Almost a decade ago, everyone in Rangoli village, Maharashtra was surprised when Amol won the cricket match. When he removed his shoes after the game, everybody was shocked.
27-year-old Amol Sankhanna is familiar with this response now. In an accident, he lost all five toes of his right foot and is now 40 percent disabled.
Amol Sankhanna
An athlete, cricketer, and a sports teacher, he has become a ray of hope for Rangoli village in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district. Things changed for him when he was just two years old. “Our home was on the main road in the village. I was running about and didn’t realise when I had reached the road. A state transport bus went over my foot, and I lost all the toes of my right foot,” he narrates.
This never daunted his spirit as he would always be a part of the village cricket team. “Till grade seven, I never ventured out of my village to explore sports,” he says. Once his handicapped friend from Kumbhoj village asked him about going to Mumbai for a cricket competition. Immediately, Amol agreed and the experience kindled in him a spirit of pursuing sports.
He completed his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Physical Education and started working as a sports teacher in a secondary school and junior college in Minche village [30 km from his village Rangoli]. Picking up athletics was something he never imagined. “Once, my cricket coach Atul Dhanavade asked me to try athletics. Initially, it was difficult, but I loved running,” says Amol smiling.
In his career spanning close to a decade, he won five medals at the national level in the 100 m, 200 m, 4*100 m races and 4*400 m relay.
At the state level, Amol has more than 20 medals which include 10 gold medals in athletics and long jump. In 2013, his team won the state level cricket championship held in Mumbai.
Some medals and certificates won by Amol
This journey was full of hardships as he narrates, “In a rural setting, not much importance is given to sports, and nobody even talks about para-sports. Nobody gives us the travelling expenses to reach the venue. Next month, I will be competing at the national level in several states like Haryana and Tamil Nadu, but I’ll have to spend the money on travelling from my savings.”
Another major hurdle in this journey is the lack of exposure. “Most of the rural athletes don’t find the right guidance which is why they are restricted to their villages. Information should be conveyed to everybody because lack of awareness is the biggest issue for us. It was only in grade XII that I became aware of Paralympics when one of my friends spoke about it,” he adds.
He teaches more than 80 students daily and trains them both in athletics and badminton. The training starts at 4 a.m. for two hours, to resume in the evening after 5 p.m. In less than three years of his teaching at the school and junior college, the students have won seven national medals and close to 10 state medals. Every week, he goes to Kolhapur city and trains 30 disabled kids in cricket.
Currently, Amol doesn’t have a specialised coach for athletics and learns all his new tricks from the Internet. “My personal best is 11.75 seconds in a 100-metre race, and this was in a national-level event at Chennai in 2014,” he says proudly. His father Appaso, a farmer, has always been supportive of Amol’s decision to play sports.
While there are several issues like lack of a proper diet and proper facilities, Amol refuses to give up. His dream is to win a medal at the Paralympics as he says, “Everybody should practice a lot, then nothing seems impossible.”
My son Advaith was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and ADHD when he was 2.4 years old. At that stage, he was non-verbal and would communicate by pulling my hand towards his desired objects. He was diagnosed with ASD at National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, and the doctors suggested Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA).
ABA is the process of systematically applying interventions based upon the principles of learning theory to improve socially significant behaviours to a meaningful degree. The doctors explained to me that for maximum benefit, the mother should partake with the therapist in the interventions for the child. We enrolled him for ABA when he was 2.5 years old. His therapist introduced him to sign language.
As I was a co-therapist for him, I started practising sign language at home. After one month of ABA, he started communicating for his needs independently using signs.
He started vocalising with first sounds while communicating. His therapist then asked me to fade signs and focus on sounds. So, we started to focus on words for communication. This put immense pressure on Advaith, and the result was a regression of speech and incessant crying during sessions.
After eight months of ABA, Advaith stopped cooperating with his therapist and would be continuously crying. Even though they tried different techniques to keep his interest levels, it was not helping him. Hence, we discontinued ABA from that centre and I continued at home with the help of a certified ABA therapist. Advaith was communicating using sign language and he was using 12 to 15 signs at that stage.
I was finding it difficult to manage everything alone as I had to manage household chores as well as take care of my elder son. This made me realise that I needed a support system.
This was when I enrolled him at Bubbles Center for Autism, a special education school in Bengaluru. But I realised that no one was able to understand his signs at school. In Bubbles, they follow Structured Teaching Method and Picture exchange communication system (PECS) for communication. I did my practical sessions at Bubbles and understood the importance of picture support.
Ms Sarbani Mallick, the founder of Bubbles, emphasised the need to create a stimulating environment for communication. The school conducted open houses for parent-school interaction evert month, and Ms Mallick guided all parents to work on communication skills as autism is mainly a communication disorder.
I introduced PECS at home. I created two picture cards of his favourite food and stuck them on my kitchen wall. In the beginning, I was giving him hand-to-hand prompts to pick up cards and hand them over to me (or another communication partner). I would hide his favourite food items to use the cards effectively. Within a week, he started using those two cards independently.
Then I introduced other pictures like milk, juice, music, one after another. When he started communicating with all the pictures from the strip, I fixed them in a big file in different pages.
The ‘I Want’ file that helped Advaith articulate his needs
On the left side of the file, I attached an ‘I want’ strip. Again, I taught him to pick the picture and use it with the ‘I want’ strip. At that time, I was using only ten pictures. After a month, he started communicating using the strips. He was trying to label words while communicating. Then I introduced a small file with small-sized pictures.
I arranged food items, toys, places to go to, actions, and feelings on different pages. Advaith was using that file for his communication with different people.
Then I attended a workshop about ‘Avaz’ at Bubbles with Dr Preeja Balan. By then, Advaith was able to use the iPad for watching his favourite rhymes and for doing activities.
Avaz is a picture and text-based application for children with Autism, Cerebral Palsy and Down Syndrome. It aims to help them learn, articulate and communicate with the help of simple and practical guidance tools for parents and educators.
So under Dr Preeja’s guidance, I started with Avaz Lite, that was a free version for seven days. I added his PECS pictures for better understanding and was showing him how to communicate using them.
Advaith was very happy to hear real voices on the iPad while using Avaz. The fact that someone was talking for him served as motivation. After observing his interest, we decided to buy ‘Avaz India’.
After buying it, I clicked pictures from his PECS file and uploaded them on the app. I began encouraging Advaith to use Avaz to fulfil his communication needs.
Images of common responses and emotions in the ‘I Want’ file
In the beginning, I was always with him to ensure that he used it effectively. In his mind, the communication concept was clear from sign language. So the only challenge was a transition from PECS file to iPad. He was getting immediate responses from me when he communicated with Avaz.
At present, he uses Avaz for communicating his food requests (including ordering food from restaurants), actions like swimming, horse riding, skating, scooter ride and cycling, for his favourite rhymes, favourite places to go to, his toys, etc. When he experiences a sensory overload, he asks for horse riding or scooter ride. Then I realised that those two activities help him keep calm.
He is able to initiate interactions and is more connected with family and friends through Avaz. Advaith was a child with a high level of anxiety and Avaz helped him communicate his difficulties.
I am using Avaz for creating visual schedules as well. This helped keep him calm, and we were able to find many of his strengths as well.
Advaith is excellent in different sports activities like horse riding, swimming, cycling, badminton, basketball and rollerskating. Advaith won two gold medals in the Roller Skating Competitions conducted by Karnataka Disability Department in 2017 and 2018. He participated in Special Olympics Bharat Karnataka in November 2017 and won the silver medal.
Advantages of Avaz
Everyone can understand what he is communicating. It works across various languages like English, Hindi, Malayalam, Marathi, Kannada.
Communicating with voice helps to stimulate speech.
Anxiety has reduced because he can express his feelings.
It is easy to create folders and to put pictures. They have provided symbols for all nouns, verbs, adjectives, preposition. We can use our own pictures also, according to the kid’s understanding level.
Avaz can be used to teach number concepts, typing, adjectives, prepositions and to build comprehension.
Clearing the UPSC entrance exams is an arduous task. But to do it as a visually-impaired candidate is a feat worth applauding.
A resident of Beed district, Maharashtra, Jayant Mankale lost 75 percent of his vision in 2014 when he was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a disorder that causes loss of vision.
His determination to clear the civil services exam did not falter. He continued his attempts without coaching and did not give up even when his father passed away. His mother and sister took up the financial responsibility for the family, selling homemade spices, pickles and other food items.
Despite his mother’s business, the family had financial troubles. His father’s pension of Rs 7,300 did little to contribute, and they could not pay off the loan taken for Jayant’s college education. So when he approached Pravin Chavan and Manohar Bhole for guidance for the exam, they offered it to him free of cost.
The family’s efforts paid off when Jayant secured the All-India rank of 923 in his fourth attempt earlier this year.
Jayant Mankale (left) is all smiles on clearing the UPSC exam
In an interview with Hindustan Times, Mankale said, “I could not afford audio books or a screen reader. Therefore, I started listening (to) various debates on the radio, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha TV. I took pictures of pages through my mobile and often zoomed in to read them. I have never read a National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) book, and I couldn’t use hand-written notes, which made preparation very difficult.”
