Dear friends and colleagues,
Special greetings on the occasion of the world day of the disabled. Today my mind is filled with a lot of thoughts and I feel that I should share them with those of us who are either working in the field or, are concerned for people with disabilities.
Several great strides have been taken in the past 30 odd years since the time that IYDP was observed in 1981. In our country too many a development has taken place. The lives of people with disabilities have certainly improved but … Is everything as good as it sounds? Are we going to be happy on our laurels as usual? Certainly not.
Firstly, even today in the name of equality we tend to downgrade disability. I am not ready to believe that any two persons are equals and disability does certainly place limitations on one’s lives. The irony is that we are able to scale Himalaya but crossing a busy street is still an insurmountable challenge. Please do not misunderstand that I am undermining the achievements of the great friends with disabilities but please remember most of us are just ordinary people having extraordinary difficulties.
Of course, none of us will sit crying over them for, survival demands that we give the best that we have. However, competing equally with unequal facilities is taking a great toll on some of us. I would urge one and all today to pledge yourselves to make the lives of disabled more tolerable by increasing accessibility and understanding their difficulties.
Let me assure you friends that in normal circumstances no person with disability is going to sit and beg for help or sympathy but all he/she needs is your ears and attention in just crossing that small threshold.
Wish you all a very happy international day of disabled persons.
Ketan Kothari
Ketan jee, great message to inspire all of us and belive me we all are with you in the journey of Changing lives of persons with disability and making envionment and attitude condusive and inclusive.
ReplyDeletePrabhat
Congratulations to SIAO for setting up this blog.
ReplyDeleteI was really impressed by the film on ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOY devices that SIAO had arranged to screen. It was a great idea conceived and executed in association with its partner Xaviers. I am sure these devices do make the lives of the visually challenged easier. Of course it is for people like ketan to actually feel and experience these devices. There are miles to travel before we can sleep and I am sure this is the appropriate day to rededicate our work towards disabled.
Coming to my personal concern - How I was missed out by SIAO on the photo set up in BLOG. I wish at least my name could have figured along with Sabitra in the missing figure. Anyway these things happen and I hope next time I would be all over in the photo.
Thanks and once again I congratulate the SIAO team for setting up this blog.
BALA
Thanks a lot Prabhat for your wishes.
ReplyDeleteThanks Bala, we would be organizing a photoshoot very soon.