Are our courts not accessible because we don’t have lawyers with disabilities, or do we not have lawyers with disabilities because courts are not accessible? We have to start somewhere: we need to integrate universal design in all walks of life, at all courts. It has to start with conversations about disability in law schools and judicial academies. Sensitisation cannot happen when someone starts working as a lawyer or a judge; it has to happen at a foundational stage. This will help make continued training and sensitisation programs more effective.

December 3rd marks the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

In Episode 1 of JALDI’s new video series, “Designing Justice”, Anchal Bhateja, Research Fellow at Vidhi and Consultant, Mission Accessibility and Founder of QAble, shares her experiences navigating courts as one of the first blind women lawyers to appear before the Supreme Court of India.