A mechanical engineer from Amrutvahini College of Engineering, Sangamner, Jayant now hopes to land his dream job in the Indian Foreign Service (IFS).
While cricket is revered as a religion, how many of us aware there is another cricket team in India that has not received its dues for over seven years?
No, we are not talking about the Indian women’s cricket team, which thankfully in the last few years has managed to make people sit up and take notice of their wonders.
We are talking about India’s wheelchair cricket team!
At their match against Bangladesh. Source: Facebook
While the national wheelchair cricket team has 14 players from various states like Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Punjab, Maharashtra, Haryana, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, the association has 16 state teams under it.
These state teams played the first-of-its-kind National Wheelchair Cricket Tournament in 2017 with UP clinching the victor’s crown.
What is Wheelchair Cricket India?
From flying a Mig-27 to becoming the Vice-Captain of the Indian wheelchair cricket team, the journey of 38-year-old Squadron Leader Abhai Pratab Singh was anything but easy.
After a road accident in 2009 that paralysed him from the waist-down, he spent two years in a hospital. But once he was out to face the world, he resolved to meet, connect and help others like him. This opportunity to explore the world came in the form of Wheelchair Cricket India.
Wheelchair Cricket India (WCI), the brainchild of international para-athlete and national awardee Pradeep Raj was founded in 2011.
The idea came to Pradeep after he visited Korea and had the chance of interacting with the wheelchair cricket delegations from Bangladesh and Pakistan.
The internationally acclaimed para-athlete is hopeful that Wheelchair Cricket will one day gain as much popularity as the Paralympics.
Speaking to The Times of India, Pradeep Raj says, “When Paralympics was started, no one in India knew about athletes with disabilities. It’s the same case with wheelchair cricket.”
It is then an absolute irony that an association which is transforming the lives of these para-athletes by giving them a chance to represent their country is yet to receive any infrastructural or financial support from the government or any of the national and international cricket bodies.
Pradeep adds how despite several pleas to the sports ministry and BCCI for infrastructure support, they haven’t heard a single response.
“The only person who wrote back was Sachin Tendulkar, who had words of encouragement for the team,” Raj told TOI.
Despite the lack of support, the WCI has stood undeterred in its resolve to promote the sport. Its relentless efforts reflect in the establishment of the Asian Wheelchair Cricket Council (AWCC), which has wheelchair cricket delegations from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Afghanistan as its members.
In its first-ever meeting that took place on November 4, 2017, at Brahmanbaria in Bangladesh, the AWCC arrived at the unanimous decision that India would host the first Wheelchair Cricket Asia Cup in October 2018.
WCI Vice-President and DPS Rohtak Principal Hector Ravinder Dutt explains that the Indian team was selected at a three-day camp from March 23-25 at DPS Rohtak.
“We zeroed in on exceptional talents with the help of Ranji Trophy player and WCI coach Ankush Attry, who has been associated with us for the last two years,” he told TOI.
The national team is playing against Bangladesh in a bilateral series from May 4-8.
The Indian team arriving at Bangladesh Airport. Source: Facebook
The national team captain is 21-year-old Somjeet Singh from Lucknow. Singh was born with a spinal tumour and has always used a wheelchair for mobility. He first started playing wheelchair cricket for rehabilitative purposes three years ago.
He describes how WCI helped him not just improve his game but also overcome social anxiety and build self-confidence. “I used to suffer from social anxiety because I thought people always underestimate wheelchair users. Cricket has helped me get rid of those inhibitions and become a different person. I am confident that we will win this (bilateral series against Bangladesh) series,” Somjeet told TOI.
While the rules of wheelchair and regular cricket are similar, 22-year-old coach Attry says that the ball used in wheelchair cricket is lighter by a few ounces.
Source: Facebook
“Players need wheelchairs according to their height and build, to facilitate manoeuvrability. The game requires immense dedication and players need to work on building their upper body strength through a series of exercises and therapy. For example, when players run between the creases, they need to leave behind the bat since they use both hands to power the wheelchair and complete a run,” he told the publication.
Vice-Captain Abhai Pratab Singh boasts of the ability of his team to strike sixers, “In cricket, players can strike the ball on the front or back foot. We have no feet but we still manage to hit sixes. I am sure as we go ahead, we will get more recognition, and more differently-abled (persons) will come out of their houses to make India truly accessible.”
We hope these players receive recognition and support not just from cricket bodies but also the government and sports ministry, and that they don’t have to wait another seven years to get noticed!
Wishing the Indian Wheelchair Cricket team the very best for their bilateral series, and hoping that they continue to make the country proud wherever they go.
But at the same time, we wish India gives them a reason to be proud of her too!
A community that excludes even one member is no community at all, said Pope Francis
Exclusion of any type disconnects individuals from social relations and puts a limit on their full participation in the activities that are assigned by society according to norms and conventions.
Though there have been improvements in our country over the last few years, disabled people and their families confront isolation and exclusion and remain on the fringes of society. Multiple barriers hinder their amalgamation into the mainstream. From architectural and technological to financial, obstacles of all kinds restrict their integration.
An ‘embarrassment factor’ remains evident among the non-disabled when they became self-conscious and awkward in the presence of a disabled person, although one in ten of the population has a disability.
Their multidimensional social exclusion is linked not only to income and expenditure but also to activity status, educational attainment, housing, health, assistive technology, transportation, lack of access to the labour market and the social environment.
A wide range of public and private services remain out of their reach.
Unless there is self-reflection and self-criticism, inclusion cannot be brought in. An inclusive attitude and behaviour demand us to overthrow prejudices and raze down the barriers.
What is social inclusion?
Inclusion is a belief that includes respect for every human being. Photo Source
Inclusion is a belief. It is not a project or a programme but a philosophy. Inclusion means respect for you, for me and everyone. Inclusion sees us as a person; sees that we exist.
A socially inclusive environment is one where everyone is welcome and permitted to establish their identity and express their feelings. Social inclusion assures that one’s opinions and experiences are honoured like anyone else’s.
• Feel associated,
• Are acknowledged, accepted and recognised for who they are within their communities,
• Feel worthy of their roles in the community,
• Actively participate in the community,
• Have the right to choose their activities based on their personal preferences,
• Have the right to choose their social relationships where they choose and share common interests,
• Have companions and don’t feel left out nor be treated as an inconvenience.
Continuous exposure to discrimination could lead to the internalisation of the prejudice – which may be manifested in shame, poor self-esteem, fear and stress, as well as poor mental and physical health.
This may also impede their decision-making abilities. If every person is accepted wholeheartedly, without a feeling of unfairness and injustice, they do not hesitate to take risks and responsibilities – leading to the development of self-confidence and self-esteem.
Being socially included means that a number of things are present in people’s lives. When people experience these conditions, they are more likely to be happier and healthier.
In fact, social inclusion is an important “determinant of health”. Without inclusion, people are more likely to experience poor mental health, loneliness, isolation, and poor self-esteem.
• Non-discrimination
• Making products, communications, and the physical environment more usable by as many people as possible, i.e. Universal Design
• Modifying and retrofitting items, procedures, or systems that would make a person with a disability
• Bringing awareness and shattering the stigma that surrounds disability
The prerequisite for achieving social inclusion is the involvement of inputs from people with disabilities along with disability-focused and independent organisations and government agencies in the programme or structural design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.
Non-disabled as well as disabled children would equally benefit from being in the same educational environment. The achievement of an inclusive education implies equal provision of the educational, the technical, and the personal for each student in academic and extracurricular activities.
An inclusive education is at the basis of an inclusive society. To make India better and positive for the largest minority, i.e. for millions of persons with disabilities, we ought to encourage mediation, dialogues and action about measures required to boost equal opportunities.
The challenge is to deliver for people with disabilities not just life, but a quality of life; and to identify and provide them with their citizenship rights in a real sense by offering opportunities for full social inclusion.
Inclusion can and does happen when people have positive attitudes as well as the willingness to make it happen.
(Written by Abha Khetarpal and edited by Vinayak Hegde)
About the author: A writer, a counselor, a teacher, a social worker, a motivational speaker and an activist, Abha Khetarpal, is a National Awardee and one of the 100 Women Achievers in India.
This article is a part of the #TechForGood series powered by Accenture in India.
“I wish there were a technology that would help me know every time my wife walks into the room,” says a man. He is one among a crowd of visually-impaired persons in a function by the National Association for the Blind (NAB), India.
Another woman walks to the podium. She is in a yellow saree with beautiful flowers adorning the pallu. When asked if she knows the colour she is wearing, she shakes her head. She is then handed over an android phone. With only a tap on its screen, a software starts giving her an analytical explanation – from the colour of the saree to the fabric it is weaved from.
While it wouldn’t mean much to many of us who take our ability to see the world for granted, for that visually-impaired woman, it was perhaps one of the most emotional moments of her life. To finally know, for the first time in years, what the cloth adorning her frame looked like.
This is the power of the Accenture’s Accessibility solution Drishti, which not only derives its name from the Sanskrit word for ‘vision’ but is an acronym for Disambiguating Real-time Insights for Supporting Humans with Intelligence.
