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They too can walk tall

The differently abled should be accepted as individuals and extended the support that will make them self-reliant. PRASSANA SRINIVASAN and SHALINI UMACHANDRAN meet a few of them on the occasion of World Disability Day.

THE CAR drew into the petrol bunk. Even as the driver got the tank filled, the man in the rear seat casually handed over a Rs. 500 to the attendant and asked for the change. It's only when you saw him feeling the notes that you realised the reality.

George Abraham suffers from extremely poor vision.

"You tend to depend a lot on the other senses when one sense is not sharp enough," he says. George Abraham is the founding chairman of the World Blind Cricket Council, which is organising the second Cricket World Cup for the Blind. The ease with which Mr. Abraham uses his mobile phone and laptop and the way he navigates even in a new environment makes him no different from you and me. At 44, he doesn't consider himself any different from other individuals because he's never studied in a special school.

"The first time I visited a blind school was in 1989. I attended normal school but just had to make the extra effort to develop my hearing, memory and comprehension skills because I couldn't see the black board."

He claims that 99 per cent of blind children in the country either spend time consulting doctors, or are pampered by parents, or are simply neglected. "While such children need extra attention, parents need to understand that they should be trained to be independent. The first five years of a child's life are crucial because they determine his or her attitude as an adult."

Mr. Abraham has been the force behind the Association for Cricket for the Blind in India. He says cricket as a game makes a person evolve because it develops qualities such as team spirit, leadership and confidence, and gives one a sense of achievement. This year's World Cup is being held in Chennai from today till December 14. With a few modifications such as underarm bowling and using audio signals, the rules are pretty much the same. Although corporate sponsors are many, blind cricket has still not received recognition from the BCCI.

Rajarathinam, a final-year student at the Madras Christian College, feels government support is not sufficient. He is an athlete and has won a silver medal in triple jump and a bronze in long jump at the Busan Games held recently. Rajarathinam's right hand is paralysed. He feels sport in India is usually neglected, more so when it is for the disabled. Cricket is the only sport that attracts attention. Many of his friends, who are good athletes, have quit because of insufficient funding and sponsors.

"My coach always treated me like the rest. I had never visited a physiotherapist till I came to Chennai a few years ago." Rajarathinam hails from a small village near Karaikudi and his parents were not enthusiastic about his coming to Chennai just to indulge his passion for sport. "With the support of my coach, I was able to overcome the hurdles."

He was the only student athlete in the team that went to Busan. He says, "I was fortunate to be helped by the right people at the right time. My college sponsors my education and even financed my trip to Busan."

His coach, Sukumar, director of physical education at MCC, says Rajarathinam is dedicated and hard-working and his disability has never affected his performance. "We have given him whatever we could. Now his requirements are different. He's looking forward to permanent employment so that he can continue his sporting activities and support his family. But will he have a fair chance when it comes to securing a job? There are many employers who consider disability a disadvantage."

When you are disabled a lot depends on the individual's effort, says Dr. Aishwarya, paediatrician and social activist. "People are not always considerate to the disabled." Although Dr. Aishwarya is paraplegic, she is independent and even drives her car. A graduate from the Kilpauk Medical College and the Sri Ramachandra Medical College, she works for the welfare of HIV positive women and children in slums. She is now working on a Government project on MTCT (mother to child transmission of HIV) prevention.

"You are doubly disadvantaged, if you are a woman and happen to be disabled." Though she concedes that there is growing awareness and a few shopping malls do have ramps, she wonders how many disabled people can afford to shop at these places. "A few organisations have begun to respond to our needs, but society still lacks empathy. We want people to understand that we have special needs and a little thoughtfulness is all we expect from them." Although she has overcome several hurdles, she says, "I am invariably inspired and learn from the experiences of those who face similar challenges."

"Disabled people need to take the initiative to rise above their problems. It is not enough for society to support them; ultimately, the individual should have the willpower to battle the odds. Sometimes, too much help in itself is a disability as it makes disabled persons overly dependent," says R. Paulus, consultant prosthetist and orthotist, Rainbow Orthotics. Some of the staff at his centre are disabled, and he says, helping them to become self-reliant is more useful than just giving them a wheelchair or a prosthetic limb. With the Government's help, Mr. Paulus will start a training programme in January for the disabled to make artificial limbs and wheelchairs.

Jayapal, a student of Loyola College and a budding lyricist, agrees saying, "There are many who are willing to come forward with donations which would take care of the day-to-day needs of the disabled. But no one really contributes to help them eke out a livelihood independent of charity." Though Jayapal has won many poetry competitions at school and college, it took a long time for him to prove that his blindness does not hinder his imagination. "I don't consider blindness as a hindrance to writing. All that is important is imagination which I have in plenty." Jayapal has written the lyrics for the recently released Tamil film, "Sri". Jayapal is from Nethrodaya, an organisation that works for the welfare of the underprivileged and talented blind youth.

Disability is just a name — the disabled are just differently-abled individuals, whose abilities are as good or better than those of normal people. `Inclusive education' is necessary to make them part of society, explains Mr. Abraham. Dr. Aishwarya agrees, "A little thoughtfulness and sensitivity is all that it takes to help such people on the road to self-reliance."

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