Technology is being used to enhance accessibility and the rights of persons with disabilities
Shameer Rishad is developing innovative tools to empower persons with disabilities to access, demand, and advocate for their rights. As a diversity, equity, and inclusion activist, he champions the rights of persons with disabilities and other marginalized communities.
His approach involves collecting data on the lack of resources available to persons with disabilities and using that information for public advocacy or legal action. This is necessary for the current climate where “the civic space is shrinking, and everybody needs to work together to push for the rights of persons with disabilities”.
Shameer highlighted the discrepancy in data regarding the representation of persons with disabilities in India; while census data indicates that 2.21% of India’s population is disabled, actual figures in most societies are closer to 10 to 15%. Disparities like these motivated him to implement “evidence-based advocacy through a rights-based approach”.
Persons with disabilities have multiple accessibility challenges that can be addressed by technology. In addition to creating devices for persons with disabilities, technology can enhance accessibility in civic activism. Technology is crucial in helping people understand that “disability is a human rights issue”, emphasized Shameer.
He has also discovered the power of visualizing data to present issues to policymakers. For example, showing maps of persons with disabilities in India can be a compelling way to highlight accessibility issues. He believes in “doing the right research, visualizing the data, and using technology to make accessible services”.
While India is undergoing a digital transformation, Shameer clarified that “processes have been streamlined through technology, but the technology is not accessible. Even making those existing technologies accessible to persons with disabilities is a huge advancement”.
Shameer sees opportunities for collaboration between India and Japan on accessibility issues, noting that “inclusion is a mindset issue”. He pointed out that disability is often viewed as taboo in both countries and cautioned that “you can have the most accessible environments, but if the people themselves are not open and inclusive, then it's really hard”. He believes working together across cultures to find an innovative solution is essential to “break this mindset gap”. Envisioning a society that is focused on empowerment rather than charity, Shameer encouraged that “we understand our different cultures and push for inclusion at the very level of the mind”.
Having also worked in peacebuilding through his role as the secretary general of the Religions for Peace Asia Pacific Interfaith Youth Network, Shameer views these efforts as interconnected “under the umbrella of diversity, equity, and inclusion”. Looking holistically at his work, he sees it as “a conflict between the people who are giving the rights and the people who are supposed to have those rights”. He approaches these conflicts by helping stakeholders understand collaboratively that he is presenting solutions.
His peacebuilding work has taught him that “diplomacy is very important when you’re working with the state and pushing for policy…it’s the issue that matters”. By staying focused on the issue at hand and advocating for rights, Shameer has found success in getting communities and persons with disabilities the support that they need.
Shameer Rishad is the founder and convenor of the Javed Abidi Foundation, leading initiatives challenging societal perceptions of disability. Shameer is a diversity, equity, and inclusion activist who advocates for the rights of persons with disabilities and other marginalized communities. He also serves as the secretary general of the Religions for Peace Asia Pacific Interfaith Youth Network, where he implements youth programs that foster interfaith collaboration for peace and harmony among communities.
Shameer is a member of the third cohort of the Japan-India Transformative Technology Network, which connects and empowers outstanding change-makers in two countries on the forefront of technological progress in Asia – India and Japan. The program offers a platform for those working towards social good to maximize the benefits of various forms of new technologies.
