Prime Minister of India : Withdraw 'divyang' for 'viklang' for PWD

Mere  change of terminology is not going to bring about any change in the manner in which people with disabilities are treated. Invoking divinity will in no way lessen the stigma and discrimination that persons with disabilities have been historically subjected to and continue to encounter in their daily lives.
Exclusion and marginalisation cannot be addressed by using patronising terms like ‘divyang’.
On the contrary, they will only invoke sympathy and underline that charity is what counts.Persons with disabilities, overcoming various odds and multiple hurdles have proven their mettle. It would be fallacious however to conclude that this is due to any divine attribute.
Such invocations would only tend to create myths, even while squarely failing to address the issues that the disabled face.

Dignity, accommodation and recognition of their rights as equal and productive citizens are what persons with disabilities long for and not any change in nomenclature.


What needs to be addressed are stigma, discrimination and marginalisation that persons with disabilities are subjected to on account of the cultural, social, physical and attitudinal barriers that hinder their effective participation in the country’s economic, social and political life.