For the past three months, the Thailand Telecommunication Relay Service (TTRS), which provides online sign language interpretation services for people with hearing impairments, has been shut down due to delay in funding approval.

The Thammasat University Law Centre has filed a petition with the Office of the Judiciary requesting an explanation why Supavich Jansatien, a lawyer with a disability, was not allowed to take the examination to become a judge-trainee despite meeting the qualifications.

"After retiring from the Myanmar army, I fled to Thailand because I saw that Thailand was the safest,” said Ot, a migrant worker from Myanmar who, like many others, came to Thailand seeking a better life. But just as his life began to settle, disaster struck. Ot fell from a six-story scaffold. The injuries to his spine meant that his chance of walking again was slim to none. Like Ot, many migrant workers in Thailand became disabled after a workplace accident, from falling from unsafe scaffolding to losing limbs to factory machines. In most cases, they are left without protection or welfare.

In Sisaket, a northeastern Thai province bordering Cambodia, disabled residents often struggle to access essential aids like prosthetics and orthotics due to geographic isolation and financial hardship. Many endure long, expensive trips to service centres, prompting calls for local repair facilities, travel subsidies, and personalised equipment to improve their lives.

Ninety-five percent of the 2.2 million disabled people in Thailand live outside Bangkok. They experience extreme hardships and discrimination because of the urban-rural divide, from lack of access to education and healthcare to a lack of support from the government.

The Empowerment of Persons With Disabilities Act, which contains sections on the employment of persons with disabilities, has been in effect in Thailand since 2007. However, people with disabilities continue to face significant obstacles in every stage of the employment process, from job searching to receiving interview opportunities and fair working conditions.

Auttapon Srichitsanuwaranon, a mobility-impaired disability rights activist and senate candidate, has submitted an open letter to the Election Commission of Thailand (ECT) urging that the selection of polling stations for the Senate election be accessible to all groups of people.

Under the 2007 Empowerment of Persons Disability Act, each holder of a Disability Card is entitled to receive 40,000 baht from the government for home renovation. But in the country's rural areas, like Surin's Rattanaburi and Kap Choeng districts, people are having issues accessing their welfare. Families who do not have the land deed to their houses are not paid for renovation, while others may have to wait at least 3 months for the budget to be approved.

Many people with disabilities, especially those with spinal cord issues, suffer from pressure sores. Small abrasions can become infected, open wounds, which can make rehabilitation more difficult and make people with disabilities more dependent on others. Meanwile, securing welfare to cover the cost of medicine, rehabilitation and the use of medical facilities remains an issue.

As the 2023 general election approaches, activists and members of civil society hope for policies that will ensure LGBTQ rights and gender equality for Thailand.

<p>During the 2011 floods, people with disabilities face great difficulties due to aid and evacuation procedures which were not comprehensive and improper care, while Bangkok is still at risk of flooding due to rising sea levels. ThisAble.Me and Prachatai talked to&nbsp;people with disabilities, rescuers, and researchers about their concerns and hopes, projecting the problems in the 2011 flood into the future, and whether there any methods or mechanisms.</p>

<p>A protest took place in front of the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (MSDHS) on Thursday (10 December), which addressed issues of the rights of people with disabilities, including the right to receive state welfare.</p>