Overview

""Ability in Diversity: India's Disability-Inclusive SDG Framework"" is a groundbreaking and urgently needed contribution to the discourse on sustainable development. This pioneering work presents a powerful, evidence-based argument: India's ambitious journey to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 is intrinsically linked to, and dependent upon, the full and meaningful inclusion of its millions of citizens with disabilities. Moving beyond outdated models of charity and welfare, the book meticulously constructs a scientific and humanistic roadmap for embedding disability rights into the very core of the nation's development machinery. It is, in essence, a paradigm-shifting blueprint for transforming the promise of ""leaving no one behind"" from a mere slogan into a tangible, measurable reality. The Science of Visibility: Data and Monitoring At the heart of the book's analysis is a rigorous critique of the ""statistical invisibility"" that has historically shrouded persons with disabilities in policy-making. The authors posit that the absence of robust, disaggregated data is the primary barrier to effective planning and accountability. The book scientifically details a strategy to overcome this by calling for the harmonization of national and state SDG monitoring systems. It advocates for a Unified Disability Identification Protocol (UDIP), aligned with international standards like the Washington Group Short Set on Functioning. This methodological rigor ensures that data collected across India is comparable and interoperable. By creating a powerful, evidence-based feedback loop, the framework allows policymakers to see, for the first time with clarity, where inclusion is succeeding and where it is failing, truly embodying the principle that what gets measured gets managed. An Architecture for Action: Governance and Coordination ""Ability in Diversity"" compellingly argues that good intentions fail without robust institutional structures. The book's centerpiece recommendation is the establishment of a high-level Central Disability-SDG Coordination Council (CDCC). This is not envisioned as more bureaucracy, but as a dynamic, multi-stakeholder engine for policy coherence, housed within a powerful body like the NITI Aayog. Its scientific design brings together key government ministries, technical experts, the private sector, and, crucially, Disabled People's Organizations (DPOs). This structure is engineered to break down ministerial silos and enforce accountability, ensuring that disability inclusion is not relegated to a single department but becomes a shared, cross-governmental responsibility. This institutional architecture is rooted in the ""Nothing about Us without Us"" principle, ensuring that lived experience directly informs and shapes national strategy. From Expense to Investment: Financing Inclusion The book boldly reframes the conversation around the cost of inclusion, presenting it not as expenditure but as a high-return investment in human capital and economic vitality. It provides a detailed methodology for implementing disability-responsive budgeting across all government levels. The authors articulate a sophisticated ""twin-track approach"": 1) ensuring all mainstream budgets (for education, health, transport) are accessible and inclusive, and 2) allocating dedicated funds for specific, targeted interventions like assistive technology and specialized support. Furthermore, the book explores a diversified resource mobilization strategy, scientifically analyzing the potential of public-private partnerships (PPPs) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds to create a sustainable financial ecosystem for inclusion.

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