Tribune New Service

Amritsar, December 8

Calling the push towards ‘Accessible India’ a mere superficial attempt to make life better for the disabled citizens, Rinku Malik, 31, a music teacher from city, says that there needs to be a deeper understanding of what independence and self-reliance means for persons with disabilities (PwDs).

“Most of the PwDs are determined to become self-reliant and not just with their day-to-day chores but also in terms of earning a living. Where the government lacks is not just in providing accessible infrastructure but also adequate opportunity in employment,” he says. Malik has been suffering from visual impairment since childhood, but no matter the challenge, he remained educationally inclined throughout. “For me, it was always about breaking the stigma that comes with disability by standing on my own two feet and I managed that. I had to change a lot of schools due to difficulty in finding required facilities to get educated. In higher education, it was really a challenge to find writers while sitting for examinations and this problem persists even today and probably as one of the major causes due to which many visually impaired persons are not able to complete higher education,” he says.
 

A music teacher at Government Elementary School, Guru Nanakpura, Rinku says that visually impaired people can manage very well on their own, if there is a push towards empowerment through awareness. “Many people, professionals still do not know how to deal with PwDs. We have been given right to service in banking and other sectors through special provisions and aids, but we cannot get them as officials concerned are not informed about them. They must be trained in dealing with services offered to PwDs. Similarly, the schools and colleges must be instructed to provide writers and support staff for disabled students,” he says.

He endorses use of technology as learning aide for visually challenged. “There are several softwares that convert sound into words and they are used in several countries. Why cannot we implement such measures to make life easier for our disabled? A lot of simple tasks will be made easier if we include PwDs, especially visually impaired, in the digital India movement,” he says.
Source: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/amritsar/dive-deep-to-understand-our-agony-make-life-easier-for-us-181643