Nagaland disability forum questions state SDG team’s commitment to inclusivity

DIMAPUR — The Nagaland State Disability Forum (NSDF) has called into question the sincerity of the state’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) team in the aftermath of an incident that had resulted in a display of insensitivity and inaccessibility during an event in Kohima on October 14.

In a press statement issued on Sunday, the forum maintained that the event—launch of a coffee table book, Weaving Dreams – A Tribute to Inspiring Women of Nagaland, produced by the SDG Coordination Centre (SDGCC)—should have been an occasion to celebrate inclusivity but instead turned into a painful reminder of the pervasive exclusion faced by persons with disabilities (PwDs) in Nagaland.

“The venue of the event was very shockingly inaccessible to one of the women featured in the book, i.e., Ms. Diethono Nakhro, State Disability Commissioner. Despite being invited and honoured in the book as an ‘inspiring’ woman, she was denied the basic dignity of attending the event due to the venue’s lack of accessibility.

“This incident puts focus on the much larger issue of continued marginalisation of persons with disabilities in our state,” the statement read, adding that the incident was a clear violation of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (RPwD), 2016.

“What is even more troubling is that this event was organised by the SDG team, a group committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, which explicitly include disability inclusion under the principle of ‘leave no one behind.’

“The failure to provide a basic accessible venue for such a high-profile event calls into question the seriousness of these commitments,” it asserted.

The forum went on to state that the incident highlights the wider issue of non-compliance with RPwD in Nagaland. “Public spaces in Nagaland, including government buildings, educational institutions, and event venues, etc., remain largely inaccessible, excluding a significant portion of the population from participating fully in social, cultural, and economic life,” it stated.

According to the NSDF, the incident served a strong reminder of the work that still needs to be done to make Nagaland an inclusive and equitable state. “Apologies, while appreciated, are insufficient. What is needed is action that ensures all public spaces are accessible and that persons with disabilities are included in every aspect of public life, from policy-making to event planning,” it added.

The forum called on the state government, the SDG coordination centre, and all public and private establishments and organisations to take immediate steps to address the systemic exclusion of the disabled community. This includes enforcing the provisions of the RPwD Act, ensuring that all future events are held in accessible venues, and implementing policies that promote the inclusion of disabled individuals at every level of society, it stated.