Drishti leverages latest Artificial intelligence technologies, including natural language processing, image recognition, optical recognition and smart glasses to help visually-impaired persons perceive the world around them like never before.
In a mere year, Accenture ran a very successful pilot with the National Association for the Blind (India) – which empowers visually impaired persons with assistive technology and employs them in mainstream industries like banking, telecom, medical transcription.
Let’s take the example of a phone on a table. While an average assistive device might only be able to communicate that there is a phone (or something) on the table in front of them, Drishti will not only tell you the model of the phone, but also use multiple real-time insights and combine them to communicate what else lies on the table apart from the phone.
Therefore this solution uses natural language generation to describe every scene visually. It is also capable of narrating English text from printed books and documents through the use of optical character recognition.
Drishti can also be integrated with smart glasses like Pivothead. These smart glasses have a built-in camera which will then send the information captured (via Bluetooth) to the accessibility solution Drishti. All the user has to do is wear the glass, and tap on their phone to hear more about the world around them.
This could be immensely helpful to visually-impaired persons in real-time situations like crossing the road, embarking on unfamiliar paths and help them avoid getting physically hurt by walking into glass doors or poles.
Accenture Labs’ ground level interaction with visually impaired persons at NAB was an eye opener to several such daily problems visually-impaired persons face.
Speaking to The Better India, Assistant Director of NAB, India, Umesh Deshpande says, “Drishti was launched by Accenture through NAB India. And as a visually-challenged person myself, I think it is one of the best apps available. The app gives me dual support. Not only helping mobility on unfamiliar roads through an accurate description of the scenes, but also the incorporation of Optical Character Recognition. If I need any document to be read out loud, all I have to do a click a picture and Drishti will start reading it out to me.”
He speaks about the benefits of Drishti when compared to existing assistive devices in the market saying, “While there are a few devices that work on similar principles, Drishti stands out due to its user-friendly interface, quality and feasibility. Other devices describe any visual scene as per the limited data fed into it. But since Drishti uses an internet connection, it has an extensive database that uses multiple signals to give you the most accurate information in a mere span of 30 seconds.”
Umesh also expresses how Drishti users hardly pay Rs 20 paise per tap for a photograph as against other hi-tech assistive devices that cost nothing less than Rs 1.5 lakh.
“Over 60% of visually impaired persons earn incomes less than Rs 10,000 per month. So any hi-tech device costing over a lakh becomes a distant dream. Drishti, therefore, comes as a sigh of relief for many visually-impaired persons,” adds Umesh.
Drishti has been launched with 100 beneficiaries at NAB India, who are now giving their feedback and suggestions for further improvement and developments of the app.
In addition to objects and text, Drishti also helps identify the traits of people you are interacting with. Apart from detecting their gender and approximate age, it also analyses the facial expressions of these individuals (whether they are smiling or not).
Another essential feature it incorporates is the responsible use of AI which ensures data privacy by not storing any of the images the software captures internally.
Here is another real-life example. Ever since the Government of India announced the demonetisation of all ₹500 and ₹1000 banknotes in 2016, most visually-impaired persons have been struggling to identify and differentiate one currency note from the other. It is common for many of them to confuse higher denomination notes with lower denominations since the physical size of the currency notes has also changed. Drishti helps them identify the new currency notes, eliminating this confusion.
Apart from reaching out and transforming the lives of over a 100 visually-impaired persons at NAB, Drishti has travelled across the globe. It is being used in the Philippines, North America, South Africa etc. It was a finalist at the Global Mobile (Glomo) Awards and won the Graham Bell award (in Delhi) for using mobile solutions for social good.
Speaking to the Better India, Accenture Labs Managing Director and Tech4Good Program Lead, Sanjay Podder says, “We are delighted to say that Drishti is helping a lot of people to live an empowered life. It is our step towards changing the narrative of doing social good using what we do best – technology. Steve Jobs once said, ‘Gone are the days when you ask a customer, ‘What can we do for you?’ Show them what you can do for them.’ And that is the motto we follow. The users wouldn’t know what they want until we push our boundaries and show them how latest AI technologies can be harnessed to transform lives.” Accenture’s Tech4Good Program aims to bring the power of emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain and Extended Reality towards building an Inclusive world.
The essence of the marvel that Drishti is can only be summed up in the Sanskrit word it stands for. It is ‘vision’ for the visually-impaired.
To know more about Artificial Intelligence, click here.
Despite suffering from muscular dystrophy, a rare genetic disorder that results in the gradual weakening and breakdown of skeletal muscles, Rahul KS, a 16-year-old, earned a fantastic score of 94% in the recent SSLC examinations.
A student of the Kairalee Nikethan English High School in Bengaluru, Rahul scored 116/125 in English, 95/100 in Kannada, 92 in Hindi, 93 in Maths and 98 in Science and Social Science, reports ToI.
“Physics is his favourite subject. While practicals pose a significant challenge for him, we hope that Rahul will be able to pursue science. The state government should come forward to help him,” Rekha Venugopal, the headmistress of the school, told the publication.
Rahul was a 7-year-old when he was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. “He would lose balance while walking and fall, and by the age of 11, it was difficult for him to walk. He has been using a wheelchair since then,” said Kanakaraj R, Rahul’s father and a salesman by profession.
For representational purposes only. (Source: Pixabay)
The eldest of three siblings, Rahul wants to become a computer science engineer when he grows up. As a result of his condition, he can write with his right hand, but drawing diagrams is a struggle.
To the uninitiated, muscular dystrophy usually affects a person from childhood. Abnormal genes or mutations result in steady muscle deterioration, rendering the patient wheelchair bound, and he or she might even have trouble breathing or swallowing food due to the weakness in muscles that assist such basic functions.
For the time being, this condition is incurable, and the patient usually undergoes physical therapy, wears braces, and sometimes even undergoes corrective surgery to minimise certain symptoms.
Medication includes steroids, that slow down the deterioration in muscles, anticonvulsants for seizures and other muscle-related activity, and immunosuppressants to further delay the dying muscle cells.
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)
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The word inspirational does not even come close to describing what 17-year-old Jebin Kousar from the small town of Mujrahar in Hojai district, Assam, has achieved.
As reported in News 18, Jebin was born without hands and is the daughter of an autorickshaw driver and homemaker. However, she overcame the odds and not only passed her matriculation exam under the Assam Board of Secondary Education but also scored the First Division along with 11 others from her school.
“We are so proud of Jebin and the other students—our school has seen such excellent results after almost 17 years! We never let Jebin feel like she was different. Her classmates and teachers have helped her since kindergarten and continue to do so even now. We will always be with her in this journey,” Principal Afsana Begum Choudhury told News 18.
Jebin Kousar (Left). Family and friends celebrating her success (Right). (Source: Twitter/Peter Alex Todd)
A picture of Jebin writing an exam with her feet firmly holding a pen is firmly adorned on the back cover of all student ID cards, reminding them that no obstacle is too high.
Living in the town of Mujrahar, which is approximately 180 km from Guwahati, Jebin is the eldest of six daughters. Both her parents Abdul Jabbar and Fateha Begum are over the moon about their child’s achievement.
“We have raised our daughter with a lot of difficulties, but are thrilled and overjoyed with her results, especially because she did this entirely on her own and never took tuitions for any subject,” Fateha Begum, Jebin’s mother, told News 18.
Jebin now wants to become a school teacher and has enrolled at the Mariam Ajmal College in Hojai, Assam. She plans to take up the Humanities stream. However, her mother fears for the challenges that lie before the family. For starters, the family survives on a meagre income of Rs 5,000 per month, and with her father suffering from certain ailments, it is the Murajhar Guidance Junior Trust which will fund her education till Class 12.
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)
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The T20 Team India squad has recently just won the Allan Border Cup for the Physically Disabled. What makes this special is that they played against the Singapore Cricket Club, whose players were all able-bodied men.
The three-day event saw both teams battle it out, and Team India emerged victorious on Days 1 and 2, and their rivals on the third day.
The Indian Team after winning the prestigious Allan Border Cup for the Physically Disabled, 2018. Image Credit: Physically Disabled Indian Cricket Team
It was an action-packed 72 hours, with all three days seeing good cricket. The first day, the Indian team won the toss, decided to field, and beat the Singapore Cricket Club by three runs, with five balls to spare in the last over.
The second day, the Singapore Cricket Club won the toss, and decided to bat first, and lost the match. The Indian team won by seven wickets.
The 3rd day saw Team India win the toss, elect to bat, and lose the match. Singapore Cricket Club took Day 3 and won by eight wickets.
The players were happy to play the tournament, with captains of both sides expressing joy at having had the opportunity to play as opponents.
Both teams expressed joy at playing in the tournament. Image Credit: Physically Disabled Indian Cricket Team
Team India’s Captain was Blade Cricketer Suvro Joarder, who also captained the team at the T20 cricket tri-nation series. More on that here.
As per a release by the Disabled Sporting Society, Mr Joarder was overjoyed, and the win was a big morale booster for the players.
He was proud of the team and considers the victory a sign that the team is ready to take on bigger challenges–more matches and international tournaments.
