People with disabilities are more likely to live in poverty, and poverty makes disabilities more likely. Poverty and disability are interlinked, and one reinforces the other. There is an increased recognition of the importance of disability-inclusive poverty reduction strategies. Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) of People Living with Disabilities (PLWDs) is one of the strategies of the United Nations that focuses on enhancing the quality of life for people with disabilities and their families, meeting basic needs, and ensuring inclusion and participation.

PLWDs have the right to participate in the economic activities of the community, earn their livelihood, and lead an independent life. The Government has introduced specific schemes and entitlements for the upliftment of PLWDs. The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 has made a provision of 5% reservation for people with disabilities in all the poverty alleviation schemes of the government. There is a 4% reservation in government jobs for people with disabilities, as well as a 5% reservation in seats in higher education.

With these schemes and entitlements, many people with disabilities in India face difficulties in accessing them either due to a lack of awareness, the norms governing the schemes, the slow pace of implementation, documentation, coordination, budgetary allocation, monitoring, or the proper participation of the PLWDs in policymaking. Besides, there is a lack of facilities for skill development and financial assistance to start self-employment ventures.

Caritas India CBR programmes have been addressing this issue and have reached out to many PLWDs and their family members for their economic empowerment through the following actions:

• Creating awareness through the sharing of information on the available schemes and the eligibility criteria It starts with arranging or facilitating disability assessment, which leads to obtaining the Unique Disability ID card.
• Help PLWDs and their groups collaborate with local panchayats for the 5% reservation in the poverty alleviation schemes introduced by the government.
• Assist PLWDs to apply for the pension or disability allowance and ensure that they get it on priority.
• Facilitate or arrange for vocational skill development training leading to self-employment opportunities.
• Provide livelihood assistance to the SHG members with a view to promoting self-employment opportunities.
• Promote wage employment through MGNREGA and open employment in the private and public sectors for educated youth.
• Develop linkages with the financial institutions and the National Rural Livelihood Mission for accessing resources for their financial inclusion.
• Facilitate interface meetings between the target groups and the duty-bearers for a meaningful dialogue to promote economic empowerment.

A high level of multidimensional poverty is found among people with disabilities, with significant inequalities in comparison to people without disabilities. Caritas India, through its livelihood sectoral support, was able to bridge the economic gap by supporting 2208 PLWDs with Vocational skill training, 1442 with open employment, 8946 with wager employment, 1394 with self-employment, 1998 with a livelihood through SHGs, and 7241 with pension or disability allowance.

Thirty-five-year-old Vijay (Name changed) is one of the programme participants of CBR from Tenghakhat block of Dibrugarh district, Assam. His life took a sharp turn after being part of the CBR programme. Vijay is a person with blindness and was deprived of his childhood education due to a lack of facilities in his village. He hardly socialised with other people in the community and spoke very little. The community members also ignored him and did not engage him in any useful activities.

In 2019, the Caritas India CBR team identified and developed a personal rapport with him by interacting on a regular basis, finding out his likes and dislikes, and identifying his strengths and limitations. He was included in the village-level meetings, facilitating his interactions with other stakeholders. This enabled the community to understand his needs, potential, and limitations. He was also included in the village-level SHG for Persons with Disabilities as a member.

The CBR staff and SHG members arranged financial assistance of Rs. 5,000 from a member of the community to help him start a small petty shop, and he was trained to manage the same. The SHG members recommended financial assistance through the CBR programme to expand his business. Through the programme, Rs. 10,000 was sanctioned to expand his business. Besides, the team facilitated a disability pension of Rs. 1000 per month from the Government. All these efforts made him more confident and helped him earn his livelihood independently. The community helped him get married to a local girl, and together they lead a meaningful life today.

Vijay’s story is an example of how CBR programmes can help people with disabilities overcome their barriers and challenges and achieve their full potential in life. It shows how CBR programmes can address not only the physical aspects of disability but also the social, economic, cultural, and political aspects that affect people with disabilities’ quality of life, participation, and inclusion in society.