By Moa Jamir
Along with the rest of the world, Nagaland observed World Disability Day on December 3 with the customary speeches, cultural programmes, and affirmations of commitment to accessibility and inclusion. Speaking at the State-level event Advisor for Social Welfare Department, Wangpang Konyak, declared that “disability rights are human rights” and emphasised that inclusion must be rooted in justice, not charity.
The Advisor announced a series of renewed commitments -from retrofitting public infrastructure to enforcing universal design standards and job reservation norms. As per reports, he also assured that the Naga Heritage Village, the main venue of the State’s annual Hornbill Festival, would be made “fully accessible,” and that all government schools would become barrier-free.
These assurances are important and, on paper, reflect a government inclined toward a disability-inclusive future. But observance days also demand honesty that entails acknowledging the troubling gap between promises and the lived realities of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in Nagaland.
Take, for instance, the Hornbill Festival, internationally visible and arguably the most scrutinised public event in Nagaland. Last year, despite clear directives from the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (SCPD) in November, the Commissioner’s December inspection revealed basic and avoidable accessibility failures. Ramps ended halfway and did not reach Morung entrances; pathways were uneven and unsafe; railings were missing; toilets remained inaccessible; and neither tactile nor Braille signage was provided. Even a designated assistance desk for PwDs was absent.
Education offers another clear example of this contradiction. notwithstanding the Advisor’s lofty commitments, the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2024–25 presents a sobering picture. Only 8.8% of schools in Nagaland had functional Children With Special Needs–friendly toilets, and an even smaller 5% had usable ramps with handrails. Nationally, the averages were 33.5% and 54% respectively. The Supreme Court’s directive to Nagaland in September to continue appointing special educators further indicates critical gaps not only in infrastructure but in the human resources essential for inclusive learning.
These are not minor oversights but structural failures that undermine the very spirit of “inclusion” celebrated on observance stages. When the State’s most visible event remains inaccessible year after year, or when exclusion is set in motion during a child’s formative years, no policy assurance can compensate for such systemic neglect
The SCPD’s earlier inspections of the Inter-State Bus Terminus and Nagaland State Transport buses also revealed widespread non-compliance. Likewise, when the Nagaland State Disability Forum flagged a programme honouring inspiring women that was held at a venue inaccessible to one of the honourees, the State Commissioner for PwDs, illustrates how easily exclusion is normalised, even in events meant to celebrate empowerment. Compounding these issues is the fact that the SCPD post has remained vacant since January 2025, raising further concerns. Inclusion requires institutions that function consistently, not intermittently. Meanwhile, most public and private spaces remain physically inaccessible.
The media too cannot remain a spectator. It must champion accessibility, shape public attitudes, ensure accountability and scrutinise its own practices on inclusion. This goes beyond reportage, requiring newsrooms to engage PwDs not just as subjects but as sources, experts, commentators, and ideally, as colleagues within the industry.
Nagaland’s commitment to disability inclusion cannot be seasonal or symbolic. Steps toward accessibility or disability rights become hollow when they are taken merely for compliance. When superficial gestures are compounded by a lack of accountability, they do not dismantle barriers, they reinforce them. As one speaker at similar event at CHISR remarked, “Let the journey onward be where we want to be.” For that journey to be meaningful, assurances must be matched, step for step, with action on the ground.
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