Anita Ghai (born 23 October 1958) is an Indian academic who was the former president of Indian Association of Women's Studies. She is currently a professor at School of Human Studies, Ambedkar University, Delhi since November 2015. She is also a

disability rights The disability rights movement is a global social movement that seeks to secure equal opportunities and equal rights for all people with disabilities. It is made up of organizations of disability activists, also known as disability advocat ...

activist in India working in the areas of

sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...

gender Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most cultures u ...

, health and education rights. She has authored three books.

Early life

Anita Ghai was born on 23 October 1958. She was diagnosed with

Polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

at the age of two. The

polio vaccine Polio vaccines are vaccines used to prevent poliomyelitis (polio). Two types are used: an inactivated poliovirus given by injection (IPV) and a weakened poliovirus given by mouth (OPV). The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends all chil ...

came to India in 1959, one year after her birth. She has no memory of an "able-body". Ever since she was a child, external messages were given that being disabled is equivalent to being defective. As a child, she was made to visit temples,

shamans Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritu ...

, tantric priests and

faith healers Faith healing is the practice of prayer and gestures (such as laying on of hands) that are believed by some to elicit divine intervention in spiritual and physical healing, especially the Christian practice. Believers assert that the healing ...

to find "cures" to her disability. She was unusually allowed to share a room with her male cousins, due to notions that desexualise

disabled Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, se ...

girls.

Academic work

Ghai has been engaged with the field of disability studies for many years and her contribution to the field is considered seminal. Her volume, ''Disability in South Asia: Knowledge and Experience'', is considered a significant step forward and a milestone; the first of its kind in South Asia. Ghai is pushing for disability studies to claim the status of a university discipline. Ghai's book, ''Rethinking Disability in India'', moves away from clinical, medical or therapeutic perspectives on disability, and explores disability in India as a social, cultural and political phenomenon, arguing that this 'difference' should be accepted as a part of social diversity. Ghai is also on the editorial board of Disability and Society, and Scandinavian Journal of Disability.

Activism

Ghai brings out the specific concerns and experiences of disabled women to talk about how disability has relevance to wider concerns. Through her work, she analyses disability, gender and brings thoughtful reflection on identity politics. Ghai who is the author of ''(Dis)embodied Form'', writes about the gendered politics of disability and its impact on

feminist theory Feminist theory is the extension of feminism into theoretical, fictional, or philosophical discourse. It aims to understand the nature of gender inequality. It examines women's and men's social roles, experiences, interests, chores, and feminist ...

. Her book (Dis)embodied form is the first of its kind to address the experiences of being a disabled Indian woman and shows us the ways in which these experiences challenge both disability and feminism in India. She conducts workshops on

sexuality and disability Sexuality and disability is a topic regarding the sexual behavior and practices of people with disabilities, who have a range of sexual desires and differ in the ways they choose to express their sexuality. Commonly, people with disabilities la ...

, as part of an online course run by feminist organisation, CREA. Ghai also advocates for sexuality education to be open and look beyond sex and sexuality within marriage. Ghai was among the few

feminists Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male poi ...

to write about how the PCPNDT Act is harmful to disabled children, since it allows abortion after testing for a foetal anomaly. She recognises how sometimes

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

and disability are at odds with each other through her writing and research. Accessibility in India is a big issue that Ghai advocates for, including the daily challenges in the lives of people with disabilities due to the lack of ramps and inaccessible public transportation. She considers access as crucial for allowing people with disabilities to secure their proper citizenship rights. and has spoken out against the Indian government's token efforts for people with disabilities. She has also advocated against the lack of accessible toilets, which restricts access to public places for many people with disabilities. She avoids drinking water when she is outside home, so that she doesn't need to use the toilet, and that it is common for women with disabilities to suffer from kidney stones because of situations like this. In January 2016, Ghai was forced to crawl on the tarmac by

Air India Air India is the flag carrier airline of India, headquartered at New Delhi. It is owned by Talace Private Limited, a Special-Purpose Vehicle (SPV) of Tata Sons, after Air India Limited's former owner, the Government of India, completed the sa ...

Indira Gandhi Airport Indira Gandhi International Airport is the primary international airport serving Delhi, the capital of India, and the National Capital Region (NCR). The airport, spread over an area of , is situated in Palam, Delhi, southwest of the New Del ...

, New Delhi, as they failed to provide a wheelchair for her. This was in violation of the Director General of Civil Aviation guidelines. She described the incident as shocking and embarrassing. The airline denied Ghai's allegation.

Books

* Disability in South Asia: Knowledge and Experience (Sage 2018) * Rethinking Disability In India (Routledge 2015) * (Dis) embodied form: Issues of disabled women (Har-Anand Publications 2003)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghai, Anita Academic staff of Ambedkar University Delhi 21st-century Indian writers 1958 births Living people