Captain of Team India, blade cricketer Suvro Joarder. Image Credit: Physically Disabled Indian Cricket Team
Cricket is a religion in our country, and winning at the Allan Border Cup for the Physically Challenged is a memorable victory for Team India. The cricketers were happy with their performance, and the success should add to their confidence for future tournaments.
Edited by:- Shruti Singhal
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Deaf-blindness is a double impairment that affects numerous people. Ahmedabad-based Sense India works for the betterment, care and education of deaf-blind children and adults in India.
Through its 59 partner NGOs across 22 states in India, the organisation works with about 77,500 deaf-blind people.
Being both deaf and blind is a multi-sensory impairment (MSI), which is a sadly unique disability that deeply affects their mobility, communication, learning and understanding of the world. Children facing cognitive, sensory, physical and psychological challenges have specific learning needs. The deaf and blind fall into this category.
Mr Akhil Paul, Director, Sense India, explains, “In any education system, a curriculum is a major tool which is centrally designed. It cannot meet the needs of a wide range of students, which would include those with dual impairment. Such curriculum, therefore, leaves little flexibility for local adaptations or for teachers to experiment and try out new approaches. The content might be distant to the reality in which the students live, and therefore it becomes inaccessible and demotivating.”
As it is, deaf-blindness is a low incident disability and instances largely go unreported.
Persons with deaf-blindedness, especially children, can participate in the regular classroom if their learning needs are met.
Owing to the laudable legislative measures like the Right to Education Act and initiatives like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, the inclusion of deaf-blind students in mainstream schools demands that appropriate curricula and instructional strategies are developed for them. Concerns were raised by the teachers as well as parents for adaptation of content and pedagogy in general education for students who are deaf-blind since they do not gather information in what is called the traditional manner that includes seeing and listening.
The purpose of inclusive education could be served only if students with multi-sensory impairment become active participants in a classroom. And this can be achieved by developing teaching methodologies that are individualised, keeping in mind the particular learning needs of the deaf-blind as also the goals under the Individualised Education Program also called IEP that is developed for each public school child who needs special education. It is created through a team effort and reviewed periodically.
In keeping with that, Sense India organised a three-day workshop on Curriculum Adaptation for Children with Deaf-blindness/MSI under Inclusive Education. The workshop aimed to develop ways to adapt the regular curriculum for children with deaf-blindness in a regular classroom.
Sense India has also published the Handbook on Curriculum Adaptation for Inclusive Education of Students with Deaf-blindness.
The cover page of the handbook.
The handbook aids the teachers, enabling them to adapt and modify classroom curricula according to the needs of children with dual impairment.
Says Akhil Paul, “Through this, we aim to provide quality education to such children as also enable them to participate effectively in the class.”
The adaptations are based on the NCERT text books for classes I to V on the subjects of English, Hindi, Mathematics and Environment Studies.
The adaptations have been made with the understanding that very few individuals are fully deaf-blind, as most have some vision and/or hearing that can be used for providing education. As they say, no two are alike. And that demands special care in developing educational aid.
The handbook advises tactile (touch) sign language for all deaf-blind students for effective communication.
Touch and sign language are useful tools for teaching children with dual impairment.
It suggests that while the teacher is signing, the student would keep their hand over the teacher’s hand. It also advises that the teachers should sign with a pace which is comfortable for the student. If the student cannot relate to the concept through signs, it would be better to communicate by first using objects and then associate the objects with signs and Braille.
For students with low vision, the handbook recommends visual signing, with use of objects and pictures with large prints.
The handbook also recommends the use of Braille.
For effective communication, the handbook also advises a pairing of objects by using real objects, e.g. socks and shoes. Along with the signs, exposure to the names in Braille should also be given.
If the concept is that of rain or cloud, or hot or rainy day, it can be explained by enacting the poem using an umbrella with a water bottle with holes to simulate a shower. Also, a tub with paper boats can be used to explain boats or ships at sea.
Emotions like anger can be explained through the touch of a rough surface while concepts of ‘far’ and ‘near’ can be explained by asking the student to stretch his arm and place the toy on the table. Likewise ‘near’ can be explained by placing the objects where the student stands.
In Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days, the story of Phileas Fogg and his travels can be told with the help of a tactile globe and a world map with markings, and string, pins and models for mountain slopes, tunnels and bridges.
The concept of ‘more or less’ could be explained by using pebbles or beads and placing them in the trays. The student would be guided to find the tray with more beads which should go with the sign of more. Likewise for ‘less’.
In environmental science, the concept of plants with a focus on roots and the food for the plants can be communicated through a multi-sensory approach. Thus, along with the nursery activities of watering, digging and sowing, the students would learn that carrots and beetroot are roots eaten as vegetables, cauliflower and broccoli are eaten as flowers while cabbage and spinach are eaten as leaves.
Sense India has even gone beyond the classroom in spreading awareness about how deaf-blind students can be helped.
Sherine Stanly with Udayamika, a deaf-blind child from Andhra Pradesh.
Sherine Stanly, Communication Manager, Sense India, says, “Besides special educators and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan teachers, we trained government officials, community workers, medical and paramedical professionals from the various states of India. We emphasised modes of communication, individual education plans (IEP), sex education as also teaching methodology and strategies.”
Thanks to the perseverance of Sense India, deaf-blindness has been recognised as a disability.
Rashmikant Mishra, Program Executive, Sense India, concludes, “Our concerted efforts of 20 years have borne fruits as deaf-blindness has been recognised and included in the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.”
When I was a 17-year-old, the only thoughts on my mind were college admission and the upcoming football World Cup. For Madhav Lavakare, who turned 17 last month, it was the thought of developing a product that would help people with severe hearing impairments communicate with society.
When thoughts become things, and innovative technology leads the charge, what you have is a potentially game-changing product. Inspired by the famous, but very expensive, Google Glass, Madhav is in the process of developing low-cost “hearing glasses” or what he calls ‘Transcribe,’ which will allow people who are hearing impaired, to see the words they cannot hear.
A student of Sanskriti School in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, Madhav grew up with an insatiable desire to solve problems. Growing up in Palo Alto, California, which is the economic focal point of Silicon Valley, may have played a role in developing his love for innovation.
“I was a 6-year-old when I invented a solar-powered oven—my very first invention—in Palo Alto. I’ve always had a passion for building things with my hands, tinkering and inventing eccentric new gadgets and whimsical innovations,” says Madhav, speaking to The Better India. “My motive has always been to solve problems, no matter what the obstacles!”
Madhav Lavakare. (Source: Madhav Lavakare)
The story of how he came to build a solar-powered oven at age six also lends insight into Madhav’s mind when he says that his sole motive is to solve problems.
“When I was six, my parents wouldn’t allow me to use the oven. They felt it was too dangerous for a child. So, I treated that as a problem and set about solving it. I came up with a solar-powered oven, made of aluminium and cardboard, and was able to bake the cookies that I had always wanted to. Problem solved, right? Although, the cookies were a little ‘kaccha,’” says Madhav with a wry smile.
Madhav’s family moved back to Delhi when he was an 8-year-old. By the time he was 13, he had developed a sensor-driven and voice-controlled home automation system, which would allow him to shut the lights and fans in his room without moving around too much.
He developed this system because he was tired of his parents constantly telling him to switch off the lights and fans in his room. His parents say that their friends wanted to buy his device for their children. At the time, Madhav was experimenting with the Raspberry Pi, a tiny, affordable computer that you can use to learn to programme. In fact, he began coding and taught himself Python and Objective C (programming languages) from free online courses off the internet.
“Every time I set about building and creating something new, I’m always trying to solve a problem. Solving problems in an unorthodox and creative manner while doing what I love—building and tinkering—gives me unparalleled joy,” Madhav tells The Better India.
Little surprise that this passion gave birth to his latest obsession, which he has taken to another level. When Google Glass hit the market in 2013, Madhav fell in love with it.
Google Glass with frames. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
“It was such a beautiful piece of technology. Not aesthetically, but in terms of the concept. But there was a big problem, especially for people in India. Priced at $1500 a pop, who was going to buy this product,” Madhav asks.
Even though the Google Glass was out of reach for a young Madhav, he began religiously following the product’s progress in the market, reading articles and watching hundreds of videos. Unfortunately, the product never took off in India.
Madhav believes that product never took off because of its unaffordability. Motivated by the notion of how this product could assist those with serious hearing problems, he came up with the idea of developing affordable smart glasses.
The ‘Transcribe’ is the product of basic physics concepts, cheap electronic parts, perseverance and innovation. This is how Madhav describes the technology behind his hearing glasses:
“The hardware is based on a cheap Arduino (an open source computer hardware and software company) microchip that does most of the computing. This is connected to a Bluetooth module and a small OLED screen. I have developed a rudimentary Android application that utilises Google’s Speech API (application programming interfaces) to convert speech to text. The API supports over 132 languages as of now. Once the speech is converted to text, the data is then sent to the Arduino via the phone that connects to the glasses Bluetooth. It is then displayed on the OLED screen which sits on the side of the body. An image of the screen is then replicated onto a transparent screen in front of the user’s eye, using careful optics to ensure the image is enlarged and far in front of your eyes.”
The application of the lens formula he had learnt from his Class X physics classes and the utilisation of the latest in microchip technology have enabled Madhav to develop two prototypes.
