Disability and Access to Justice:-

According to The Principle 1 of the International Principles and Guidelines on Access

to Justice for Persons with Disabilities of THE UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS
SPECIAL PROCEDURES, every human being has or ‘all persons’ have a legal capacity and no
one should be denied legal representation and aid on the basis of their disability.

The International Principles and Guidelines on Access to Justice for Persons with Disabilities
provide a strong human rights framework to guide governments, legal professionals, and other
stakeholders in ensuring equal access to justice for disabled individuals. They reinforce the
rights and dignity of persons with disabilities and call for concrete actions to remove barriers,
promote inclusion, and guarantee effective access to justice on an equal basis with others.

1. Accessibility is the key and one of the most important areas upon which the state shall
work on to ensure justice and legal representation reaches to each and every individual
of the country, be it someone who is from a marginalized section of the society, and is not
aware of their legal rights, or be it someone with physical impairment in their leg,who
cannot walk or commute to the respective or related judicial institution/forum.

2. Participation and Inclusion of such persons in every aspect of the society, like schools,
higher studies universities and courtroom proceedings, is extremely essential. If they are
given equal opportunities of education and the same level of exposure as someone with
no impairments, they won’t be ignorant of their rights they can make good use of. This
emphasizes the importance of ensuring that disabled individuals have the opportunity to
express their views, be heard, and participate in all stages of legal processes on an equal
basis with others.

3. Training and sensitization of every individual involved in the legal sphere is something
the state shall look into. Every stakeholder of the legal field such as advocates, judges,
readers and other relevant officials should be aware of the rights of disabled individuals
and in no form practice discrimination or hold baseless prejudice against them. This
kind of training aims to promote understanding, eliminate stereotypes and prejudices,
and enhance the ability of justice actors to provide inclusive and accessible services.

4. The state shall in collaboration with relevant organizations like disabled persons unions
or certain NGOs fighting for their cause should lay down guidelines and legislations
protecting and providing a platform to exercise their rights and should regularly monitor
its execution and implementation and make reforms as and when necessary.