Uncategorised

Blog on RPWD Act

The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act of 2016, read the RPWD Act ensures that persons with disabilities get what they deserve. It replaced the older legislation of 1995, aligning itself with global standards outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). What makes this Act particularly special is its expanded definition of disabilities. The
revised framework now explicitly recognizes twenty-one specified conditions, underscoring the diverse challenges individuals may encounter. It places emphasizes on upholding the rights of people with disabilities, particularly in the realms of education, employment, healthcare, and overall accessibility.

Unified Theatre in two districts

October always holds a special place in the heart of every Bengali. It heralds the beginning of Durga Puja- the biggest festival for the Bengalis. For us, this October was very special and eventful as well.
Two performances of Unified Theatre was staged in October. The first one was part of an inter-school theatre competition, which took place near Jiraat, a small town in Hooghly. Ours was the only unified theatre roup, including both children with and without disabilities. The theatre, named ‘Lohori’ was based on the story of a young girl from a coastal village in Bengal and her struggle for her and the other girls of their village for their Right to Education. Our performance not only garnered a lot of applause, but our lead character also got awarded as the ‘Best Actor’.

Walk for Paralympics 2023

On 7th April around 60 athletes with both upper and lower limb disabilities from 6 different districts of West Bengal came together to participate in the first State Multiple Disability Football Tournament. This was organized by Civilian Welfare Foundation in collaboration with TMC Ward No. 95, Sudhamta Foundation India and Five Mad Men. The six participating districts were Kolkata, North 24 Parganas, Purulia, Malda, Hooghly and Birbhum.

State Multiple Disability Football Tournament 2023

On 7th April around 60 athletes with both upper and lower limb disabilities from 6 different districts of West Bengal came together to participate in the first State Multiple Disability Football Tournament. This was organized by Civilian Welfare Foundation in collaboration with TMC Ward No. 95, Sudhamta Foundation India and Five Mad Men. The six participating districts were Kolkata, North 24 Parganas, Purulia, Malda, Hooghly and Birbhum.

Marriage Equality and Economic Empowerment

Despite June being hailed as the Pride Month, issues of gender and sexual minorities extend beyond it. One such raging current issues is that of marriage equality. In recent times, decriminalisation of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code by the Supreme Court in 2018 was one historic step towards equal rights for the LGBTQIA+ community. But India is yet to legalise same sex marriages in spite of several petitions in the past.

UNIFIED THEATRE

Unified theatre was launched for the first time in India by Civilian Welfare foundation, in collaboration with Special Olympics Bharat in 2021. Unified theatre is a form of theatre where individuals with and without disability come together to perform theatre. Unified Theatre dissolves typical societal barriers like gender, caste and ability.