Sruti Mohapatra’s journey started when she overcame a life-threatening car accident and worked relentlessly for the inclusion and justice of people suffering from disabilities. She cleared the UPSC examination in the year 1987 and dreamt of becoming an IAS officer.
Sruti Mohapatra’s journey started when she overcame a life-threatening car accident and worked relentlessly for the inclusion and justice of people suffering from disabilities.
Society has long perceived people with disabilities as people who are “different” and “disabled”. The loss of Dr. Sruti Mohapatra’s privacy came along as she had become too dependent on people for her basic needs. The impact was visible in her social life as well when most of the people in the public openly made remarks and gave looks. Youngsters passed cruel remarks ‘people on wheelchairs are better off at homes and should not come and jam the social places with their wheelchairs.’ These remarks left a lasting impact on Dr. Mohapatra. People with disabilities are often seen as people with “contagious diseases”.
She stated that the government looks at the disabled as “objects” and distributes wheelchairs but no one talks about the basic necessities one needs in life: education, accessibility, and bringing them to the mainstream.
Dr. Sruti Mohapatra: a glimmer of light
It was in the year 1999, Sruti Mohapatra founded Swabhiman Foundation, Odisha’s first ever cross-disability organisation that was dedicated to empower individuals with disabilities. The NFHS Report from 2011 presented that a staggering 63.28 million people suffered with disability in India. These people are often invisible to others, are the poorest and victims of various barriers of society, including physical and attitudinal discrimination. Over the years it has launched multiple programs like Abhigyata that aims to spread awareness about disability. It aims at educating people first and to eliminate all the ill-informed attitudes that make them aware that disability can happen at any point of life.
She stated that, ‘small steps over the years help in bringing a larger change over the years. A huge victory came when in 2009, she along with other activists prompted the Jagannath Mandir to be made wheelchair accessible.
The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act was the only law that was passed in December 2016 after a series of advocacy, awareness, emails and tweets by Dr. Mohapatra and her colleagues.
The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act was the only law that was passed in December 2016 after a series of advocacy, awareness, emails and tweets by Dr. Mohapatra and her colleagues. The act prompted the public and law to see the disabled as ‘humans’ first. It also increased the number of disabilities from 7 to 21. Sashakt Campaign was then launched which acted as a multi-stakeholder campaign that builds awareness on the act. It also advocates for an inclusive and accessible society. Held in March every year, post final exams in schools, Art for Change brings together disabled and non-disabled children for a day of creative expression.
Awareness to action
It was a training program in New York that Dr. Mohapatra had attended that opened her eyes to the power of grassroots advocacy and public education that acts as sources for systematic change. When she returned to India, she took the step to go on an unrelenting campaign- writing letters and raising issues that could enforce policy reforms.
‘Madam, we have three folders full of your letters-how many more will you write?‘, a Government officer had asked.
Her relentless and continuous persistence finally paid off. Over the years, every department was required to appoint a disability nodal officer, reserve 4% of jobs for PwDs and today India boasts five laws. Dr. Mohapatra and her team turned to the Census Commission in 2000 when their demand for inclusion in national statistics was met with indifference- there was “no time or money” for training enumerators.
Frustrated, they threatened self-immolation in protests. This dramatic movement resulted in a high-level meeting with then-Home Minister Rajnath Singh alongside Maneka Gandhi and other key officials that led to disabled individuals being officially counted in the nation’s census for the first time though the figures of 1.9% were grossly underestimated.
Disaster mitigation by Dr. Sruti Mohapatra
The 1999 Odisha Super Cyclone claimed nearly 10,000 lives and left 2.5 million people marooned. Swabhiman Foundation during the period stepped in to aid PwDs affected by the disaster. The organisation focused on livelihood restoration and ensured that PwDs were not left out of relief and rehabilitation efforts. The disaster response has since expanded with interventions in the 2006-2008 floods, Cyclone Titli, Fani and most recently the Covid-19 Pandemic.
The organisation focused on livelihood restoration and ensured that PwDs were not left out of relief and rehabilitation efforts.
Swabhiman carried out a relief and rehabilitation campaign for those affected by Fani in multiple regions including: Urban poor areas and slums in Bhubaneswar that approximated around 102 locations, Puri Sadar Block urban areas that included Penthakata, Baliapanda, Baselisahi and Balisahi, Puri Rural areas that included Pipili, Delanga, Kanasa, Kakatpur and Astaranga Blocks, leprosy colonies in Bhubaneswar and Puri urban areas and provided rapid assessment, relief distribution, health camps, household needs assessment, livelihood restoration and government entitlement facilitation. 32,268 liters of safe drinking water was supplied to 2,150 affected households in Bhubaneswar slums.
PwDs were the most vulnerable when the nation entered a lockdown state in March 2020. Swabhiman launched a five-pronged strategy to provide immediate relief:
1) Distribution of food and hygiene kits.
2) Advocacy for government reliefs for PwDs.
3) Awareness campaigns on COVID-19 safety and health guidelines.
4) Assessment of digital and offline education accessibility.
5) Surveys on long-term impact of the pandemic on PwDs.
The efforts ensured that PwDs and their families, economically affected individuals and frontline workers received essential support during the crisis.
Empowering children with disabilities
The education system in Odisha had failed to provide an inclusive learning environment despite efforts under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan. (SSA) One of the urgent gaps was the failure to provide disability certificates to all the CwDs across districts, making it difficult for them to access their entitlements.
Low attendance rates and high dropout rates indicate the system’s inability to integrate these children into mainstream education.
SAKSHAM was initiated by Swabhimaan to bridge the gaps in SSA implementation ensuring that every child with a disability in Bhubaneswar’s urban poor areas receives holistic, and quality education.
SAKSHAM was initiated by Swabhimaan to bridge the gaps in SSA implementation ensuring that every child with a disability in Bhubaneswar’s urban poor areas receives holistic, and quality education. SAKSHAM is known to align with five key objectives: Academic development of CwDs, Mainstreaming for Social inclusion, Livelihood enhancement, active citizenship and accountability of duty bearers.
Dr. Mohapatra’s legacy for change
For decades, Dr. Mohapatra has fought battles that many considered as impossible. From making polling booths accessible to pushing for disability-inclusive census data, from advocating for disability rights laws to ensuring PwDs are included in disaster relief efforts, her work has transformed lives. For those who remember a time when ramps were rare, public transport was inaccessible, and education lacked Braille books or sign language interpreters, today’s transition can be seen as monumental.
Youth with disabilities now aspire for higher education, careers, and leadership roles, knowing they have legal rights and an advocacy network to give them the support and backing they need.
Dr. Mohapatra’s never-give-up attitude has been the key to success in ensuring relief, rehabilitation and advocacy reach those most in need. The biggest obstacle however remains: changing social attitudes. While policies and relief measures provide the immediate need and aid required, the long term impact can only be achieved when the society shifts its perception towards inclusivity and equal opportunity for PwDs.
About the author(s)
Rishika Priyadarsi is a poet and freelance reporter with an interest in public policy and international relations.
Aditya Ansh is a freelance reporter based in New Delhi.
