Noted disability rights activist Javed Abidi passes away

Representational picture

Noted disability rights activist Javed Abidi passed away this afternoon due to chest infection, an acquaintance said. He was 53. The activist passed away around 1.30 pm. He had been suffering from chest infection for the past few days, the acquaintance said.

Abidi was the Director of the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) and also the Global Chair of Disabled People International (DPI). He was involved in several consultations with the government on policies for creating a barrier free environment for all, including the disabled.

The news of his death was broken by the National Association of the Deaf (NAD), India, on Facebook. "Sorrow Day. Mr. Javed Abidi (NCPEDP & Disability Rights Movement of India) has passed away today... The burial will be at Gurgaon on Monday morning at 10:30 am," the NGO said in a post on the social media site.

Born in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, Abidi had led a protest in 1995, that had pushed the passing of the Persons with Disabilities Act on December 22 in the same year. He had also played a key role in bringing major ammendemnts in the Act. Abidi is survived by his mother and two siblings.

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