Policy Advocacy
Question No.9
Svayam partnered with Census of India to generate awareness on the importance of disabled citizens being included in the total population count so that appropriate budgeting in other facilities/ benefits could be planned for them by thegovt. Svayam worked with Election Commission of India to add question No. 9 in the census of India. This much needed advocacy was successful after which Svayam raised awareness so that people with disability can participate in the empowerment of democracy.
Guidelines for Making Religious Places Accessible (2019)
Svayam saw the gap of accessibility in religious places and launched a specificguideline catering to the specific needs of people with reduced mobility at religious places. These Guidelines were a big step towards honouring the rights of people with reduced mobilities and added strength to the ongoing Accessible India Campaign. The guidelines focused on accessibility standards concerning at religious places.
Harmonized Guidelines and Space Standards for Barrier Free Built Environment for Persons with Disability and Elderly Persons, 2016
Svayam signed a MoU with the Ministry of Urban Development in 2010 to undertake access audit of Central Government buildings across different cities in the country. Svayam was a part of the committee constituted by Ministry of Urban Development, Govt. of India to draft “Harmonized Guidelines and Space Standards for Barrier Free Built Environment for Persons with Disability and Elderly Persons”. These guidelines were framed to guide design of spaces to ensure equitable, easy access to persons with disabilities. A new paradigm was envisioned in these Guidelines, and they provided a practical framework to facilitate design of spaces for persons with disability and covered a wide range of disability groups.