He is currently working on his third prototype. “The case has been designed using CAD and 3D print, and is detachable, which means you can attach the device to any glass frames, empty or with lenses, of a specific power,” Madhav tells TBI.
Developing these hearing glasses in India, however, was a real struggle. He tells us that developing the necessary hardware was an extremely arduous task. Despite all the national conversation surrounding technology and innovation, Madhav paints a rather different picture.
The initial challenge was to source cheap electronic parts. Unable to source cheap, yet critical, electronic parts compelled him to place orders from different countries. Sometimes these orders take months to arrive, and on the odd occasion, they are held up at customs.
“In India you see a lot of people building software, writing code—and there’s a lot of support available for that—but for developing hardware, there is little experience, let alone infrastructure and expertise,” said Suman Saraf, computer engineer and co-founder of Android emulator BlueStacks to Otus Live, a video-led digital media platform
Making matters harder, Madhav was initially unable to find dedicated maker spaces or labs for people to work on hardware projects off their own volition.
“For now, me and many others wanting to create and make hardware projects have to figure out how to get by with ‘jugaad’, improvisation, and cutting corners,” he says.
For example, he was unable to develop the transparent screen for his glasses because he couldn’t find acrylic sheets with certain size specifications for the lens. Instead, he took out the acrylic sheet of a CD box that he needed to cut as per the size specifications of his hearing glasses.
“If I was living in the Bay Area, I would go down to the local hardware shop, get it cut by the machine, and everything would be done in 30 minutes,” he says.
However, it took nearly a week of trawling through the internet and visits to various markets before he landed up in the Kotla Mubarakpur area in search of electric plate cutters. After walking around various street corners, he landed up at a basement workshop, where they had one.
“Unfortunately, he (the cutter) ended up breaking my acrylic sheet. In the end, I went home and had to do it myself, using a paper cutter and spending hours cutting away at the plastic.”
What about the end user? Madhav has reached out to the National Association of the Deaf, several schools for children with hearing disabilities, non-profits like the Suniye Support School for Hearing Impaired and various individuals with similar problems.
Testing the Transcribe. (Source: Madhav Lavakare)
Through the interviews, feedback and surveys he conducted in the process of developing the first two prototypes, Madhav has garnered some critical insight into the needs of the end user.
“Users like the idea of having the captions come in their field of view. I designed the device this way so that users can focus on everything else in their surroundings, look at the person they are communicating with, understand non-verbal cues and incorporate visual feedback,” he says.
So, how much do his “hearing glasses” cost? He has priced it at a cool Rs 3500, which isn’t bad considering he built it at the cost of Rs 2500. Compared to Google Glass, which costs $1500 (a shade over Rs 1 lakh), this low-cost assistance device could really help people who come from a low-income background.
Eventually, Madhav wants to scale up his operations and looking for potential investors in this regard. He is currently in talks with a few potential investors for seed funding that will enable him to develop better prototypes and find programmers who would help him assist on the software side. A crowdfunding campaign to support this endeavour will start soon, he adds.
Source: Otus Live
In a country which has 60 million people with hearing impairment, many of whom cannot afford a Google Glass, the Transcribe comes as a low-cost device which will enable many to better interact with society. There is both a need and market for such a device.
“The next step is to scale up my operations. I aim to achieve this by working with more organisations that assist the deaf to test the device further and receive valuable feedback. I will then incorporate this feedback into many new iterations of the prototype,” he says.
What about the immediate future? What about school?
Madhav initially wanted to dedicate the next three or four years after school to work on his product. His parents weren’t excited about the idea, and in a settlement of sorts, Madhav decided that he would attend college while continuing to work on his product.
Here is an exceedingly bright young innovator whose innovations could assist millions of Indians. Support him, and you could make a difference in the lives of those with hearing impairments.
You can get in touch with him via email: madhav.lavakare@gmail.com.
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)
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On the occasion of International Yoga Day, here is a story of one man who continues to teach this ancient practice despite losing both his legs to a road accident late last year. Mrutyunjaya Hiremath, a yoga teacher from Hubballi city in Karnataka, is an inspiration to all of us.
It was on November 11, 2017, when a speeding lorry collided with Hiremath’s two-wheeler on Magadi Road in Bengaluru and took away both his legs, reported the Times of India.
“My commitment to yoga has not died down. I started teaching yoga to people despite having lost my legs. I teach Ashtanga Yoga, Pranayama, Suryanamaskar, Janusirasana, Halasana and other aspects of yoga by sitting on a chair now. Sometimes, I train a person and allow him to teach others,” Hiremath told the publication.
(Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Hiremath currently lives with his sister at Vidyanagar in Hubballi.
A native of Pala village in Mundagod, Hiremath came to Hubballi nearly two decades ago in search of work. After learning yoga, he made his way to the Brahma Kumaris Ashram at Mount Abu, Rajasthan, for what he calls spiritual enlightenment. He taught yoga there.
However, due to problems in the family, he returned to Hubballi.
“I arrived in Bengaluru in 2014 where I taught the ancient practice to four-five batches at Nagarbhavi, Tunganagar, Machohalli and other areas daily. But, I met with an accident on November 11, 2017. After staying at a hospital for a month, I came back to Hubballi. Now, I have Jaipur artificial limbs and can walk with the support of a cane,” he tells the publication.
However, he needs Rs 3-4 lakh to acquire advanced artificial limbs that will enable him to walk without any support, thus allowing him to further his passion. He is currently teaching yoga for free at the Rambapuri Kalyan Mantap in Vidyanagar, Hubballi.
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)
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Jeeja Ghosh from Kolkata is affected with cerebral palsy and has battled through many obstacles in her life, but no victory compared to the day when baby Bhujungu walked into her life.
The 48-year-old woman had dreamed of being a mother since she got married to her husband, Bappaditya Nag, in 2013, but given her medical condition, the possibility that a person with a neurological disability would be able to adopt a child seemed very bleak.
However, the Ballygunge resident, who had already broken the glass ceiling and set a precedent for the differently-abled community by earning her MA degree and entering wedlock, was not one to be deterred. Unperturbed about what the consequences could be, Jeeja and Bappaditya went ahead and in 2016, signed up to adopt a child.
Two years later, a five-month-old baby would prove to change the lives of the couple and make Jeeja probably the first person with congenital cerebral palsy in the country, to become an adoptive mother.
Bhujungu or Sonai, as the child is lovingly called at her new home, was born in January this year and abandoned at a hospital in Keonjhar, Odisha. Through a specialised agency project at the Self-Realisation Mission (SRM), she was put up for adoption, and when Jeeja and Nag saw her for the first time, it became a moment they would never forget.
However, despite the many efforts they made to bring the baby home, their journey was full of obstacles. Even though the couple had received full clearance from a gynaecologist, Jeeja faced intrusive queries over her ability to be a responsible caregiver in front of the adoption committee on multiple occasions, who were apprehensive about her ‘mental disease’ and communication skills.
However, Jeeja and Nag refused to give up, and after multiple emails and reminders, they brought the issue to the notice of Dr Sadaf Nazneen, a Consultant (eastern region) with the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA).
“It needs to be checked whether the couple is emotionally, physically and financially suitable to adopt a child. This was the first case where a parent with cerebral palsy was keen on adoption. It will remain as a reference point for other such applications in future. Some questions might have seemed uncomfortable, but they were perhaps asked to judge the suitability of the family adopting the baby,” Dr Nazneen said to The Times of India.
Finally, after a long struggle, the resilient and determined couple, welcomed baby Bhujungu to their ninth-floor flat at the Saptaparni complex on Thursday last week. The overjoyed new parents agree that life could not be any better for them.
This landmark moment gives hope to countless people across the country, who are afflicted with different medical conditions and have nursed the desire of starting a family of their own, but couldn’t do so until now.
Have you ever browsed the internet, our most basic need today, while being blindfolded? You would ask, what’s even the use of that? You might think that for a visually impaired person, the crucible of information that is the internet, is too far away from grasp.
Most of the information we consume is based on visual cues. From signboards on the roads to captcha filling on the internet, the world is set around a majority of people who are fully abled.
But when the minority of people, who are visually impaired, range along the lines of the millions, 250 million to be exact, the world seems too hostile for their intelligence.
Wanting to make the path easier for the visually impaired (VI) people is the non-profit initiative, Hear2Read, which uses Text to Speech (TTS) software that processes visual content into audio.
The man behind this empowering initiate is Suresh Bazaj, an entrepreneur who has been working in the telecom industry since 1973 in the USA. The Better India spoke with Suresh to understand the current scenario of visually impaired students in India and how the app is helping such students.
“It’s not that every visually impaired student is exceptional, but they have the same distribution of smart, intelligent people. The problem is that these students couldn’t afford the education that normal people got, because they have to buy braille books which are expensive for many poverty-stricken people,” says Suresh.
Suresh Bazaj
And Suresh is right. Only about 10% of blind children in India get any type of formal education. The rest are either too poor or do not have the means to get access to their type of education.
Suresh describes the purpose of the Hear2Read software, saying “The Text-To-Speech software we have developed is a long journey to achieve the goal of bringing quality education to visually impaired people.”
