One year ago, Beno Zephine was featured in the news as one of the few visually impaired people to crack the UPSC exams. Today Beno Zephine is making even bigger waves as the first 100 per cent visually impaired candidate to make it into the Indian Foreign Services. The IFS previously only allowed candidates with perfect vision
Former diplomats have hailed this decision to allow 100 per cent visually challenged people into the service, calling it, ‘nothing short of a revolutionary decision’.
“I am grateful that in order to give me the assignment, the central government has modified some parameters,” Beno told the Times of India. “I did get a hint about my posting as during the interview by the Union Public Service Commission, majority of the questions revolved around foreign policy and geo-strategic issues.”
Former diplomat TP Sreenivasan from Thiruvanathapuram told TOI, “It’s a very forward-looking, generous view taken by the Centre. She (Beno) will have some difficulties, but having come so far, she will do extremely well. Also field work that is usually important for IAS cadres is not required for IFS officers; they need to study, analyse and give guidance.”
Where Beno had the good fortune of being accepted for her abilities, there are other UPSC candidates too who have struggled to get their posting. Six years ago, several visually impaired candidates filed a petition against the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) for rejecting their applications despite them scoring higher than many general category candidates who were inducted into the service. The UPSC had then contended that the visually impaired candidates had taken the exam under a “relaxed standard” by employing a scribe, and hence they could not be considered for appointment on their own merit.
In December 2013 Supreme Court shot this theory down and ruled in favour of the candidates, but months later, there was still no response from the DoPT. Nor was there any news of the DoPT creating vacancies for disabled persons under the Disability quota as per the SC’s directive.
Meanwhile other streams are gradually, if not entirely willingly, opening up opportunities to persons with disability. In 2011, Vanithi from Chennai, with disability in one hand, was turned down a medical seat, because their rules allow only for candidates with lower limb disability (legs), not upper limbs. Vanithi went to court for this and her seat has been put on hold until a verdict is reached.
Where many countries have gone out of their way to make public spaces and places of work disabled-friendly, our country is still stuck in that time warp where we neither consider them for regular jobs, nor do we consider making public spaces more comfortable for them.
Image Courtesy: BCCL
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