My “disabled” aunt is around 82 at this time. She has no legs and her arms are twisted, and she can only slide on the floor in order to walk. She never went to school and seldom can go outside to explore the world (She didn’t even know the concept of red lights until a few years back). If you see her, you will be amazed of her small stature and awfully small hands. You will be curious as to how she can function on a daily basis. Honestly, it won’t be just you!
I remember taking her to Chandigarh once from Delhi and stopping at one of the highway eateries to use the washroom. As soon as she entered to use one, the first thing I noticed that there was no washroom for people with disability and then secondly when she was done and stepped out of one, I could hear people talking about her. I mean I agree that she is a bit different but that doesn’t make her any less human or a butt of jokes.
If I were to list her achievements, it can put us so called “normal” people to shame. Despite never going to school or even knowing how to read, she taught herself to read Hindi, she just by sitting at home used to make cardigans and supply it to the big industries (during a time, when girls were not even allowed to step out of the house, and she earned handsomely, and this money was later used during her mother’s illness). She learnt how to cook and could cook for 35 people in one go, she raised all of the babies of the house, and became a staunch advocate for the rights of people with disability. I know you might be thinking that it’s not a big deal but think of it from this perspective. If you were to be in her position with no formal education and being raised during conservative times, would you have been able to achieve even half of what she achieved? Whenever I look at her, I feel that nothing is impossible in this world as she did all that while being on the premises of her home.
This also leads us to think that it is high time that we as a society should certainly not look down upon people but consider them as an asset. And make our societies more accessible, why not make separate disabled-friendly toilets and ramps? I know we are changing, I know we are becoming more accessible but still, there is a long way to go. One of the world’s most intelligent person was also a person with disability, but it is just a condition, that doesn’t stop anyone from doing anything.