HRLN - A Profile - Human Rights Law Network

to disability has significantly shifted from beinglargesse-oriented to rights-based. This shiftnotwithstanding, the entire spectrum of disabilityissues - from causes of disability to care andrehabilitation, from empowerment to mainstreamingthrough education, employment, access and the like -are still waiting to be practically resolved. A huge"invisible" disabled population in the country waits tobe acknowledged.A positive development is the enactment of four speciallaws for disabled persons in the last decade-and-a-half.With the passing of these much needed laws, the role oflaw and its various agencies becomes extremelysignificant in two ways: on one hand, the existing lawmust be used in every possible way to the advantage ofthe disabled. On the other hand, the law must continueto evolve rightly and precisely in order to respondeffectively to the issues of disability. It is the mandate ofthe Disability Rights Initiative (DRI) to make both ofthese happen.DRI's broad areas of work towards these objectivesinclude:- Legal aid and counselling for the disabled.- Filing individual and public interest litigation onvarious disability related issues in the Supreme Court,High Courts and before the Disability Commissioners.- Training different stakeholders and sensitising thecivil society movement.- Producing publications such as a Handbook ofdisability laws and posters on disability rights.- Networking and consultations on various issuesconcerning disability (like inclusive education,employment and non-discrimination at the workplace,and access to the disabled) as well as on specific kinds ofdisability.- Advocacy and campaigns for amendments towardsbetter disability laws and policies, internationaldeclarations, and instruments for the mainstreamingand development of disabled persons.Legal Aid & Public Interest LitigationHRLN lawyers represent persons with disabilities beforethe Disability Commissioner as well as well as before theHigh Courts and Supreme Court. The petitions cover arange of issues such as: Access, Reservation inemployment and educational institutes, Voting rightsand Discrimination. Some of the cases are:Rajive Raturi v. Union of IndiaA petition in the Supreme Court of India over theGovernment's failure to fulfil requirements regardingthe safety and accessibility of surface transport forvisually disabled persons.Bogga Mallesh & Network of Persons with Disabilityv. The Commissioner, Disabled Welfare, Hyderabadand Ors.HRLN filed a Writ Petition in AP High Court onbehalf of the A.P. Dwarf Welfare Association (A.P.Marugujjula Sankshema Sangam) and the 10,000 strongdwarf community, challenging the exclusion of dwarfsfrom the category of persons with disabilities and frombenefits under A.P. State welfare schemes for personswith disabilities.Disability Rights Group v. State of Maharashtra andElection CommissionA petition at the Mumbai High Court petitioning theChief Election Officer (CEO) for Maharashtra to provideBraille Electronic Voting Machines (EVM's) through thestate and to ensure that ramps are constructed at allpolling booths enabling wheelchair users to exercise theirvoting rights. The case is now in the Supreme Court.NetworkingThe DRI works closely with individuals andorganisations, providing crucial services to disabledpersons and their families. The implementation ofdisability law is alarmingly low. In collaboration withdisability rights activists, the Initiative is particularlykeen to help disabled persons access the justice system44