Lessons from the differently-abled

Hyderabad Dec. 2: Disabled persons are nowadays termed “differently-abled” persons by governments and social activists. But even those who use this politically correct term don’t realise how true it is. For many disabled people have really been able to summon up inner reserves of strength which helped them surmount obstacles in life. They make it evident that disability — physical or mental — is a relative term.

On the International Day of Disabled Persons, which is observed on Wednesday, it is the success stories of these men and women that inspire others who are suffering from various disabilities. Take the case of Nagababu, who is blind since birth. Despite his disability, he has completed his engineering course from the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Technology (JNTU) and is presently working with a leading IT major. He got the job through campus selection.

It was not a cakewalk for him, for he managed to get the admission through court and pursued his studies. Subair, another blind person, is the only student from the state who has received admission in the merit list of the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi for the Masters course in International Relations. He studied in the Devnar School for the Blind and had an excellent academic record. Subair, who took his BA from Nizam College, has also performed well in quiz competitions. For both Nagababu and Subair, their handicaps never affected their onward progress in life. They made it with grit and determination. Of course there were also many kind-hearted persons to help them.

Sudha, 23, who was disabled because of polio, was helped up the stairs in her school and college by her friends. Facing umpteen difficulties, she studied hard and got a job. “I now want to study more while working,” she said. In addition to academic achievements, disabled students of the state have also pursued their ambitions in the arena of sports. For instance, Mahender and Sridhar, both suffering from blindness, made it to the Tata Institute of Social Sciences to pursue MSW and Masters in Social Entrepreneurship respectively. They also represented the country as good cricketers in the International Cricket Tournaments for Disabled people in the United Kingdom.

Nanaji, a blind graduate from the city who is acquiring training at TCS, has represented the country as a good cricketer in Pakistan and the United Kingdom. Diksheet, another blind student of the city pursuing his intermediate education, stands tall in mathematics and is also a good chess player. Last year, four students from the blind school joined Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan for intermediate studies and all of them have topped the charts.

“They are aware of their shortcomings but do not let their visual problems come in the way of proving their innate talents,” said school principal, Ms Lilly Egbert. Similarly, Vishvendari, a student of Class X Helen Kellers’ School has overcome the problems caused by her deafness and now looks forward to appear for the SSC examination. T. Priyanka, 19, who has completed two years of vocational training at the Department of Adult Independent Living (DAIL) at the National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped (NIMH) in the city, is looking forward to her future with confidence.

“Having learnt glass painting, tailoring and other arts and crafts here, I can start a small unit near my house at Bowenpally with the support of my teachers,” says Ms Priyanka. There are several others too, who have decided not to give up on life just because of their disabilities. Together, they give powerful resonance to the term “differently-abled”.