Wills On Wheels Overcomes The Disability Challenge

WOW envisions every person with physical disability to lead a dignified and a productive life

Following the Gandhian philosophy of ‘Strength does not come from physical capacity, it comes from indomitable Will’; an NGO was founded by two pair of siblings amongst whom three are on wheelchair. This organization called ‘Wills on Wheels’ is based in Mumbai and it aims to enable and empower physically disabled people in our society.

The first thought that comes in our mind whenever we see a physically disabled person is – ‘Oh Bechara!’and that’s how our sympathy cripples them further! Because it is not sympathy that will help them; it is the courage and confidence in their ability or some moral support that will empower them in reality. With a vision to see every person with physical disability leading a dignified and a productive life, Wills on Wheels was founded. Priti Shetty, one of the founder members herself joins Halabol platform and shares her thoughts.

“Wills On Wheels Foundation is a non-profit organization run and enabled by people on wheels for people on wheels At Wills On Wheels (W.O.W) we aim to Engage, Educate and Empower physically disabled in our society.”

Priti herself confesses that it isn’t an easy job considering the orthodox mentality of our society. But they are also aware of the fact that most of the people are compassionate and understanding by nature and wish to see the physically disabled people doing well in their life. That’s why W.O.W tries to reach out to masses through effective communication so to garner support for various initiatives and projects they do for the physically disabled people.

“Wills on Wheels (W.O.W) has formed a vibrant online community to engage people on wheels. W.O.W publishes e-newsletter everymonth to circulate amongst its members. W.O.W also has a Facebook page which posts news and events related to differently abled people. Only recently, W.O.W has started a discussion forum on its website. We aim to empower people on wheelchair, and thus disburse information regarding the rights and laws laid by government for differently-abled. W.O.W members also provide counseling service to people on wheel chair to boost their confidence and morale.”

Life hasn’t been easy for Priti as well. She has experienced the problems associated with physical disability herself. But kudos to her spirit as she admits that life is as tough or good for her as it is for any normal person. The only difference is that they have to struggle harder for their existence in society and to be seen and appreciated.

“As individuals, we empathize with the challenges faced by differently-abled. And hence we choose to be responsible and improve the quality of life of people on wheels. This underlying principle motivates us to work for the cause. I see lots of talent and goodness in many differently-abled people and all we need is a good way to harness their positive energy. I wish to see such people expressing their innate talent through W.O.W.”

The two other founder-members of W.O.W – Maitri Shah and Prasad Shetty have been facing the problems related to physical disability but so strong have been their attitude that they braved all problems and are now fully involved in W.O.W activities and projects. They see W.O.W as a unique organization shaping up the future of the people on wheels.

“We envision every person with physical disability to lead a dignified and a productive life in our society. For the same our specific goals are to provide education and employment opportunities to people on wheels, to provide counseling for families of people on wheels so that they support him or her emotionally and to create awareness and sensitize the masses and society on physical disability. In order to support people on wheels in their educational pursuit, W.O.W plans to give scholarship in future.”

 

Priti also told us about the participation of its members in Mumbai Marathon, an event organized in December 2012 for the physically challenged people.

“The enthusiasm and the will of people of wheels to participate in a sporting event highlight a positive attitude towards life, which encouraged W.O.W to participate in Mumbai Marathon. W.O.W participated in Marathon for the first time. The response to Mumbai Marathon was excellent and overwhelming indeed. Our members emerged highly motivated after the event and have resolved to participate in higher numbers next time. W.O.W members also interacted with fellow participants on wheelchair and made friends with each other.”

Priti has always been very concerned about the rights of physically disabled population and she would like the Government of India to not only adopt U.N convention on the rights of person with disabilities but also implement it in true spirit.

It is worth mentioning that Priti has worked in corporate world with big names like TCS, Accenture and Aero Pharma and holds keen interest in singing, dubbing and writing poems. She was also the playback singer for a television serial ‘Baatein raaz ki’ - aired on DD National in 2009. She is a very active person on Facebook as well.

