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To know how, read on….

In our daily lives, we face various challenges that determine the limit of our human nature. When we face those challenges and overcome them, we truly become God’s greatest creation. According to Scott Hamilton “The only disability in life is a bad attitude.” This kind of mentality is what is required for everyone who wants to find happiness in life. No benefit comes from crying over spilled milk, one should always have a positive attitude and know that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Let us discuss about some of the challenges that people with disabilities are faced with.

 How they deal with it, and what can we do to make their lives a little happier?

  • Accessibility:

The world around us is not a walk in the park. We have to face several obstacles in every step we take. This is much worse for physically disabled people. They mostly move around with the help of wheelchairs or use crutches. So, moving around freely is not a luxury that they can afford. Moreover, the public places that we have, are rarely made keeping in mind the comfort of people with disabilities. There are no ramps, or the hallways are too narrow for them to move. Fortunately, nowadays, many wheelchairs are automated, and buildings are constructing a private residential elevator to make the movement of the disabled people a little bit easier.

  • Education:

Education is a basic right for all human beings, in a perfect world, education would be free and available to everyone, as dreamed by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, but the reality is far from it. A large number of children with disabilities remain out of school and thus they are deprived of basic education. They are not able to run the race of life like the other normal kids. To solve this issue, several education institutions have been opened which focuses on the education of these kids with special needs, they learn the Braille System and adaptive technology helps them lead a better life.

  • Access to healthcare:

In a country of 1.3 billion people, the health care system is already very stretched. Poor people do not have access to proper healthcare and the people with disabilities are worse off. Often, people with intellectual disabilities are mistreated by the health workers and this makes matters worse. This can be only solved by proper awareness and empathy. The disabled people find the speck of good in these situations and help each other in whatever way possible. Thus, it is requested that everyone should make a donation to ensure NGOs are able to cater to their healthcare needs in a much better way.

  • Myths and stereotypes:

 Certain sections of the Indian population have had financial development in the last decades, there have been social upliftment and overall progress but still there remains a dark orthodox nature in our culture which seems to have stuck with us like a leech. When we interact with people with disabilities, we fall victim to certain myths that are born out of our lack of knowledge and empathy towards such people.

  • Feeling of being ignored:

When we interact with a physically challenged person, it does not mean that, he is also suffering from visual or hearing impairment. This thought process often stops us from interacting and communicating with such people. These disability barriers need to be torn down, which is only possible with more awareness.

  • Lack of employment:

 Employment of any citizen is based upon his education and skills sets one possesses. When these people are deprived of basic education, they are bound to fall behind other candidates for that job. Therefore, the government has introduced schemes which should guarantee jobs for disabled people.

  • Feeling of being incompetent:

Disabled people need more time to do a particular work than other normal people. The disability barriers stop him from performing basic tasks with ease. This makes the person with disabilities that he is pulling his mates down and if filled with sorrow and anger.

  • Teased and abused:

Often people find satisfaction in putting others down. They find superiority in bullying the weak and underprivileged. Disabled people often find themselves at the receiving end of such violent and disgusting actions.

  • Being patronized:

People with special needs often hear things like, “I know what you are going through” or “I know this must be hard.” These kinds of words never do justice to the problems those people face and the troubles they go through every day. A normal person can’t know exactly what that person is feeling.

  • Relationships:

Human beings are complicated. They judge others on a set of parameters that may or may not apply to all situations. These prejudices are the root cause of all mistrust and misunderstanding. Most disabled people are not desired as life partners, this often brings sadness and loneliness to their lives.

All these issues can be dealt with if people become more understanding and have patience when they deal with people with special needs. Work for disabled should be made available; this will give them financial independence and provide them with satisfaction in life. We should make our surroundings more accessible to disabled people. The homes for the disabled should be designed in such a way that it is more comforting to them. Also, no matter how small the contribution is, one can always help the needy in their own little ways.

Disability Entrepreneurship And Leadership (DEAL) Foundation works across the districts of Gadag and Bengaluru to promote sustainable livelihood opportunities for households of people with disabilities. To do this, we identify the various challenges faced by people with disabilities and help them find solutions. This will help them live an independent and a satisfactory life.

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