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Metro Plus
The will to survive
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If you have the determination to acheive, even physical disability cannot be a deterrant. Some inspiring examples...
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The small room is lined with computer terminals. The discussions focus on meeting deadlines and delivering high-quality material to customers. It is a tension-filled, high-pressure atmosphere in one of the city's offices.
Handling that kind of pressure and rising to the challenge has become a routine for 49-year old K.V. Geetha, one of the few translators at Sofil Information Systems. She translates Japanese texts into English.
But, working in the IT industry and competing with youngsters would have been unthinkable for Geetha 20 years ago. For, she had a handicap... she could barely move her limbs following a severe viral attack, which affected the spinal cord.
She virtually lost touch with the outside world, except for newspaper and television reports. But her yearning to learn something helped Geetha overcome her physical disability. She became a graduate and joined a private institution to learn Japanese. But it was not easy for her. "When I wanted to continue my studies, there weren't many schools which were willing to accept me. At times, it was really hard", she discloses.
While one might marvel at physically challenged people like Geetha, such feelings ring hollow as many like her are still facing the ignominy of rejection at schools. The reason cited more often is their lack of mobility.
However, there are some schools that would do anything for a physically challenged child. Recognition of their needs by schools is more widespread than in the past, says Dipthi Bhatia, co-ordinator for integrated education for the physically challenged at the Vidyasagar Centre for Spastic Children. Dipthi, who is visually disabled, feels that there is an extreme reaction towards the impaired more often than not. "They either consider us a liability or think of us as role models. Only, the inner circle comprising family and friends is able to draw a line between understanding and recognition," she says.
Indeed, support from family and friends often become a springboard for success to many like Geetha. She feels that if physical problems are compounded by poverty, there is little that people can do. "I am lucky to have a family that has stood by me," she explains. But the same level of support or understanding is rare at the social or professional level.
Dipthi says that compassion and understanding rarely co-exist. People like Geetha and Dipthi are lucky to find a job placement, while several find it difficult to get a job.
Also for those working, getting to their work place can be quite daunting. For, many public buildings are not disabled-friendly. Dipthi feels that it is because of the lack of an effective lobby that can take up their issues to the corridors of power.
But there are many, like K.Srikanth, a visually impaired, who works for Food Corporation of India, for whom the hostile road conditions are not a problem. He says people are generally sympathetic and help the physically challenged. "When it comes to crossing the road or getting on into the right bus, people always tend to help us", he says.
In a country like ours, the success of individuals like Geetha, Dipthi and Srikanth is not representative of the general conditions of the physically challenged. Their success will depend on whether their skills are recognised and their independence is ensured at all levels.
L. SUBRAMANI
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