hopes but disabled ones

ADIL MAKHDOOMI
Sonallah Bhat a member of voluntary association of physically challenged youth Kashmir University is one among the 3lakh disabled people in Jammu Kashmir. At present Sonallah is a student of Social Work in Kashmir University, but he terms his journey full of difficulties and socio-economic problems.

Belonging to a typical farmer family of a remote village in Ganderbal, he is among the only seven graduates of his village. In his childhood, he was forced to do needle work by his uncle otherwise he had to beg for his livelihood.

Carrying a deep pain in his heart, Sonallah managed to reach the highest seat of learning but now he seems to have no hope despite several measures taken by the government for the disabled people like him. For him it is the end of the road and he lost himself in despair.

During a one day workshop on “RIGHTS OF PHYSICALLY CHALLANGED AND OUR ROLE IN THE SOCIETY”, several statements were made by the panellists stressing on the social status and other essential conveniences required by the physically handicapped people. But Sonallah puts such programmes and seminars as a waste exercise which seems to be restricted only to the papers. Instead, as a sufferer, he suggests the initiation of the sensitization campaigns in the far flung areas that are still considered as a social stigma. He considers these seminars benefiting only those who are already aware and the rest percentage remains unattended.

Having lost his faith from the government and its schemes, Sonallah describes these schemes high jacked from midway and only a delusion to the innocent disabled people. “Government schemes have improper evaluation and improper implementation”. He says that there should have been an open access to the education for the disabled people but we have got the reservation only at the Post Graduation level. Bachelor of Education is the most convenient degree disabled students can get through the Distance Education in the Kashmir University but they find it impossible because of the thousands of rupees demanded.

Apart from these economic barriers, Sonallah describes other impediments disabled people face in their lives. They are still treated as second class citizens. “These beaurocrates and politicians are using us as ATM CARDS. They use us only for reaping the benefits of the schemes. There is a new term called ‘SPECIAL CHILDREN’ for the disabled people but even after so many seminars and awareness programmes, we are still called as DISABLED,” laments Sonallah.