The goal, along with the initiative, was born in 2013 when he had quit his job. Suresh had suffered retinal detachment– which is a disorder in the eye, leading to poor vision and was just regaining his sight.
“Back in Banaras, where we grew up, our family had supported a blind school where I came to know about the inferior quality of education the blind students were receiving,” shares Suresh. He continues, “Most of them came from poor backgrounds where the parent didn’t know how to raise a blind child.”
This learning by Suresh hung on to him, and when he had the chance to do something about it, he put together his skills and knowledge to develop a technology-based solution that will help millions of visually impaired children get an education but also secure jobs.
Suresh partnered with his associate, Alan Black, who was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s Language Technologies Institute to give life to the idea. With a team of developers and volunteers, the Hear2Read app was designed.
The app could be used by any Android device and is free to download from the Google Play store.
A screen shot of app – Hear2Read
The app is easy to use and talks back to the user, describing the options available. The user can then interact via a keyboard attached to the tablet and manage to navigate their way into any application or websites.
Here’s a video, where 5th grade Nisha D’souza shows how she uses the app to read books.
“The development of the app itself was a tedious process. We had to make the app consistent so that the user doesn’t misinterpret or misunderstand anything,” recalls Suresh.
The team had to create a word pool for the app with about a million words procured from open source. Native speakers volunteered to record most common sentences that were often used in that particular language which later had to be machine-learned.
With all this hard work, it was in 2016 when it paid off, and the team launched a TTS Tamil version, where the app made an impact on Indian students.
Suresh says that the use of the app in a native language such as Tamil can motivate students. He notes, “Our tool gives them the ability and the freedom to consume information in any language they want and in any pace they want.”
The app is now available in Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, Gujarati and Punjabi, and Suresh is even planning to release it in Assamese and Odiya.
The TTS app, as helpful as it is, is not quite reaching out to the extent that Suresh hoped it would. He says, “The number of people using TTS in India is only about 50,000. And compare that with the actual number of visually impaired people, it is a very small amount.”
Suresh has plans to increase that number and reach more people. He shares, “I’m working with many organisations in India and hope to have a million readers by 2020.”
Students using the app for their education.
With braille technology being outdated, too costly and even too cumbersome to produce, TTS is the proper replacement that incorporates easy-to-use software along with longevity.
As of now, the 68-year-old entrepreneur has set his sight on promoting the app so that it is utilised to its full potential. The non-profit, which started off with a $70,000 investment is not only looking for funds but for organisations and NGOs that can accelerate the availability of the app for visually impaired people.
“The impact that I see being made, with students calling me back and saying how much they were benefitted is something that I hold very close to my heart,” Suresh signs off.
You can support his cause by making a donation or volunteering your time/services. Log on to www.hear2read.org.
Initiatives for the differently-abled are few and far between, especially in India. Initiatives have been held in the recent past, and this fashion show for the differently-abled held in Punjab looks quite promising, reported the AFP News Agency.
In May 2018, a fashion show for the differently-abled was organised by the Narayana Seva Sansthan in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Models took to the ramp based on different categories like callipers, wheelchairs, crutches and artificial limbs, reported NDTV.
It was heartening to know that this was not the first instance of a fashion show for the differently-abled.
Last year, in December, the Business Standard reported an event called ‘Runway Inspiration’, supported by Goa Tourism Development Corporation, in which differently-abled children walked the ramp. Professional models and Bollywood celebrities shared the ramp with the kids during the show.
The Narayan Seva Sansthan was established in Udaipur in 1985, to serve patients belonging to the poorest sections of society. It provides facilities like free treatment for corrective surgery for patients suffering from polio and other birth difficulties.
The organisation provides around 1,100 bedded hospitals, where patients from all over the nation converge. The initiative rehabilitates the poor and the needy and the differently-abled by providing them skills through computer coaching, mobile repair coaching, sewing and tailoring classes.
The essence of the ‘Narayan Seva Sansthan’, is to provide free humanitarian services to the destitute, the differently-abled poor, and the needy people of the society.
The participants at the fashion show for the differently-abled in Punjab. Image Credit:- Narayan Seva Sansthan Udaipur
And with a fashion show, the Sansthan has shown a unique way to support and empower the differently-abled in society. Kudos to the initiative and the participants!
(Edited by Shruti Singhal)
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First unveiled in 2012, the Pinkathon entered the Indian milieu with the goals of raising awareness about breast cancer and empowering every single woman across the country.
But the greater message the first-of-its-kind marathon intended to drive home was that women were the key to a healthier and fitter society, and the first step towards their empowerment was to encourage them to take control of their own health while respecting, understanding and celebrating the value they brought to their family and society.
Empowerment is not a gift of society; it is a gift you give yourself.
Founded by notable figures Milind Soman and Reema Sanghavi, the marathon doesn’t just vouch for empowerment or healthier lifestyles for women, but also vehemently advocates that no disability should be a barrier to one’s dreams.
Which is exactly the reason why the Pinkathon has been at the forefront of encouraging differently-abled individuals who nurse the desire of running and goes out of the way to help them achieve this goal.
One such individual is 20-year-old V Divya from Chengalpet in Chennai, who was born with vision only in one of her eyes.
A young Divya. Courtesy: Pinkathon.
But this limitation never stopped her from falling in love with sports while growing up, and she soon found her forte in the 100m sprint. She began running at sporting events from class 5 and participated at various state and national level events. “One of my proudest moments was when I represented my school, Little Flower Convent at an inter-sports meet in Punjab in 2016,” Divya says to The Better India.
Currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in Literature at the Queen Mary’s College, she had to put a hold on her running dreams to meet the expenses for her higher education.
Unlike her time in school where she had a lot of support and assistance, there weren’t many opportunities for Divya to pursue running once she entered college. However, when the Pinkathon came calling, she knew she had to do it!
Interestingly, marathons were something Divya used to be afraid of. “I am a 100m sprinter and marathons were something that was difficult to prepare. From proper fitness and nutrition to practice and training, there was so much to learn. But life itself has always been a challenge, and as I have always done, I intend to face every obstacle that comes along the way with confidence,” she says.
Fate always has a strange way of putting things in place.
If I can, so can anyone! Courtesy: Pinkathon.
Divya’s story somehow came to the notice of the Pinkathon team, who reached out to the young sprinter with the aim of helping her prepare well for the marathon in May.
Understanding that Divya had never participated in a marathon before, a team under the mentorship of Soman was deployed to train her, and so, her training began in June. “For the next one and half months, I had to run for extended periods of time to become fit enough for a marathon and an essential aspect throughout this period was to remain hydrated. Not only did the team provide me with proper nutrition and guidance, but also gave me running gear including shoes,” she shares.
This year’s Pinkathon, which was flagged off today, will witness Divya running alongside Soman, as India’s first visually impaired girl to run ‘The Spirit of Pinkathon Run’ from Puducherry to Chennai, covering 140 km across three days to spread the message of health and fitness for all women.
“By participating in the Pinkathon, I want to prove that anyone can do it and I am happy that I could be a role model for the visually impaired and more importantly, inspire them to believe in themselves,” she says.
Speaking to The Better India, Divya’s mentor, Soman, stated that the determination and confidence displayed by the young girl truly emulates the spirit of running and there couldn’t have been a better ambassador for the Pinkathon.
Divya with her mentor, Milind Soman. Courtesy: Pinkathon.
“We’d always wanted someone, who like most of us isn’t bestowed with privileges, but still believes in herself and the strength of her abilities, to be part of the Pinkathon. Through this marathon, we are only acting as a ladder for Divya to climb up to chase her dreams and in the process, inspire countless others,” he adds.
To further motivate Divya to achieve this feat, ‘See From The Heart,’ a run, was organised by the Pinkathon last week across eight cities in India where people ran with blindfolds on to support Divya’s indomitable spirit.
As much as running is Divya’s passion, there is another dream that she wishes to accomplish and she wouldn’t rest until she does! Divya wants to become a teacher and that too for people who have visual impairment like her.
“A Guru is next to God, and it is from teachers that we learn everything about life. This is the primary reason why I’ve always wanted to be a teacher so that I can teach others,” she says.
Through her participation in the Pinkathon, Divya hopes that she would be able to find some monetary support that will help her complete her B.Ed. and help her inch closer towards her dream of becoming a teacher.
See From The Heart. Courtesy: Pinkathon.
Taking forward their commitment even further, the Pinkathon is raising funds through crowdsourcing that will help Divya get corrective eye surgery and subsequently, her education.
You can keep track of Divya’s run for her dream at the Pinkathon’s Facebook page here. If you wish to contribute to Divya’s cause, click here.
Sahana (name changed) is a resident of Gurugram, who like many of us, enjoys eating out and going window-shopping across markets and malls. However, unlike many of us, she needs to think twice before getting out of her house.
More than the issue of safety, it is the inaccessibility of public spaces that restricts Sahana. She lost mobility from the waist below after an accident.
Team Ezy Mov
While Sahana gets around with the help of family and friends, not many in her situation can say that. They are often forced to stay indoors, not by choice, but because of lack of options. What irritates her is the lack of sensitivity and empathy from the authorities.