 “W.O.W has earned a good name for itself all through word-of-mouth publicity and social media. Our whole team feels that the new technology can bring a great change in our society. Look at the good work done by Facebook and sites like Halabol. Differently-abled people are now connecting with the whole world with an open and free attitude, all thanks to the new-age media.”

Team Halabol acknowledges the efforts done by W.O.W and supports them in all their future endeavours. We would like our readers to pool in their thoughts on to how a progressive society can provide a platform for such people to share their life experiences and learn from each other. 



Source : Halabol Voices , 10th Sep 2014 

Study examines potential link between assisted reproduction and autism

When prospective parents have trouble conceiving and decide to seek medical help, they typically experience more than a little anxiety and have a host of questions: What are the potential risks to the mother and the baby? What kinds of diseases or other problems are associated with assisted reproduction? And, is one of those problems autism?

As many as one in every 50 children age 6 to 17 is identified as having autism spectrum disorder, which impairs social interaction and communication. The increasing prevalence of autism has boosted the desire to pinpoint causes, and everything from parents' ages to vaccination has come under scrutiny by researchers looking for a link.

Over the past five years, several studies have focused on infertility treatment, partly because of the coincidental rise in both the diagnosis of autism and the use of assisted reproduction, says Sean Ackerman, M.D., a child psychiatry fellow at Fletcher Allen Health Care and clinical instructor in psychiatry at the University of Vermont College of Medicine.

"People are always looking for that silver bullet with autism," he said.

Ackerman and his team found no such link when they studied previously collected DNA data from almost 2,000 children with autism to determine whether assisted reproductive technology – specifically, in vitro fertilization and two types of intrafallopian transfer – causes changes in genetic makeup that are associated with autism. The study results are published in the August 2014 Fertility and Sterility.

Until now, no one had studied genetic data, as opposed to epidemiology, to look for a connection between infertility treatment and autism, Ackerman says. He and his team – including UVM faculty members David Rettew, M.D., associate professor of psychiatry, and Robert Althoff, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry – used the reams of data gathered from 2009 to 2011 for the Simons Simplex Collection, a project funded by the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative. Ackerman had worked on the project doing medical histories right after completing medical school at the University of Washington.

"When you have a ton of really great data sitting around, it's sort of irresponsible not to use it," he said.

Previous studies looked at the incidence of autism among children conceived with assisted reproductive technology, and results were inconsistent, says Ackerman. Most found no increased risk. A few raised the possibility of a slightly higher risk but also suggested that other factors, including the age of parents using assisted reproduction, could be the reason.

Ackerman developed a fascination with autism before attending medical school, when he took a job as a one-to-one kindergarten aide and was paired with an autistic boy. "I just thought the way he saw the world was so cool," Ackerman says. "It was like going to another country."

Child psychiatry, he decided, was the best specialty to focus on helping children with autism and their parents.

While Ackerman's study doesn't end those parents' quest to determine the cause of the disorder – which he believes stems from a combination of genetic factors – it at least removes one of many nagging questions for people approaching infertility treatment.

"Sometimes," he says, "answering a question 'no' is actually comforting."


Source : Medical Xpress ,  11th Sep 2014 

Bangladesh gets global backing on autism ‘partnership’

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A global initiative for “partnership” on autism has been launched in Dhaka on the sidelines of the WHO regional meeting.

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Bangladesh, with the support of WHO, put forward the idea on Thursday for “comprehensive and coordinated” response to the growing challenge of autism.

The idea received global support.

“We have been successful (in getting support),” autism expert Saima Wazed Hossain said, briefing media after the launching at the Pan Pacific Sonargoan Hotel.

Hossain, better known by her nickname Putul, has broached the idea on behalf of Bangladesh.

She said the idea was to work together taking all including the families of the children onboard.

