Disability is a special ability: So, here’s a story that I want to share with you. I used to have this friend named Mehak in school. A couple of days ago, I met her randomly in the metro. It was quite a delight to meet her after all these years and it felt like that nothing has changed since then, as a courtesy she offered me coffee and took me to her home.
It was the first time I went to her home it was nice to meet her mother and then came a big shock on to my way, I discovered Mehak has a twin sister named Mrinali. Just as beautiful as her, same eyes, same nose, same lips but there was something different in Mrinali that made her such a ‘secret’. Even after studying with Mehak for so many years in school, she never told me about her twin sister.
Mrinali is physically disabled, she cannot walk on her own, or in layman’s language, she is lame. I had a long conversation with Mrinali and it was such a bliss to talk to her. She was beautiful, intelligent but sadly ‘different’. Additionally, she told me about her life, her daily routine, how she manages things and the daily tortures she has to go through because of her disability. Furthermore, she told me about an instance where she was handled like a mere suitcase by the officials while she was travelling alone in a train. Despite of all this she still believed that Disability is a special ability. It almost got me in tears. That meeting with her left a deep impact on me, and that is what urged me to write this article. Disability is a special ability indeed!
So, what exactly “disability” is?
Well, Disability is a special ability. Moreover, it is an impairment that may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, sensory or some combination of these. Yes, a disable person is ‘different’ from a so called ‘normal’ person. They have their own needs which are pretty different from all of us (or majority of us). But their most important need is ‘change in the attitude of people who are not disabled’. What makes them feel most alienated is the treatment they get from other people in their surroundings. Knowingly or unknowingly we people do hurt them in one way or the other and most of the times we do not even realize it. All they need is our acceptance so that they too realize that Disability is a special ability. Some other basic needs of PWDs are to-
- Feel loved and respected- Yes, they are human beings too and creatures of the Amighty and they deserve it.
- Be encouraged- This is the least we can do for them and it might change their lives to an unimaginable extent.
- Be moved- Not only physically but their minds must be challenged, we should always motivate them to live their lives normally.
- Have an opportunity to learn- Learning is change, this is the key for them to live a normal life.
- Be considered as individuals- Its perfectly okay to be not like others, at the end they are humans too.
And we must never forget one thing that God’s best and most beautiful creation is ‘Human Beings’ If we don’t value them then we’re disrespecting ‘God’. Indeed, Disability is a special ability.
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