“I am conscious of a soul-sense that lifts me above the narrow, cramping circumstances of my life. My physical limitations are forgotten- my world lies upward, the length and the breadth and the sweep of the heavens are mine!”
― Helen Keller, author The story of my life

During my school days I had a friend who was very beautiful. She was an amazing student, very intelligent, talented and a genuine human being. But, her right leg was crippled. Other students made fun of her and despised her. However, she was my silent inspiration. She was my first motivation who taught me how to paint, to write with good handwriting, to be a good person altogether. Though her right leg was not working, she was a true fighter. I remember we had a sports competition in our neighborhood. All our friends including me were wearing brand new sports shoes for the running race and she was in old slippers. Everyone laughed at her and made fun of her. Do you know who bagged the first prize? It was her!!!

That day was a new life-changing learning and experience for me. I thought we had perfect bodies but could not achieve anything. But, my friend even with her own set of challenges stood first in three competitions at once! From that day till date I have come across many people with such physical conditions. Even with their situations they are doing pretty well in their lives and are successfully adding many feathers to their cap. The world may see them as “Disabled” but in real life they are real heroes and are in fact: “Differently-Abled”. Recently I was watching “India’s Got Talent” and saw a one-legged young lady dancing to the tune of a wonderful dance number. I simply could not believe my eyes. The sway and rhythm of her moments, the subtle nature of her expressions, her mesmering smile….everything was no less than a normal well-trained and experienced dancer. I wonder how people can be so rude to these persons some times! People with disabling conditions are ill-treated, bullied, called by names, banished from the mainstream society and seen as failures. Sometimes the situations with them are very debilitating and distressing conditions.

I know life can be so busy with its own ups and downs, light and shade. But, let us take our time today and spend some time thinking about our real life heroes, their challenges, perspectives about them, their quest and pathway to victory.

Statistics on World Population by the World Health Organization state that in an estimated world population of 6.5 billion people, nearly 100 million people are moderately or severely disabled. Now the question arises that what exactly is disability and how does it occur. Technically, “Disability is the consequence of an impairment that may be physical, cognitive, developmental, etc”. A person may have disabling conditions at birth or due to other situations in his/her life.

Causes of disability:

•    At birth
•    Due to accident
•    Mental health problems
•    Nervous system disorders
•    Musculoskeletal Problems

Challenges due to disability:

Life of a person with disabling conditions is not an easy journey. They have to go through different challenges day in and day out. Though mere words cannot express the physical and emotional turmoil they confront on a regular basis, yet for the purpose of psycho-education I am going to list some common crises and challenges that they go through:

•    Inability to adjust and cope with the condition
•    Challenges in treatment and after-care
•    Physical and emotional turmoil
•    Indifference or lack of support from family, peers and significant others
•    Possible stigma and discrimination in family, peer group, profession and society at large
•    Mental health issues like depression, stress, social anxiety, and post-trauamtic stress disorder, suicidal feelings, possible drug/alcohol abuse, self harm, etc.

Human civillization and history is a witness to the marvels and milestones that people with disabling conditions have achieved. Famous personalities like Hellen Keller, Sudha Chandran, Marla Runyan, Vincent Van Gogh, Beethoven, Stephen Hawking, etc have shown that disability does not limit one’s potential to aspire and achieve. What makes the difference is the way we accept and challenge situations in life.

When you come across a person with such condition do not look at him or her with sympathy. They need your empathetic understanding. Even if they have lost a limb or are suffering from other issues, yet their conscience and souls are very much intact. If you or your loved one is ailing from mental health issues due to this, then please do not hesitate to contact us at the earliest.

Best Wishes,

Sareeta