ABSTRACT
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the disabled are deprived of all opportunities for social and economic development. Around 400 million disabled persons live in the developing world. Basic facilities like health, education and employment are denied to this vulnerable section of the population. As per the 2011 Census, a total of nearly 26.811 million people in India suffer from disabilities of one kind or the other. By drawing from secondary data sources, this chapter attempts to situate “disability” in the wider canvass of social stratification, especially the caste division in Indian society and attempts to understand the upward mobility of persons with disability across social groups in India. It examines the status of disability in India in general and across social groups in particular including the level of literacy, educational and occupational status in 2001 and 2011. The chapter also highlights the interlocking nature of disability, caste and gender.