Dhaka based diplomats of different countries, international experts’, representatives of the UN agencies and World Bank were present during the launching.

Her mother, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was also present.

Putul has been recognised by the WHO with an award of excellence in public health for her “path-breaking” works on autism that WHO says put the neuro-development disorder on its map.

Briefing journalists she said Bangladesh has always been a leader on autism and “we want to continue to be a leader (on autism)”.

Autism spectrum disorders are a complex medical condition comprising a range of developmental disorders.

These children are unable to pick up self-care tasks – dressing, self-feeding, toileting – by watching and imitating. They cannot make eye-to-eye contact, and have a single-track thought process.

The problem usually begins to show up in the first three years of life, affecting the normal development of social and communication skills.

There is no proven cause for the disorders, but growing evidences show that these could be due to a gene-environment interaction.

Putul said different countries were working on their own and some of them had best practices, but there was no collaboration and coordination.

“We want this collaboration so that everyone benefits,” she said, “We want to work in partnership”.

Putul is the Chairperson of the Bangladesh’s National Advisory Committee on Autism and Neuro-developmental Disorders, and Global Autism Public Health Initiative - Bangladesh.

She is the architect of South Asia Autism Network that brought the regional countries together to address the growing challenge of this disorder.

She also spearheaded an autism resolution that the WHO adopted.

In her proposal, she identified some common challenges the region was facing.

Lack of evidence-based public health initiative, lack of public and professional awareness, lack of resources, human, and materials support, stigma, misconceptions, discrimination, and exclusion were some of those challenges.

The goals of the partnership are to promote, protect, and ensure the rights to inclusive development for persons with autism spectrum disorders, and address their life-cycle needs with “multi-sectoral and multi-level planning and action”.

It is also aiming at sharing cost-effective, sustainable strategies of service delivery systems through public-private partnership.

Raising awareness, ending discrimination and ensuring access to health, education, employment, and social services are some other highlights of the partnership proposal.

“We realised that we alone cannot do it. We need support of all,” Putul said.

Bangladesh has a national steering committee comprising members of all relevant ministries, which Putul said is a “collaborative model”.

“No other country has such a model,” she said, “We want to uphold this as an effective model”.

She said Unicef has a global network on disability, but that did not include autism.

Autism is not an issue only for the health ministry, she said. It needs all since it involves those special children’s education, social integration and rights issue.

Chief of Child Neurology Division of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences Prof Sheffali Gulati said they were ready to collaborate with Bangladesh.

She particularly mentioned diagnostic tools as most of the Asian countries as of today depend on the western tools, which are not culture and language sensitive.

She said since both India and Bangladesh share common culture, “We can share our tool that we develop for India”.

Michael Klag, dean of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health said they have a project in Bangladesh to make standard diagnostic tool which is useful for Bangladesh.

He said any western tools need to be translated in local language and culturally sensitive.

Putul thanked all for their support in the proposal and said all responded quickly to Bangladesh’s call.

“It means it’s an important issue,” she said.

She said she believed the award she received from the WHO was not for her. “It’s to the issue. It’s recognition to the issue”.

The US-licensed school psychologist is also a member of the WHO Secretary General’s expert panel on mental health.



Source : BD News 24 , 11th Sep 2014 

‘Law Credits Care for the Disabled’ : Chennai

In a welfare State, the persons vested with responsibilities are bound to protect the welfare of physically challenged persons, as they got disability by birth or by some accident. That duty is recognised not only under the Persons With Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act (Act 1/2006), but also as a human right, the Madras High Court has observed.

A division bench of justices N Paul Vasanthakumar and K Ravichandrabaabu made the observation while allowing a writ appeal from Dr D Ramkumar challenging an order of a single judge, who upheld his transfer, on Wednesday.

