Survey on people with disabilities exposes inclusion barriers in Bengaluru's backyard

Time of India

22-04-2025

Bengaluru: Only an hour outside Bengaluru, high-rise buildings and bustling tech parks give way to quieter roads and slower days. However, in
Bengaluru Rural
and Tumakuru districts, something else fades just as quickly: Access and inclusion for hundreds of people with disabilities (PwDs).
According to the findings of a recent survey of 758 PwDs released Tuesday, locomotor disability affected three of four people surveyed in Bengaluru Rural, and more than half in Tumakuru. Yet, over 90% of respondents in both districts reported not using any assistive aids. The reasons range from lack of access and high costs to limited awareness and local availability. Disability types also varied. In Bengaluru Rural, locomotor disabilities were followed by hearing impairments and intellectual disabilities. In Tumakuru, intellectual disability came second.
Health insurance is nearly non-existent in both districts. In Bengaluru Rural, only 12% of respondents reported being covered, while the number was even lower in Tumakuru (4%). Employment doesn't necessarily improve the odds. Among those employed, only 25% in Bengaluru Rural and 7% in Tumakuru had any insurance coverage. Among the unemployed respondents, just 8% in Bengaluru Rural and 3% in Tumakuru were insured. No student respondent in Tumakuru had health insurance.
The survey — Status on Inclusive Health Practices in Bengaluru Rural and Tumakuru districts of Karnataka — was conducted by National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People in collaboration with ASTHA and supported by ANZ.
Of the 758 respondents, 388 were from Bengaluru Rural and 370 from Tumakuru. Most of them remain unemployed — 72% in Bengaluru Rural and 68% in Tumakuru. Possession of Unique Disability ID card, a govt initiative designed to streamline access to benefits, revealed uneven outreach. In Bengaluru Rural, 90% of respondents had the card, but in Tumakuru, only 50% did. Without this identification, accessing disability pensions, healthcare subsidies, and assistive devices becomes significantly more difficult.
Cost of being uninsured
Arman Ali, executive director of NCPEDP, said, "PwDs still struggle to get health insurance. It's not that companies say no outright — they just stop responding. There's no written denial, no email, nothing. I know people in Bengaluru who've faced this. It took me seven years to get insurance for myself. The problem is deeper than just insurance. The health system itself doesn't understand disability. Doctors see health only in terms of treating illness, not promoting wellness. But for PwDs, health is about staying well, managing conditions proactively. A valid disability ID should give us access to those services. That's what true inclusion means."