Perception, Attitude, and Behavior toward Persons with Disabilities in India

Abstract

Disability in India has largely been characterized as a medical problem that majorly focuses on the “abled bodies”. The concept of disability in India is associated with many irrational beliefs and perceptions ingrained in our sociocultural beliefs and ideologies. Only a handful of Indian studies have attempted to review the scant data on perception, attitude, and behavior toward persons with disabilities in India. The current piece of work presents a coherent literature review on people’s perception and attitude toward various types of physical and mental disabilities in India. This article also endeavors to understand disabled person’s own attitudes toward their disability and attempts to delineate how familial and social perception influences their self-esteem and confidence level. The final section of this article also suggests few positive steps that can be taken to improve societal attitude, perception, and behavior toward persons with disabilities in India.