Double or differential standards is perhaps a common thing in India so far as discriminating on the basis of disability is concerned. Persons with disabilities are often classified separately from their non-disabled counterparts, to deny them equal rights; or to strangulate a person by placing so many additional requirements, it becomes impossible to fulfill all of them even with all the Divyang powers one has.
With Diwali approaching, we all are gearing up to celebrate the festival of lights with our loved ones. While we have plenty of options to choose from, there are a few among us who may not have everything easy. Yet, they are putting in their best to enjoy festivities and are also working towards helping others have a good time too. Here’s what these Pune-based organisations are doing to help the less fortunate celebrate a memorable Diwali.
A chocolate affair: Niwant Andh Mukt Vasanalay
THE 2017 census shows that only 0.48 per cent of Pakistanis are persons with disability. Assuming a population of 210 million, this comes to about 1m Pakistanis. Sample-based surveys show that the percentage of Pakistanis with disability is around 12pc or slightly more. This comes to about 25m Pakistanis. There is a massive difference between 1m and 25m people. Planning for a million people is very different from planning for 25m. Numbers matter. Getting accurate numbers matters.
In today’s age of advance technology, a lot of devices, gadgets, and programs are built to make our lives easier and more convenient. While the more recent innovations were designed for entertainment, some companies are taking technology to the next level by incorporating a high level of help and hopefully, to make a difference to the lives of people who need it the most.
July 2, 2018, was an inflection point in my life. It changed many things for me and the way I felt about my disability.
This was the first day that I entered National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru — the first 100% visually impaired student in its glorious history of 31 years. Venkat Rao, the former vice-chancellor of NLSIU, greeted our batch saying that our journey from the university to the universe had begun.
By George Abraham
Major Amarjeet Batth (retd)
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, October 11
World Sight Day was observed by the College of Nursing, Christian Medical College and Hospital, at Evergreen High School, Jamalpur Awana.
The National Blindness & Visual Impairment Survey India 2015-2019, released last week, looks at district-wise prevalence of blindness and visual impairment. The survey randomly identified 31 districts with a sample size of about 93,000, among whom 18,000 were less than 50 years of age.
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