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ABSTRACT

The disability rights are being recognized around the world with legislations focusing on development of inclusive societies. Our study explores the relevance of a national policy for persons with disabilities in the city of Chandigarh, which is the best planned city in the northern part of India. To understand the extent of the implementation of policy, in-depth interviews were conducted with officials of thirty government and private departments A checklist to get quantitative scores on disable friendliness of public places was also completed. Information available through secondary sources like official websites, government reports was also used to get the information. Policy implementation score was 60% which is on the lower limit of good score. This score can be considered low for a planned city like Chandigarh. We also found that some concerned officials were unaware of some of the provisions given to PWDs but were willing to know and implement it. Understanding the implementers’ point of views is important for further planning strategies when world is aiming towards achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs) that call for promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies.

Keywords: Assessment, policy, disabilities, India