One vivid example highlights the extent of insensitivity that the authorities show towards people who are mobility-challenged. In 2015, the 15th National Para Athletic Championships was conducted in New Delhi. Even here, unfortunately, there were no proper arrangements made; no wheelchair lifts, no ramps/slope gradients or any other infrastructure to help the Paralympians. The organisers just put plywood on the staircase and expected the parathletes to push themselves up to reach their participating venues on time.
It was such a shameful act, and no reason could be justified for this mismanagement. Where the authorities are lax, individuals are stepping in to fill the void and make life easier.
Ezy Mov is India’s first wheelchair taxi, which is committed to helping people overcome their barriers.
Ezy Mov
In this conversation with Romeo Ravva, the company’s co-Founder and Director, we discuss their offering and explore their challenges.
Why start India’s first wheelchair taxi?
A friend’s sister who was wheelchair bound was perhaps the trigger that got the three co-founders thinking. She used the wheelchair to get herself to college and back, and while she was able to do so without causing any inconvenience to others, they felt that others in her situation may not have that luxury.
Another interesting point that Romeo makes is that a person on the wheelchair leaves their home only if it is necessary; usually, these outings are for weddings, family functions, or for visits to the doctor/hospital.
More than the inconvenience they face, it is their concern about the inconvenience caused to caregivers that keeps them bound to their homes.
Independent senior citizens
“This is what we wanted to change,” says Romeo. “The idea was to provide the specially-challenged a dignified mode of transport.”
Thus began the research that led to the founding of Ezy Mov.
Ezy Mov came from the combined passion of Rrajesh, Romeo and Bennet to make a difference. The trio came together with their ideas and brought their varied experiences. Their novel idea had never been tried in India.
Early years
In 2015, when Ezy Mov was looking to launch, they found that there were no cars in India in which a wheelchair user could travel comfortably. This was because of the height restriction, so by default, the only option that wheelchairs users had, was to use the Tata Winger, which essentially looks and functions like an ambulance.
“In the first month of our opeartions, we only got four customers. It took us a while to understand that 90% of our users were senior citizens. It was a revelation to us that not all wheelchair users are necessarily specially-abled, some are users because of other mobility issues,” he says.
Moved by the plight of a potential customer
A routine call to inquire about the services that Ezy Mov provided changed a lot for the co-founders.
Recounting one experience that left all three of them feeling shaken, Romeo says, “One day we received a call from a middle-aged woman inquiring about our services, while we tried explaining how it works, she insisted that we visit her home and meet her son.
“Bennet agreed and saw that the young man on the wheelchair was suffering from muscular dystrophy, and Bennet saw how traumatising and difficult the process of getting him into the vehicle was for him.”
Dignity
“They needed to get a few labourers to help pick up the young man and get him into the vehicle.”
Where was the dignity in that, they wondered.
It was instances like these that further strengthened their belief in what they were providing.
The flipside
Another interesting observation that Romeo makes is how many of the caregivers or guardians of those who are wheelchair-bound question the need to pay for the service that Ezy Mov provides. They faced the need to establish themselves as a commercial service provider.
“We very often get asked why we are charging for the service we are providing. I would attribute this mentality to the conditioning of the government in making them believe that they are superior in some way,” says Romeo.
Ease of travel
While this is not a complaint against all customers, but to some sections of their customers; Romeo’s request to the community is to ensure that one refrains from using their disability as a crutch. It is a service that Ezy Mov provides, and therefore it is important that they attach a monetary value to it – otherwise, where is the dignity in what they are doing?
Sensitising the drivers
This is something that Romeo takes personal interest in. He says, “I invest a lot of time in sensitising the drivers to the plight of our customers. A single comment can destroy their self-worth and hence we need to be extra careful while ferrying them.”
Current status
Present in only Mumbai as of now, Ezy Mov has clocked in 50,000 rides and is now working towards establishing their presence in Goa, come December 2018. They plan to expand to all the metros by 2019 and in the process, create entrepreneurs through driver-partners.
For more details on Ezy Mov, visit their website and Facebook page.
Earlier this month, the Delhi High Court agreed to list a PIL filed by 31-year-old disability rights activist Nipun Malhotra, seeking the official recognition of Indian Sign Language (ISL), for hearing.
For India’s Deaf community, this is one step closer towards having their only method of real-time communication officially recognised by the Indian state. The ball is now in the court of the Central government, and other agencies mandated to address their concerns, with the Delhi High Court issuing notices to them seeking answers.
For someone who has battled a debilitating disability throughout his life, Nipun deeply empathises with the plight of the Deaf community even though he isn’t afflicted by that particular impairment. Nipun was born on September 1, 1987, with a condition called arthrogryposis which meant that the muscles in his arms and legs were underdeveloped and would stay that way through life. Thankfully, he had parents who supported him all the way, helping him lead a ‘normal’ life and never making him feel that he was different from other children despite his physical condition.
“One of the early decisions my parents made was to send me to a regular school and not a specific school for children with disabilities. I was rejected by more than a dozen schools before one accepted me because it was willing to work around my disability. Besides that, I remember when I was a child, my mother came to school with me almost every day to help me catch up with other kids since I had missed nursery and kindergarten. I couldn’t really attend school before Class 1, and she helped me catch up with all the necessary study material,” says Nipun, speaking to The Better India.
Even then, the attitude to his disability in school from both students and teachers was ‘weird’ for the most part, although there were some who were kind and empathetic. After graduating from the prestigious St Stephens College and completing his Masters from the Delhi School of Economics, Nipun sat for job placements, where he endured real discrimination, and this was a turning point.
“When I sat for placements, I faced discrimination. I couldn’t get a job in one company because they didn’t have a toilet suited for people with disabilities. Another company, funnily enough, asked me if I could sit on a wheelchair for eight hours a day. I said yes, although they didn’t believe me. So, these things kept happening. They were judging me for my disability, and not my ability,” says Nipun.
The inability to land a job of his choice because of such discrimination left him in a state of utter dejection, and he stayed at home for a couple of months.
Nipun Malhotra. (Source: Nipman Foundation)
“Eventually, I thought I was lucky to have parents who had supported me all the way, while many don’t have that privilege. So, that’s when I decided to start the Nipman Foundation in 2012. Initially, our focus was helping companies conduct accessibility audits so that their office premises are accessible to people with disabilities,” says Nipun.
Since its inception, the foundation has worked extensively in the area of health and advocacy for persons with disabilities. Among other things, the foundation has worked with companies like Zomato, where they helped them add ‘wheelchair access’ filters to their restaurant listings.
The foundation has even worked with organisers of major festivals like NH7 Weekender, the Jaipur Literature Festival and the Serendipity Arts Festival, assisting them in making their venues more accessible to people with disabilities.
Nipun is also an advisor with the Centre’s think-tank, the NITI Aayog, and a few years ago, took the Delhi government to court for getting people with disabilities exempted from its odd-even car rule. Besides, Nipun also curates the Nipman Foundation Microsoft Equal Opportunity Awards that recognises institutions employing people with disabilities.
Along with his mother Priyanka Malhotra, Nipun has also established a non-profit online platform called Wheels for Life, which helps people who need wheelchairs but cannot afford them by encouraging and facilitating the gifting of wheelchairs. You can check out their work here.
So, what inspired Nipun to file that PIL in the Delhi High Court, seeking official recognition for Indian Sign Language, which are routinely used as a matter of ordinary day-to-day communication by nearly 1% of the total 2.21% disabled community within India? According to the National Association for the Deaf, there are nearly eighteen million persons in India who have speech impairments or hearing impairments of one form or the other.
Nipun does not pin down one particular incident behind his decision to file a PIL. He says it’s a consequence of the work his foundation has done with the Deaf community over the years and understanding the importance of sign language.
“Through these interactions, I understood the importance of Indian Sign Language, which are routinely used as a matter of ordinary day-to-day communication,” says Nipun.
Notice has been issued by the Delhi High Court in our PIL seeking legal recognition of Indian Sign Language. Next hearing on 10th December 2018. (Source: Twitter/NAD India)
In a recent story the BBC did on the government’s first sign language dictionary, it spoke to Andesha Mangala, an assistant professor at the government-funded Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre.
“Indian Sign Language is very scientific and has its own grammar, but [the] lack of awareness has meant that many hearing impaired people are not even aware of institutions where they can learn it and equip themselves for public communication,” she told the BBC.
“I have interacted with the children of Deaf parents, who first learnt sign language before they picked up any other language and consider it their first language. I have also interacted with the Deaf and realised they are as much fun as anyone else but are totally cut off from the world if they don’t have that facility. Unfortunately, sign language hasn’t really progressed in India—it isn’t taught in school, and there is very little being done to bring it to the mainstream,” says Nipun.
Even the 700-odd schools for the Deaf in India face a shortage of teachers who can teach sign language. “So, I thought it is high time that sign language be recognised as an official language. If you look at mainstream news channels, there are hardly any that have a sign language interpreter, thus negating the ability of people with such disabilities to understand important announcements, addresses and speeches by prominent personalities,” he adds.
