o battle out the routine discrimination being meted out to the disabled, a conference organised by the Able Disabled All People Together (Adapt) discussed forming of a national front for the differently-abled.

Disabled people with traumatic experiences in rural as well as city slums along with activists attended the conference at Bandra on Wednesday to suggest that a front like Disabled People’s Organisation (DPO) would better address their concerns.

While the hearing and speech-impaired as well as the visually-challenged groups have a presence at a national level, people with multiple disabilities are not sufficiently represented. It is with the purpose of uniting the different groups that Adapt is planning a national rights group, which will also help bring about policy changes.

“Sadly, when we talk about the rights of the differently-abled, we only think of those in urban areas. However, those in rural areas have an equal right,” said Malini Chib, convener, Adapt Rights Group.

Jeeja Ghosh, a cerebral palsy patient who was disembarked from a flight in February, too shared her experience at the conference.

Ironically, Ghosh, a teacher, was headed for a seminar on inclusion when she met with the accident. Stressing on an urgent need to form an umbrella association for the advocacy of their rights, Jeeja said, ‘’We need to organise the associations at two levels — one in the form of a DPO and another at the government level.”