'Persons With Disabilities Don't Require Pity, But Entitlement To Equal Treatment' : Justice Chandrachud| Full Text Of Lecture

This is the full text of the lecture delivered by Justice Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, Judge of the Supreme Court of India, on the topic "Making Disability Rights Real : Addressing Accessibility and More" as the Third Professor Shamnad Basheer Memorial Lecture organized by LiveLaw. The video of the lecture can be watched here:"A very good morning to Mr. Vikram Raghavan, Shamnad's family and friends, and everyone who has logged in to participate in this event. I am truly honoured to be delivering the third Professor Shamnad Basheer Memorial Lecture today. Thank you to the LiveLaw team for organizing this annual event and for inviting me to deliver the address this year. Events like this one help us keep Shamnad's memory alive.On Professor Shamnad Basheer August 2022 marks the third anniversary of Shamnad's tragic and untimely death. He was an illustrious scholar, a respected educator, and a changemaker par excellence. He was appointed as the Professor of Intellectual Property Law at NUJS, where he was loved by the students, not only for his expertise on the subject but also because he took on the role of a friend and mentor. SpicyIP, one of India's most widely read blogs on intellectual property law, was founded by Shamnad. Beyond his academic achievements lies IDIA or the Increasing Diversity by Increasing Access program – what many would term the crowning glory of Shamnad's achievements. IDIA has the potential to transform the feudal structures of the legal profession by democratising them and making them inclusive. As the audience is no doubt aware, IDIA was a movement that Shamnad spearheaded over two decades ago, with the aim of ensuring equitable access to legal education in the country. The legal profession boasted of a centuries-old presence in India but its higher echelons (or indeed, its lower ones) remained largely inaccessible to the common person. Although the advent of the National Law Universities challenged the notion that the legal profession was for the few and not for the many, legal education continued to remain the domain of the elite. IDIA, through its consistent efforts, has attempted to remedy this systemic flaw and has succeeded in doing so! IDIA prepares young students from marginalized communities for law entrance exams, secures funding for their legal education, and mentors them through their five years at university. To influence the course of even a single person's life is a remarkable thing. That Shamnad influenced the course of so many people's lives so positively is nothing short of extraordinary. I had the pleasure of meeting Shamnad at IDIA's annual conference around 4 years ago, where I was invited to deliver an address on law and storytelling. In echoing his human qualities, he tasked me to speak on law and story-telling. Through stories of justice and injustice we attempted to weave a common vision.On IDIA True to its name, IDIA's programs targeted persons with disabilities as well. Of the 86 students currently reading law in universities across India, 15 are persons with disabilities. Shamnad and others working with IDIA's organizational team have already put into action the theme of today's lecture – 'Making Disability Rights Real: Addressing Accessibility & More'. My congratulations to the IDIA team and all the IDIA scholars. I wish you continued success. By including persons with disabilities within the ambit of its outreach and training programs, Shamnad as well as IDIA recognized that persons with disabilities are just as deserving of and entitled to an education as the next person. It is not just any type of education that they ought to be able to access; they must have an equal shot at the best universities and most sought-after opportunities.Stereotypes about disabled persons A person can either be born with a disability or become disabled later in life. These disabilities can take a variety of forms – they can be physical, mental, intellectual, learning-based, or communication-based. Some disabilities are immediately visible and others are invisible – you will not know about them unless the person in question chooses to tell you. Many chronic illnesses are also disabilities. The effect that each disability has varies based on a multitude of factors. When people encounter others with disabilities, there is a tendency to view them as being very different from able-bodied people, as being "lesser than"them. By this, I mean that they are stereotyped as being less capable and less intelligent than their able-bodied counterparts. The stereotypes that persons with disabilities are burdensome or are defenceless victims also prevail. The differences between able-bodied people and persons with disabilities, both real and perceived, gives rise to immense stigma in society. Children often bully their disabled classmates and friends and adults with disabilities, too, are not treated with respect or empathy. It is also a very unfortunate fact that able-bodied...

'Persons With Disabilities Don't Require Pity, But Entitlement To Equal Treatment' : Justice Chandrachud| Full Text Of Lecture

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