CBRF’s new short film ‘Let me in’ highlights need for accessible spaces for people with disabilities

Collective Action for Basic Right Foundation (CBRF) has released a two minute short film ‘Let me in’ that talks about accessibility issues faced by people with disabilities. A short and crisp video which highlights the point clearly has already received positive reviews.

In his 2013 Tedx talks, accessibility expert Mohamed Jemni said, “Disability is not the problem. The accessibility is the problem’, a statement that still holds true. Collective Action for Basic Right Foundation (CBRF), an organization that works towards empowering people with disabilities has made a short film ‘Let me in’ that talks about the hardships faced by people with disabilities when it comes to accessibility. Launched on 25 September on YouTube, the video has already got over 220 views with more to hit.

CBRF’s unique short film

‘Let me in’ begins with different people visiting an office to attend a job interview. The office has a couple of steps to be climbed up and down to enter and exit respectively. Every person walked in and out with confidence. But one individual seated on a wheelchair is unable to access the office due to lack of wheelchair ramp. As soon as the office knows about this, they install a wheelchair ramp after which the person with disability can smoothly enter and exit.

“It is important for everyone to focus on accessibility everywhere and not just at work places”, says Jesver Fernandez, communication and resource mobilization officer at CBRF. “We decided to introduce this short film mainly to create awareness”, he adds.

The two minute short film was shot inside the CBRF office at Bengaluru. Though making a short film was in the pipeline for long, CBRF took it off now.

Need for accessible workplaces

The RPWD Act, 2016 highlights the need for inclusive and accessible workspaces. Those buildings that do not adhere to guidelines are breaking rules. Over years, disability rights activists have pointed out the discrimination, but nothing substantial has been done till date by concerned officials. With such short films being introduced, which can be widely shared on social media, the message must reach loud and clear.

“Such short films are relevant because they have put across the right message. The film has highlighted the problem in an effective manner. I’m going to share this amongst our groups. Since the video is short, people are going to watch it as well”, says Jomy Joseph, a disability rights activist from Kerala.

In fact, a lot of people with disabilities, especially those with mobility issues are unable to go to an office and work due to the same accessibility issues.

Raja Rajasekharan P is the Co-founder and Director of v-shesh, an award winning organization that prepares job seekers with opportunities and organizations with disability inclusion. He says it is disheartening that such a huge number of disabled people are denied the right to earn a living.

“This is a basic fundamental right and this huge population can easily add to the GDP and economy. In fact, all stakeholders are responsible for this loss. The government, private sectors and people must come together to bring about a change. We must break barriers. Most importantly, there must be awareness about disabilities”, he says.

Watch in Sign Language

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