability rights activist and paediatrician Dr Aiswarya Rao, the beach visits were rare. “The distance between the beach and the road is big. Many disabled people have not gone to the beach or into the water. The last I went to the beach was in 10th standard,” she says.
In 2022, Dr Aiswarya visited the coast up close after a 263-meter wooden ramp was installed on the Marina, following years of activism. For many persons with disabilities, this stretch was now accessible, and many experienced, for the first time, the lapping shore pebbled with shells, crabs, and other species. When an intervention is done, it allows the simple act of going to the beach, says Dr Aiswarya, who runs the Better World Shelter.
Punctuated by smiles of women playing in the water, a short video of this moment reminds us: ‘This world is a better place when everybody can participate. Design dismantles disability’. Yet there is much to be done and understanding the caste, gender, and disability is crucial, Dr Aiswarya says at the Prajnya Equality Colloquium Series session ‘Invisible Intersection: Gender, Caste, and Disability, on Friday.
Of disability and discrimination
In the 1980s, activist and academic Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the term intersectionality, stressing the overlappiing of gender and race discrimination. Over the years, this word has spilled out of theory and now, has become a “buzzword and the most commonly used word in the development sector, and we are using it far too often,” says Dr Aiswarya.
Crenshaw’s view has also travelled into Justice R Mahadevan’s order directing the state to ensure fair treatment of disabled women athletes. This judgment, Dr Aiswarya says, refers to the case of Sameeha Barvin vs the State of TN where the Sports Authority of India denied the disabled athlete the opportunity to participate in the Fourth World Deaf Athletics Championship. “Why was her name left out? The answer was she was a single girl, and it wouldn’t be safe for her to travel. This order talks about intersectionality and is a great exposition on how disabled women struggle with disability and being a woman,” says Dr Aiswarya.
The activist also shares other examples of intersectional discrimination: the incident of a Dalit woman in Nellore assaulted by her manager, after the former asked him to wear a mask, during COVID-19; a disabled Dalit woman, Rajalakshmi, was discriminated against by her community for receiving three cents of land from the government; a disabled government employee, Saranya, who died after falling into a septic tank of a toilet under-construction as her office did not provide access to washrooms.
According to Dr Aiswarya, “disability, gender, and caste cause power differentials. Various marginalisations act to compound each other, making someone’s access to life, job, the toilet, and sports events harder. All these access points have so many barriers that work together and push you further and further away.”
Need for policy
According to the 2011 census, 27% of disabled children between five and 19 years old in India have never entered any educational institution. “Nearly 3.4% of the female disabled population are graduates. A World Bank study revealed that women with disabilities are 50% less likely to receive healthcare and assistive devices compared to men with disabilities,” underlines the activist.
As the popular adage goes, “No one is equal, until everyone is equal.” To design equality for all, beyond purposeful policy-making, civil societies, governments, and stakeholders working together is key. Dr Aiswarya points out, “If multiple people work in tandem, then we can wade through this intersection.”
“Civil society must be watchdogs. Sensitisation is an ongoing process, there is no endpoint. Every issue is a big mountain before us, we have a lot of work to do,” she signs off.