People of Value

Chandigarh

New Delhi

Mumbai

Disabled Engineer: No scope in India

24-year-old Aabhas Garg can easily be passed off as another success story. This 100% congenitally deaf and mute boy has battled all odds to be at par (if not better) with other young men of his age. His engineering degree from the region's most coveted engineering college, PEC, last year is a feather in his cap and his vast knowledge of computer languages, skill in playing badminton and panache for oil paintings are reasons enough for accolades.

But probe a little further and his anguish is easy to gauge. Even the euphoria created by a handful of NGOs to mark World Disability Day failed to stir his silent world. A pile of degrees and pleasing letters from his teachers about his special skills have not been of any use to him; the agonizing wait of more than a year to find any job has been so draining, that he has now made up his mind to leave for the US for higher education.

His mother, Manjula Garg who has spent most of the last 20 years in teaching him to lip read prays that he finds a job soon irrespective of whether he gets paid or not because of his apparent agitation over being idle. Aabhas graduated from PEC as an electrical communication engineer in 2004 with 65% marks.

In fact, he was the only special student in the entire college. However, to his parents' dismay, Aabhas' college offered him nothing more than a degree. The placement cell at the college, otherwise known for its attractive placements with skyrocketing packages, gave up on finding any job for the boy.

The doors of government jobs are also closed for him, as the maximum disability accepted by them is 75%. Now, he is preparing to get admission in Rochester Institute of Technology, USA, hopeful that the university exempts him from the speaking test. His father, A.K.Garg, expressed his dismay over the state of affairs here, as there seemed to be no future for his son in the country.

Source: Disabled engineer's success story turns sour. Indian Express, Chandigarh, 3rd December 2005.

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Disability no bar; they are striving to succeed

They may lack eyesight but they are determined to make it big in their profession and that makes up for it. They may not be able to walk but they can move forward. They may not hear you but they can sense your feelings. These are the people who, despite their disabilities, live life to the fullest.

Aslam Amin, now 26, was only five when he lost both his legs in a train accident. The cheerful little child was confined to the hospital bed, but after undergoing treatment for a year he joined a school in Meerut. Where just going to school everyday was a challenge, his determination got him the best student ward in Class X.

Today he's a software engineer with a leading company in Delhi. During last year's Athens Olympics he was among the lucky few who were chosen as torchbearers. Amin said that his life was a struggle and even though everyday chores were difficult he didn't loose his positive attitude and accepted his destiny.

R Manikandan, 38, lost his eyesight due to medical negligence when he was just 14. He was hospitalized for nearly three years and the path ahead looked dark but he bounced back with fresh spirit. Manikandan did his schooling and later M.Com, M.Phil and B.Ed.

He is now pursuing a degree in PhD and teaches accountancy in a college in Pollachi, Tamil Nadu. He is, in fact, the first blind person in TN to pursue a career in commerce. He believes that with courage one can tackle the biggest hurdles in life. Sarabjit A Singh believes that disability hasn't stopped him from doing anything he could have done otherwise.

A terrorist attack in 1986 left him paralyzed for life. He was then working as Sr. Administrative Officer in the Indian Railways. After undergoing treatment for more than 14 months, not only did he join back but was promoted to Sr. Special Secretary within a few years.

Two more promotions and he finally retired as the General Manager of Indian Railways. He felt that he had proved many of his seniors wrong; they had doubted his ability due to his disability. All three are from different backgrounds, yet they belong to the same school of thought.

Something Cavett Robert said long back: "While I can run, I will run; while I can walk, I will walk; when I can only craw, I will crawl. But by the grace of God, I will always be moving forward."

Source: Disabled, but always moving forward, The Times of India, New Delhi, 4th Dec 05

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Special Olympics - Special indeed..

Talking about sports, especially athletics is something that will always create images of PT Usha and Shiny Abraham and the others in your mind. But there are many others who despite their disabilities strive to reach the sky. A feat witnessed at the recently concluded 'Special Olympics'.

Despite their mental and physical disabilities, their dedication and devotion for sports is unbridled. They want to learn, run, play, win and most importantly participate. Talking to some of them, we realized that calling them 'special' is isolating them from other children.

Bharti Thakur is a 21 years old girl from Himachal Pradesh. She is physically challenged, as one side of her body is not functional. She has studied till 10th standard; this girl has taken part in many sport events like short put, relay race, bochi and is an athlete who has won around 12 gold medals and an equal number of silver medals.

Her determination is evident as she states that she only struggles for the Gold Medals. She was enthusiastic about being a part of the Special Olympics as she felt that it gave children like her a chance to exhibit their caliber in sports. Another little athlete Hitesh Kishore is a 20 years old child from 'Four Steps School For Special Children'.

His main interest is in swimming, but he also likes long jump, racing, short put, basketball, and football and cricket. Having a wardrobe full of medals in different sports, this child is quite sure that one day he will earn a good name in the field. Right now he is learning money handling, hotel management, cooking, bill making and computers at his school but he surely wants to be involved in sports in future.

He wants to be a swimming coach and if given a chance he can be a cricketer too. Sehwag is his favourite cricketer because he is energetic. Vishak Gopinath is from Kerala, he is studying at 'Sneha Nilayam' a school for special children. He loves cricket, tennis, running and short put. He likes winning medals but even if he doesn't win anything he likes to participate.

