Disabled!!! Nope, They Are Differently Abled

It is a misapprehension, if the handicapped are considered as disabled. They are not disabled in the true sense. By good fortune, they are blessed with some amazing capabilities and high spirits. They are perhaps unable to do things like a normal person. Nonetheless, they are capable of doing things in their own unique ways. They certainly are abled, but differently abled.

As a volunteer in an NGO (Non Governmental Organization), which provides accommodation and education to physically and visually challenged children, I felt several times that I am no better than any of them, though I am a normal person.

Handicapped people are mostly the ones who know exactly what sense and sensibility mean in real terms. Battling with physical impediments at every step of their life, they nevertheless come out eventually with the best of their abilities to withstand solely on their resoluteness to live on, come what may. They live with a sense of earnestness for a purpose in their life and at par with any other individual.

As a reader and scribe for blind students, I was really amazed when I noticed that they have a good capacity to grasp things and think strategically. Every time I greeted them, I would be delighted when they greeted me back addressing me by my name, merely hearing my voice. They can recognize a person by his/her voice when they meet him/her again, after a long time though. In fact, they have introduced me to a few places, which I didn’t know about before. When I asked them how they could make out a place without their eyesight, they said just by paying heed to the sounds that they hear in their surroundings. Incredibly, the NGO, where I am a volunteer, is run by three blind men with an able-bodied support.

They are fascinating and brilliant minds of whom one should feel proud. Although the handicapped suffer from physical deficiency, they usually are good in certain fields like music, dance, arts, sports and so on. They have their own efficiency. I have seen good singers, good dancers and a good cricketer among the visually challenged.

There are good artists among the physically challenged. Shekar Nayak, a visually challenged student of the organization, participated in Blind World Cup Cricket Tournament in Pakistan. Shekar was bestowed with ‘man of the match’ and ‘man of the series’ for his accomplishments on the pitch at the tournament held in 2002. He is considered to be a man of an amiable and cheerful spirit.

With the help of a screen reading software program called JAWS, the blind can easily access the computer as well. Since this program reads the text that is on the computer screen, the blind can manipulate it to an extreme, using a key board and external speakers. They can access the Internet as well as a normal person does. Trust me, I usually receive emails from them.

One of my close friends, Sharadha D, blind by birth, did her diploma in ‘Industrial Relations and Personnel Management’ after completing her graduation in arts. Recently, she has been appointed as Assistant Human Resources Manager by a firm in India. I am really proud of her.

She is the most amazing person I have ever met. She is someone with high spirits and optimism. Sharadha says, “I never feel down that I am blind. I am happy for what I am. Like every living being on earth has its own nature, this is my nature. I think that my disability is an opportunity for me to take my life as a challenge.” She is a good dancer too, and has given several group and solo performances in India and Australia.

These differently abled people stand as ideals for the able-bodied, who tend to give up on life, failing to cope with the mere obstacles of day-to-day life. They teach us how to live and love our life, getting over hard times.

I take pride in saying that another friend of mine named Sunil, who was abandoned as a child with crippled arms, is now running an NGO for orphans all by himself. Sunil says that he knows the pain of being forsaken. And he wants to give those abandoned children all the love and care that he never got from his parents.

They are equally trying their best to carve a niche for themselves in this highly competitive society. Yet, all their efforts often go down the drain in this snobbish and self-centered world. These poor people are regarded as vulnerable and subjected to social exclusion. They have been through life at its worst, facing thousands of rebukes and dismays, seeking one kind heart.

They are desperately in need of love, support and care from normal people like us. They need someone who can pat them on the back as a sign of appreciation, share their good and bad times and give them hope and courage to move ahead. If there is someone to inspire them with confidence, they will lead their life with cheers and reach higher peaks, for sure. One should help them feel good about themselves.

A loving hand and concern can ease the suffering and soothe the pain. LOVE is a wonderful sight which the blind can see, a language which the dumb can speak, a clear sound which the deaf can hear. A helping heart and loving soul gives meaning to one’s life.

I say, “Love doesn’t lie in beauty. Beauty itself lies in love.”

If you have a heart, help these people. Love them unconditionally. Make them feel that there is someone who understands and supports them in this world. But never belittle their abilities and hurt their feelings with rude words. Encourage them by cheering them.

The gratefulness they bestow upon someone who helps them is admirable. They express overwhelmed gratitude for any care and love we give them, and offer the privilege of holding a cherished position in their heart till their last breath.

Anytime, anywhere, be the first to give a hand to those in need of help, no matter who the person is. Helping someone in need gives immense pleasure. Offering help is a real worship of God, rather than attending rituals and contributing money to religious services.

An individual who cannot give love to others is a cripple, indeed – crippled of heart and soul.

By Padmashri Basineni

iPhone Nano – I can afford it!!!

This might become the news of the year for the iPhone buffs. iPhone might bring out a smaller version this Christmas.

Here is what Daily Mail had to say:

Apple is about to launch a ‘nano’ version of the hugely successful iPhone. It is expected to be in the shops in time for Christmas. The product will be launched in the UK at up to £150 for pay-as-you-go customers by O2, the mobile phone group owned by Spain’s Telefonica. ‘This will be a big one,’ said an industry source.

iPhone nano is expected to have all the features of its big brother iPhone, except the Internet access.

Another report on MaCNN says – One claim hints that the iPhone nano will feature a touch wheel on the back and display on the front so that numbers will be dialed from behind. Sources also speculate that “a cut-down version, with the candy bar shape of iPod nano music players, would be a huge hit as a Christmas gift.”

But for now, it’s just a rumor. There has been no official declaration from Apple related to the launch of iPhone nano.

By Ashok Subramaniam