Disabled population in India: A spatial analysis

Disability is a multifaceted and complex concept to define. This largely seems because there is a great variety and range in the type of disabilities. According to the Census of India 2011, there are 26.8 million people with disabilities in India. Though the number is underreported but still it is a very high number. And according to the World Bank report the per cent disability in India could be up to 8 per cent i.e., 94 million people. Studies reveal that the disabled are deprived and fall in the lowest rung of literacy and poverty. In India more than 80% of children with special needs are illiterate. And World Bank report says that Persons With Disabilities were comprise 15 to 20 per cent of the poorest individuals in developing countries. There is a need to remove the environmental, institutional and attitudinal barriers which are responsible for the vicious cycle of deprivation of disabled people in India. But before these dimensions are dealt with, it is important to know where the disabled are and what is the spatial pattern of the disabled population?