The appellant, being a 100 per cent visually challenged person, was managing his assignments as Assistant Professor/HOD of English Department in Kasthurba College for Women in Pondicherry in a healthy and friendly atmosphere and transferring him to the Rajiv Gandhi Arts and Science College would badly affect his normal way of functioning as a physically challenged person, the bench said.

The inaction of the member-secretary of the Pondicherry Society for Higher Education in not considering the representation of the appellant seeking re-transfer to the Kasthurba college shows his defiant and insensitive attitude. The court quashed the  transfer order dated November 25, 2013, which was upheld by the single Judge on June 27 this year.

Source : The New Indian Express , 11th Sep 2014 

Wheelchair tennis player Madhu Bagri made to go from pillar to post : Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad-based Bagri says she won the trials for Asian Para Games but there is no clarity as to who will give her permission.

• Madhu Bagri Piyush Patel DNA

In a case of utter apathy and lack of co-ordination shown by various bodies that control the sport, Ahmedabad-based wheelchair Tennis player Madhu Bagri has been made to run from pillar to post to get the permission to participate in the upcoming Asian Para Games in Incheon, South Korea.

Bagri, who was afflicted by Polio when she was 18-months-old, claimed she was given verbal assurance after she won the 'trials' conducted to select players for the Asian Para Games.

Paralympic Wheel Chair Tennis Federation (PWCTF) took the unique initiative under the banner of Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) to encourage wheelchair tennis players across the country. The bold step taken by PCI enabled the 39-year-old Bagri to dream of representing the country in continental events like Asian Para Games. For that she sweated it out and had to spend considerable sum of money.

Apart from the usual costs involved like buying racquets, tennis balls, paying the coaches and for access to courts, Bagri had to pay a whopping Rs 3 lakh to get a specially made wheelchair that is helpful for differently-abled athletes like her.

Daughter of a businessman, Bagri now lives on her own and used to work in a finance company till 2012. "I left my job to concentrate on my tennis," she said.

Is it feasible to quit job and play tennis? "I had made some good investments," she quipped. "That is one of the reasons why all this uncertainty over my participation hurts me because I have spent a lot of money."

On 9th August 2014, PCI conducted selection trials at Bangalore. Bagri left no stone unturned. "When I received the communication from PCI, I was jubilant. Semifinal finish in Sri Lanka Open couple of months earlier had boosted my confidence. I gave more than 100 per cent. And the result was, I emerged winner," recalled Bagri.

Unfortunately, that was the only time she got a positive response from PCI. "Virtually everyday, I was mailing or calling them to get the details. But I was sent from pillar to post," said Bagri.

However, PCI claims that it has no role to play in the issue. "I have not received any thing in this regard. Moreover, not PWCTF or PCI but the All India Tennis Association (AITA) is the body which takes a call. Until and unless a player is handed a letter of participation, we can't say he or she is selected," remarked Rajesh Tomar, president of PCI.

The Paralympic Committee of Gujarat (PCG) swung into action and intervened but it proved futile. The state body has termed the turn of events unfortunate and betrayal of trust.

"Bagri not only attended selection trials but was also given a verbal assurance about her participation in Asian Para Games. So, it became our duty to follow up which we did. The trials with two women and four men players were attended by PWCTF president Rajesh Lamechwala under the aegis of PCI. That means trials were authentic. But now nobody is responding. PCI puts the onus on AITA and vice-versa. Consequently, a player is suffering," said Bharat Thakkar, chief co-ordinator Paralympic Committee of Gujarat.

When dna contacted the AITA CEO Hironmoy Chatterjee said that the decision on Bagri is pending. "We are meeting on September 12 (Friday) to take the final call."

However, all the confusion and agony has left Bagri disappointed. She said, "My contention is how can they do this? It is like cheating. I have invested energy and money. Now when I look back, it all seems like a big waste."



