Reaching the disabled

For many of us it is hard to imagine life without running water and nearby toilet facilities.  But imagine being disabled and living without these conveniences.  Such was the everyday reality for Savitr Jatav who is blind.

Savitr remembers, “I used to fall very often trying to find somewhere to go; you can see the injury on my legs and on my son’s hands.

"My son is also handicapped and he has to walk on his hands, which was hard when he had to go to the toilet in the scrubland.” 

Considering the needs of marginalized people in the planning, building and management of water and sanitation projects is vital for ensuring that new facilities are accessible to everyone in the community.

Very often, poor people with disabilities like Savitr and her son are marginalized and overlooked in public life.  WaterAid’s vision is of a world where everyone has access to safe water and sanitation.  In order to reach people on the edges of society we ensure that equity and inclusion are at the heart of our work.

Savitr was invited by WaterAid's partner, Sambhav, to join the local self-help group in the slum where she and her son live, near Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh state, India.  With help from local engineers, she was then able to build a suitable latrine close to her home.

Considering the needs of marginalized people in the planning, building and management of water and sanitation projects is vital for ensuring that new facilities are accessible to everyone in the community.

Using regular latrines can be very challenging for disabled people who have to use their hands to support themselves in the toilet and find it difficult to stay clean once they have washed.  This adds to the social stigma of having a physical disability.

By making simple adjustments such as adding raised seats and support bars to existing latrines, disabled users were able to use facilities with dignity, and without putting their health at risk.

These are the principles of equity and inclusion in action.  The success of projects such as those in India and countless others, emphasize the need to involve entire communities in the implementation of water and sanitation services so that everyone’s need is considered from the outset and the benefits are felt by all.