Sarika Manhas
India, a nation perpetually on the brink of its next challenge, is once again reeling. The horrific echoes of the June 12 Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad still reverberate, train derailments continue to scar our tracks, and border tensions simmer. Yet, beneath the headlines of these tragedies lies a deeper, more insidious crisis – one that exposes a monumental and heartbreaking policy failure: the systematic, life-threatening exclusion of persons with disabilities (PwDs) from India’s disaster preparedness and emergency response. This isn’t just an oversight; it’s a moral betrayal and a practical catastrophe India can no longer afford to ignore.
The Air India Dreamliner Flight AI 171, carrying 242 souls, plunged to its fiery demise moments after takeoff from Ahmedabad, claiming 241 lives onboard and at least 38 more on the ground. It was an aviation tragedy of unthinkable proportions, a wound across the nation’s heart. But even amidst such unfathomable horror, a chilling truth emerged: there were no special provisions, no dedicated protocols, no lifeline for passengers with disabilities. The sole survivor, it’s reported, was seated at an exit row, a twist of fate that allowed an unaided escape. This detail, seemingly minor, screams a brutal truth: for those with limited mobility, for the visually impaired navigating sudden darkness, for the hearing impaired lost in a cacophony of screams – their chances of survival were negligible, their fates sealed by neglect. “Imagine being a wheelchair user or a visually impaired passenger plunged into that chaos – there were no visible signs that the crew or design had ever accounted for their existence,” laments disability rights activist Renu Sharma, her words painting a vivid, terrifying picture. Aviation safety experts and disability advocates are not just concerned; they are outraged by the glaring void of accessible evacuation measures, the alarming lack of specialized staff training, and the systemic absence of inclusive safety design.
This Ahmedabad disaster is no isolated incident. It’s the latest, most public testament to a distressing pattern woven into the fabric of India’s emergency response, consistently failing its most vulnerable citizens. The metallic shriek of train derailments in Bihar and Andhra Pradesh in early 2025once again laid bare the utter absence of inclusive evacuation protocols; eyewitness accounts are grimly consistent: disabled passengers received no specialized help, left to fend for themselves in the wreckage. Along the volatile Indo-Pak border in Jammu and Kashmir, repeated cross-border shelling leaves disabled residents stranded, unable to access crucial bomb shelters or receive timely evacuation support.The irony is bitter: even the “mock drills,” meant to prepare, conveniently ignore the needs of those with disabilities, turning preparedness into a cruel farce. And the 2020 Air India Express crash in Kozhikode offered a chilling preview, revealing the same stark absence of formal response strategies for disabled passengers during evacuation.
While global frameworks like the United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategyand theSendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction thunderously underscore the imperative to involve persons with disabilities at every single stage of disaster planning, India’s own policies remain frustratingly vague, outdated, and shamefully implemented. The Disaster Management Act, 2005, despite its progressive rhetoric, offers woefully few actionable guidelines to local authorities, and utterly fails to enforce accountability for inclusion. It’s a paper tiger, toothless in the face of real-world neglect. Contrast this with nations like Japan and New Zealand, who have not just embraced but forged exemplary inclusive disaster risk reduction models. Their blueprints include tactile escape paths that guide in darkness, multi-sensory sirens that alert every sense, and extensively trained support staff ready for drills and real emergencies. In India, however, the vast majority of disaster response teams remain woefully unequipped, operating in an outdated paradigm that ignores the unique and diverse needs of people with visual, hearing, cognitive, or mobility impairments.
The path forward is clear, urgent, and non-negotiable. Experts are united in their call for systemic reform, including Accessible Warning Systems (multi-sensory alarms, timely SMS alerts in regional languages, critical braille signage), Inclusive Evacuation Drills and Comprehensive Response Team Training (equipping every rescuer, every first responder, every official with the skills and empathy to effectively assist all individuals, not just the able-bodied), Active Participation of PwDs (ensuring their meaningful, mandatory involvement in all disaster planning and policy consultations – for who knows their needs better than those who live them?), and Retrofitting Infrastructure (mandating universal accessibility for all stations, airports, shelters, and public spaces – because a safe exit should be a right, not a luxury).
As India faces an undeniable increase in the frequency and intensity of both natural and man-made disasters, the need for truly inclusive policies has never been more pressing. Every evacuation plan that overlooks persons with disabilities is more than just incomplete; it is fundamentally unjust, a glaring moral failing that renders our nation vulnerable. If India genuinely aspires to be resilient, if it wishes to stand tall as a compassionate and capable nation, its disaster response must leave no one behind. This isn’t merely an ideal; it is the urgent, defining imperative of the hour.
(Sarika Manhas is Professor of Human Development and is currently Head of the Department of Home Science, University of Jammu, Jammu, J&K, India)
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