Source : DNA , 11th Sep 2014 

Blind professor arms himself with Ph.D in commerce : Coimbatore

“It took me 17 years to complete my Ph.D,” said R. Manikandan a professor at N.G.M. College, Pollachi. Being the first visually challenged person in the country to obtain a doctorate in Commerce, Manikandan was denied admission by a reputed college in Coimbatore several years ago.

 
R.Manikandan, first visually challenged person in the country to obtain a doctorate in Commerce has students in rapt attention in Pollachi

His greatest source of inspiration has been his parents. Born partially blind, he lost his sight completely when a surgery went wrong when he was as young a 15 years old. It took two years for him to come out of the shock until his friends helped him meet another visually challenged teacher, M. Chandran, who inspired him to get back to school.

 

Manikandan then joined Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya at Perianaickanpalayam where he completed his schooling. With a clear vision in his mind, Manikandan pursued B.Com, M.Com, M.Phil, B.Ed before doing his doctorate.

 

While Manikandan was denied admission to a reputed college in Coimbatore, he took up the task of doing something that no visually challenged person in the country had ever done before; he started teaching accountancy to students at N.G.M. College in Pollachi. “I am fortunate to have good students who are very friendly,” he added. Manoj has a 5-year-old son and his wife is a schoolteacher.

 

“I faced several challenges throughout my life: no government institution was ready to recruit me because of my disability. I would like to thank Prof Benjamin Christopher of Bharathiar University, who has been instrumental in me getting the Ph.D.” said Manikandan. “It’s very hard for someone who is visually challenged to teach accountancy but I have proved one can,” he added.

 

Manikandan loves to read books. He is presently reading with the help of a software called JAWS (Job Access with Speech), a screen reading software. Before the software was introduced, Manikandan used Braille to read and write. An ardent fan of Ilayaraja and singer Yesudas, he loves to listen to TV programmes during leisure time.

 

The professor is an inspiration to many youngsters. His mantra is that with hard work, sincerity and punctuality, one can achieve anything.


Source : Deccan Chronicle , 11th Sep 2014 

Punjab invites applications for state award to physically handicaped-2014

The Punjab Government has invited applications for State Award to Physically Handicapped for the year 2014. This award is given to the persons, self employed, organizations, employees who have done a commendable work for the welfare of Physically Handicapped.

Disclosing this here today Official Spokesperson of the Punjab Government said that that Rs 25000 per institute would be given to the Organisation/NGO working for the welfare of handicapped persons, Rs 5000 for personal achievements of handicapped sportsperson/personal achievements of women, and Rs 10,000 for employee/self employee/personal. Spokesperson further clarified that in all cateogories only one employee/self employee/personal  would be selected for the award.

Spokesperson said that interested person/ Oragnision could get specific Performa from the District Social Security Officer to apply for this award. He said that a committee is constituted at the district level to recommend the names of the applicants for the award. Spokesperson further said that applications should reach the main office (Directorate of Social Security and Women & Child Development, Punjab, SCO No102-103 Sector-34 A, Chandigarh) on or before 30th September, 2014 with the recommendation/approval of the district committee.

Applications without the recommendation of the district committee would not be entertained.

Source : City Air News , 10th Sep 2014 

PhD student, 24, with cerebral palsy, pens inspirational life story : Chennai

He might only be 24, but his life has made him experienced enough to put pen to paper and inspire others. Kumaran, who is currently pursuing a PhD in psychology, has been battling cerebral palsy all his life but has never once let the disease put him down. 

On Thursday, Kumaran's dream came alive when Dr T S Surendran, vice chairman of Sankara Nethralaya, released his autobiography 'Cerebral Palsy to Counselling Psychologist' which chronicles the hardships he has tackled to move up in life. Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders that affect a person's ability to move and maintain balance and posture. The disorders appear in the first few years of life and usually do not progress over time. People with cerebral palsy may have difficulty walking. Some have other medical conditions, including seizures or mental disorders. "Even if physical mobility becomes a hurdle, the mobility of mind can never be destroyed. It is important to be expressive in any form of communication," said Kumaran. 