He has won about 6-7 gold medals and a few silver and bronze. He likes watching sports on television and he is so inspired by driving that he wants to be a racecar driver. His role model is Michael Schumacher. He was happy participating in the Special Olympics and he is happy if he gets the third position but not under that.

These were three special children out of many present at the Special Olympics who are no less than our existing sports heroes. The Special Olympics is indeed a good platform for them to come forward and showcase their talent.

Source: Applaud please, for the true champions! Mid Day, New Delhi, 3rd December 2005.

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Why should I celebrate World Disability Day?

Yashoda Palan, a Gujarati short story writer refused to celebrate the World Disability Day, as she sees no reason to celebrate in a country where nothing had been done for the handicapped.

Yashoda, a 65 years old woman, a resident of Mulund lost the use of her legs due to an attack of rheumatoid arthritis when she was just seven years old. Though disillusioned with the government she is happy at the way civil society has treated her. She said that the government was ignorant about the needs of the handicapped but the Civil society and community organizations had come forth to help

. The childhood ailment has confined her to a bed in a one-room apartment in a building owned by the Lohana Community Trust in Mulund. Despite the odds, she attended a school nearby and then acquired a B.A. in Sociology and Psychology from SNDT University. Since she couldn't sit upright her mother or classmates would carry her in a swing made of cloth and then she would lie down on a bench in the class.

Her first short story was published in Sudha - the women's supplement of the Gujarati newspaper Janmabhoomi in the seventies. Her first short novel, 'Ek Dandiyo Mahal', was published in the supplement of Janmabhoomi. It tells the story of a princess confined by her father in a palace that stood on one pillar.

She thinks that in a way it was her story since just like the character she too is confined in a room where no one can meet her. A book of her short stories in Gujarati, Octopus, was published a few years ago. She writes poetry, stories or stray thoughts whenever she feels like.

Since she cannot sit upright and her hands have also degenerated because of the disease, writing has become a slow and a painful process for her. She recently won the 'Kutch Shakti' award from a community organisation. But she felt that readership for Gujarati literature was dwindling.

Source: Disability is no handicap at all for her, Mumbai Mirror, Mumbai, 5thDece05

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The Corporate World accepts that the disabled are more committed workers

At 23, she is like any other workingwoman, enthusiastic, hardworking, and doesn't let her blindness affect her efficiency. She is part of a growing number of handicapped people being employed by private companies-their initial hesitation changing fast into appreciation.

Madhubala is a Sr. Voice and Accent Trainer with a call center in Gurgaon. Her disability has come to her advantage as it has sharpened her hearing sense, enabling her to catch even the slightest pronunciation mistakes. As the world observed Disability Day on December 3 she said that disabled people should be welcomed with open arms in the job market, for they are immensely talented.

Echoing the sentiment is Sanjay Kapoor, who has employed around 15 handicapped people in his firm. His AOK Inhouse GPO Service Ltd mostly employs people with hearing and speech impairment as data entry operators. He said that his initial apprehension vanished long ago when he saw their commitment.

This feeling is shared by other Corporate Houses too and it's not out of charity that they hire disabled people but a mutually beneficial economic sense. Another organisation taking lead in this area is FICCI, the country's apex business chamber, through its Socio Economic Development Foundation (SEDF).

They are trying to promote corporate social responsibility with help from voluntary and government-run institutions, which are already working among the disabled; SEDF is aiming to realise the 'employability' of the people. They assess the kind of job a person with a particular kind of disability will be comfortable with, then prepare them to enter the Corporate world and eventually find the industries willing to hire them which requires working on a lot of people's mental block over employing disabled people.

According to Harry Sethi of FICCI, certain industries like IT and IT enabled services are where disabled are being employed. The attrition rate in call centres is very high and it is here that disabled people fit in. The disabled people tend to stick to their jobs longer and the company is saved from having to hire new staff.

Citing the 2001 census figures, Sethi said that out of India's 1 billion population around 22 million have some form of disability or the other and 7 million disabled are in the working age group of 18-50 years. This seven million is a large pool of scattered workforce, which can contribute to society.

Source: Corporates welcome differently-abled persons as professionals. DNA, Mumbai, 3rd December 2005

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How disabled is a man who has lost an arm and a leg in an accident- 100 per cent or 50 per cent?

Abdul Rauf Kapoor, 34, who lost his left arm in an accident in October, 1995 and had his left leg amputated while being treated for the injuries suffered in the mishap, has challenged a Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal judgment delivered in August this year that marked his disability at 50 per cent and offered him a compensation of Rs 4,96,000 (plus interest of 6 % PA).

He is a resident of Kurla. He was employed as a cleaner on a mini-truck, which met with an accident while on its way from Nashik to Mumbai. The mishap according to his lawyers was because of reckless driving. He spent around two years at Sion Hospital and Shushurusha hospital in Dadar.

During the treatment, his left leg was amputated till above the knee and his left hand was severed. His lawyers are contending against the judgment that declared him 50% disabled for loss of one leg and one arm. They are contending that he deserves a bigger compensation as he is a school dropout and is now crippled. His lawyer claimed that common sense needed to prevail over the law as a person with one leg and one arm needed assistance.

Source: Abdul Koor, who met with a terrible mishap in 1995, was given only half compensation since he lost 'only' one arm, Mumbai Mirror, Mumbai, 30th Nov05

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