Role of Civil Society Organization in the Inclusion of People with Deafblindness in South Asia: A Case Study on Sense International India

Despite the impressive aggregate growth of India as a developing nation in the past few years, its benefits have hardly reached the marginalized sections of the society, including people with disabilities. Vulnerability and conditions of poverty are still prevalent which make them the most abject under-served populations. The role of civil society organizations is indispensable in a scenario like this, where these organizations are instrumental in ensuring that the rights of the under-served population are fulfilled and needs met. Mostly, these civil society organizations play a complementary role and act as the third leg to development together with government and development partners (donors). In some instances, a few civil society organizations take a different stand and create a parallel system of support services for those marginalized populations whose identity is not recognized in the legal system of the country and almost no welfare policies/services exist for them. Similar is the condition with Sense International India, which was founded in 1997 to cater to the needs of people with deafblindness in India. Until December 2016, deafblindness was not recognized as a distinct disability in India and hence their access to disability welfare services was limited.