Disability, Society and Identity - Ishan Chakraborty - Trinayani

In a world where disability often oscillates between invisibility and hyper-visibility, Ishan offers insights into the complexities of living with multiple disabilities. Through Ishan's perspective, viewers gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by disabled individuals, including misconceptions and stereotypes promoted through media representations and societal attitudes. Drawing from his personal experiences, Ishan emphasizes the importance of support over pity and he confronts societal taboos by advocating for sexual autonomy, greater visibility of people with disabilities and the need for accountability at both the governmental and societal levels, urging individuals to recognize their responsibility in fostering a more inclusive world. Ishan Chakraborty, an Assistant Professor at Jadavpur University's Department of English, identifies as a queer individual and a person with deafblindness. He completed his M.Phil in 2016, focusing on Rabindranath Tagore's treatment of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata in his plays. Ishan has received recognition for his contributions, including the Abul Kashem Rahimuddin Samman and the State Award for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities in 2019. He has delivered talks on Disability and Gender Studies, presented at conferences like the Criposium by King's College London and contributed to initiatives such as the State of the Internet’s Languages report. In this film, we pose a series of questions to him: [𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘨𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴.] 00:00 Your introduction 00:13 What are your observations on portrayal of disability in popular media? 02:00 How do you think society can support persons with disabilities? 03:45 Do share your views on the intersectionality of disabilities and how it shapes someone’s identity based on disability, caste, class and sexuality. 06:30 What's your take on marriage and sexuality? 10:21 Who do you think is accountable for ensuring a better life for persons with disabilities? 11:36 We would love to know the role your mother has played in your life as a primary caregiver. About Trinayani: For the past 17 years, Trinayani, founded in 2006, is dedicated to driving change in the field of disability. Our mission is to raise awareness, acceptance, and understanding of people with disabilities (PwDs), while simultaneously working to reduce fear and ignorance, about the world of PwDs, among the general public. We specialize in curating sensitization workshops, community building and using media, games, and literature as part of our awareness campaigns and believe in collaborating and partnering with like-minded individuals and organizations. Our two livelihood initiatives which also serves as advocacy efforts are: • Sparsh Foot Spa, where we employ trained reflexology therapists who are visually impaired, providing them with meaningful employment opportunities and • Pehli Baarish, an inclusive music band featuring musicians both with and without disabilities, promoting diversity and inclusion through the power of music. To enjoy over 100 films dedicated to disability awareness, explore our latest website at https://disability.trinayani.org. Thank you for taking the time to watch our video! Your support makes a huge difference in spreading awareness about disability. We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. If you found this video helpful, please like, share, and subscribe to our channel. Stay connected with us on social media for more updates and stories! Twitter:   / trinayani_ngo   Facebook:   / trinayani2006   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritika-sa... Instagram:   / ngotrinayani