As part of the International Purple Fest Goa 2024, the ‘Purple Think Tank’ section hosted a series of panel discussions, curated and organised by the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP).
The second-to-last day of the festival featured a panel discussion on Social Inclusion, with panelists including Amar Jain, co-founder of Mission Accessibility; Arman Ali, executive director of NCPEDP; Rajesh Aggarwal, Secretary of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities; Daniel Van Sant, Director of Disability Policy at the Harkin Institute; Akhil Paul, Director of Sense International India; Javed Abidi, a member of NCPEDP; and Principal Scientist and Honorary Faculty at Anna University.
A member of NCPEDP, Akshay Jain, emphasised the importance of disaggregated data for informed decision-making and policymaking for persons with disabilities. He said, “Disaggregated data is crucial for informed decision-making and policymaking for persons with disabilities. It empowers us to develop appropriate schemes and policies. Individuals also play a role by identifying themselves with disabilities.”
He added that in India, despite being the most populous country, the reported disability rate of 2.2% seems incongruent with global estimates, prompting a critical panel discussion on the accuracy of the data.
A total of nine panel discussions were held at the fest, covering critical subjects such as assistive technology, health insurance, education and employment for persons with disabilities, political inclusion of persons with disabilities, desegregated data, sensors and social inclusion, and promoting new leadership.
