Lang, R. (2001, June). Understanding disability from a South Indian perspective. Paper presented at the 14th Annual Meeting of the Disability Studies Association, Winnipeg, Canada. Retrieved from http://www.ucl.ac.uk/lc-ccr/lccstaff/raymond-lang/understanding_disability_in_india.pdf
Perceptions of disabilities vary in India from regarding disability as a result of sin to viewing it as a blessing and a challenge meant to be overcome in this life to attain a greater state of being in the next. In a study by Lang (2001), 70 people with disabilities in urban areas in India expressed positive attitudes about having disabilities. Researchers also hypothesized that this could be a result of living in urban areas where eastern philosophies (karma) are not as commonly accepted as western philosophies regarding disabilities. Also, urban areas have a higher likelihood of having received disability awareness trainings (Lang, p. 297). However, in this same study, karma was still reported as a religious explanation for cause of disabilities, which again puts the blame on the person with the disability or their parents for having committed sin in a previous life. Even though karma is commonly accepted as an explanation for disability, the understanding of karma can very greatly from one person to the next.
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