The Deaf community has been fighting for official recognition of ISL for 30 years. Every year on World Disability Day, they hope sign language is recognised as an official language. When Parliament passed the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, there was hope within the community that they would give sign language official recognition, but alas nothing of that sort has happened. They have even held protests for the same, but unfortunately, no one has listened.
Nipun Malhotra, CEO, Nipman Foundation, lawyer – Jai Dehadrai along with Dr. Alim Chandani, AVP, Centum Foundation and The National Association of the Deaf who have decided to come on board as co-petitioners in the PIL slated for hearing in December. (Source: Nipman Foundation)
This PIL seeks not just the recognition of ISL as India’s 23rd official language under the VIII Schedule of the Indian Constitution, but also stir public debate on the issue.
On what legal basis are Nipun and his lawyers seeking official recognition for Indian Sign Language? For starters, you have The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.
Inculcating such an inclusive atmosphere is an inherent right, which is also recognised in the Indian Constitution, through a careful reading of Articles 14 (right to equality), 15 (prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth), 16 (equality of opportunity in public employment), 19 (right to free speech and expression), 21 (right to life and personal liberty) and Article 29 (cultural and educational rights) of the Constitution.
What will official recognition for ISL under the VIII Schedule do for the hearing impaired community?
Among other things, the Centre is mandated to promote and develop the language, conduct public exams like the UPSC using sign language, and more importantly spend money on its research, promotion and development.
“Incorporating a language within the Eighth Schedule grants that language with official sanction, government approval and recognition, grants rights of representation to users of language, in that it permits users to form associations and unions for the propagation of such language, and also incidentally assists in preserving the language, by making such language another option through which public employment can be sought,” says the petition.
However, there is that nagging question of the lack of a standardised ISL, despite the government’s recent publication of a dictionary for sign language. If it isn’t regulated, on what basis is anyone making a case for official recognition?
Well, these questions are precisely why ISL needs official recognition. A critical segment in the petition filed with the Delhi High Court reads:
“Even otherwise, it is stated that recognition of sign language would indicate forming of a policy wherein uniform standards of sign language are created throughout the local territories where it is practised, and for having a common grammar pool so that all users are freely able to communicate with each other. Non-recognition of a standard language prohibits large-scale education initiatives from taking place wherein sign-languages are taught as a curriculum in schools. Due to lack of recognised language, there is no support provided to basic primary and higher education hearing/speech impaired Persons with Disabilities,” the petition states.
For representational purposes. Indian Sign Language. (Source: Twitter/Manish Kumar)
If India does give ISL recognition as an official language, it will join the likes of Belgium, Brazil, Canada, European Union, New Zealand, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Thailand, USA and even Nepal as countries which have done the same.
Efforts by the likes of Nipun Malhotra and his lawyer Jai Dehadrai, alongside Dr Alim Chandani, a noted entrepreneur who is hearing impaired, the Centum Foundation and The National Association of the Deaf, who have decided to come on board as co-petitioners in the case, will go a long way towards making India a genuinely inclusive democracy.
“Hopefully, as a result of this PIL, Indian Sign Language will receive official recognition. In the 21st century, India aspires to become a superpower driven by development. However, we can truly become a superpower only when everyone is treated equally, irrespective of disability, caste, gender, religion or sexuality. Judge people for their abilities and not disabilities. We’ll be a much happier and progressive country for it,” says Nipun.
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)
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This article is brought to you by Franklin Templeton Investments
Being born with any form of impairment is definitely unfortunate, but what is more damaging is letting that impairment define you and become your identity. And Shankar Chandrashekar, who hails from Bellary, Karnataka, couldn’t agree more with this.
Despite being born visually impaired and with limited mobility in his arms, the 29-year-old has clinched heights in life that ‘conventionally’ wouldn’t be expected of him.
This is because Shankar works as an accessibility tester in a software firm in Noida, lives independently, and has also been helping other visually impaired people find the kind of freedom he has found—all the while considering his disability as the breeze that gently pushed him towards achieving his dreams.
And he has two things to credit for everything he has managed to achieve so far—technology and the Internet.
“The internet is useful for everyone, but in my opinion, visually challenged people can’t lead their lives without it. From learning new things to money transactions—I rely on the Internet for 95 per cent of the things I have to do,” he says smiling.
Having realised how technology can transform the lives of differently-abled people, Shankar decided to step up and help others like him by making use of social media platforms like YouTube and WhatsApp.
“I started giving tax deposits in 2012, and since then, I had thought of creating a WhatsApp group just from the point of view of learning new things from different people at one place. What was basically started just for me to learn, later grew into a platform where I shared my knowledge with others, and others shared theirs with me,” Shankar says.
With videos on subjects like ‘How does a visually impaired person read text that is in an image,’ ‘WhatsApp tips and tricks for the blind,’ ‘how to automate your device,’ and more, Shankar’s YouTube channel named Tech Accessibility Tutorials started in 2016 and has over 3,600 subscribers today.
His parents had to enrol Shankar at Shree Ramana Maharishi Academy for the Blind in Bengaluru when he was three since his hometown, Bellary didn’t have accessible education facilities at that time.
After class 10, he pursued a Diploma in Special Education (Visually Impairment) from the Rehabilitation Council of India and then went to Enable India to receive ICT training. Sadly, he couldn’t find a job in the teaching sector, because of which he decided to return to Bellary.
It was during his return journey that he came across a person named Chiranjeevi, who upon learning his interest in computers, gave Shankar a laptop. He then used his government-sanctioned Disability Pension of ₹500 to get an Internet connection for his home, and it was from here that he began developing his computer skills on his own and learnt various coding languages using online tutorials.
Explaining how the channel operates, Shankar says that whenever a new application comes up on the Play Store, he checks with app developers whether they would be interested in paying him if he prepares a tutorial for visually challenged people.
“We are not doing charity work here. We are spreading knowledge, and we also need to be paid because we are spending time on this. If we get loyalty or remuneration, then it’s good. If not, then also it is not a problem,” he says.
In the future, Shankar aims to get a job in the National Informatics Centre where he can work on making all state and central government websites accessible for visually impaired people. A fighter with a never-give-up attitude; he wishes for the government to equip the country with facilities akin to those abroad.
“Visually challenged people should also be given jobs in a way that their efficiencies are utilised. For example, instead of giving them the work of clerks where all they are required to do is answer calls, they should be trained in technology, and their skills should be put to use,” he adds.
Shankar concludes with a message for people with disabilities across the world. “Be positive and experience each and every second of your life. Don’t expect that someone will come and teach you or do something for you. You have to explore each and everything on your own; only then can you learn things in a better manner.”
Here’s his story:
A look at the way Shankar stepped up to create an impact in his life and that of others, can be inspiring for many investors who can step up their investments as their income grows. A mutual fund investor, for example, can step-up his/her investment by 10% or by a fixed amount every year to improve the potential for wealth creation in the long run. Besides stepping up, one should also invest portions of every incremental income like a bonus, the sale of assets, gifts, ex-gratia, among others to build this kitty. While most investors would aim to meet standard goals, those who step-up may have the potential to meet bigger life aspirations as well. Like Shankar, if you want to go miles ahead of others, you need to start stepping up now.
Step up consistently to go higher, stronger and faster – In life and your investments. REACH FOR BETTER
Disclaimer: An Investor Education and Awareness Initiative by Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund. Mutual Fund investments are subject to market risks, read all scheme related documents carefully.
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)
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Struggling to motivate yourself at work today? Are you in need of inspiration this morning? Then look no further than 24-year-old differently-abled marathon runner Javed Choudhari, who, after running a shade over 21 km in the recent Pune Marathon, decided to celebrate that achievement by breaking into a dance filled with passion and joy.
This incident was probably the highlight of the Pune Marathon conducted by the Regional Outreach Bureau of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in partnership with the Pune Road Runners and other associated groups.
Javed Choudhari standing second to the extreme left after the marathon. (Source: Facebook/Smita Kulkarni)
Juxtaposing the circumstances under which he lost a leg, and that dance earlier this week, and it’s hard not to capture that stark contrast. Three years ago, Javed was involved in an accident when his bike crashed into a truck near his village of Lonar in the Buldhana district of Maharashtra. Doctors were compelled to amputate one leg, leaving the then 21-year-old first year BCA student devastated. Succour came in the form of music. Speaking to Pune Mirror, he says, “I turned to music, learnt the guitar and slowly things started to assemble together.”
From music, he miraculously returned to his other passion in life, which is dance. “I used to dance and choreograph before the accident. After that, I didn’t give up and started to teach young students to dance. I have taught over 2,500 people so far,” Javed told the publication.
Winning the man of the tournament award at a recent inter-state wheelchair basketball tournament. (Source: Facebook/Javed Choudhari)Beyond music and dance, he took to swimming, adventure sports and basketball, in which he was recently awarded the ‘Man of the Tournament’ in an inter-state wheelchair tournament held for paraplegic athletes last month.
Through the course of his recovery, he also became the first person in his family to graduate from college. Today, he is preparing for the civil services examination.
Humility, he says, which emerges from an attitude that since he has nothing to lose, there is no fear of failure, and this allows him to constantly learn and try new things in life.
Still struggling to find inspiration in life? Not anymore, I suppose.
Watch the video of Javed dancing below:
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)
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