Releasing the book, Dr Surendran said, "Cerebral palsy is a challenge for both the child and parents. While aggressive CP is hard to manage as children are violent, kids with mild cases of CP should be encouraged to achieve more in life. This would not be possible if not for the support of caretakers."


Source : TOI , 12th Sep 2014

This man with cerebral palsy created masterpieces using a typewriter

Despite suffering from cerebral palsy since birth, Paul Smith did not let the disability that limits his motor abilities stop him from pursuing his love for art.

Incredibly though, he created his artworks using a typewriter. With just one finger and a typewriter, Paul created brilliant works of arts, based out of his nursing home in Oregon, United States of America.

"When typing, Paul used his left hand to steady his right one," the video explains. "Since he couldn’t press two keys at the same time, he almost always locked the shift key down and made his pictures using the symbols at the top of the number keys. In other words, his pictures were based on these characters …. @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) _ ," it says.

Paul passed away on June 25, 2007, but has left behind a collection of his artwork that is still in much demand, years after his death.

 

Watch him here : 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svzPm8lT36o  

About him : 

http://www.johnstofflet.com/profile/

Source : DNA , 12th Sep 2104 

Now, Jaipur Foot for limbless animals

After benefitting thousands of people with Jaipur Foot, the Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samit (BMVSS) is all set to fit the amputee animals with the prosthetic limb, said D R Mehta, founder and chairperson of BMVSS, during the inaugural ceremony of three-day conference 'India for Animals 2014' in the city on Friday.


The event is being organized by the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organization (FIAPO) in association with Animal Welfare Board of India, Dogs Trust, UK and Compassion in World Farming.


"Jaipur Foot has successfully tested the artificial limbs on amputee cows," said Mehta adding that a special centre in the form of a shelter would be set up in Jaipur for such amputee animals.


Erika Abrams, an American animal welfare activist from United States, who along with her family has made Udaipur her home and is successfully running a centre for caring for animals said that there was an urgent need for sharing a common platform for the animal welfare programme in the country and exchanging ideas.


Director of external relations of FIAPO, Arpan Sharma said that because of the animal welfare programme there has been a drastic reduction in rabies cases in Jaipur. "The cases of rabies have gone down in Jaipur due to vaccination and sterilization of stray dogs," said Sharma.


Jaipur: The amputee animals will soon have an artificial limb by Jaipur Foot, says D.R. Mehta, the founder and Chairperson of Jaipur Foot's organization, Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samit (BMVSS) during the inaugural ceremony of a three day conference on 'India for Animals 2014' held at a private hotel in Jaipur on Friday.


The event is being organized by the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organization (FIAPO) in association with Animal Welfare Board of India, Dogs Trust, UK and Compassion in World Farming.


"Jaipur Foot has successfully innovated the artificial limbs on amputee cows and now they are successfully walking on the Jaipur Foot developed by us," Mehta adding that a special centre in the form of a shelter would be set up at Jaipur for such amputee animals.


Erika Abrams, an American animal welfare activist from United States who along with her family has made Udaipur her home and is successfully running a centre for caring for the animals said that there was an urgent need for sharing a common platform to serve the animal welfare programme in the country and sharing their ideas.


Director of external relations of FIAPO, Arpan Sharma said that because of the animal welfare programme there has been a drastic reduction in rabies cases in Jaipur. "The cases of rabies have gone down in Jaipur due to vaccination and sterilization of stray dogs," said Sharma.


Source : TOI , 13th Sep 2014 

Rahul Dravid releases book on differently abled sports heroes : MUMBAI

A motivational book about top Indian sportspersons who overcame disability and adversity to become champions, and co-authored by former international shuttler Sanjay Sharma, was launched by former Test cricketer Rahul Dravid at suburban Khar Gymkhana here on Friday.

In their book, Sharma and his daughter Medini have captured stories of differently-abled Indian sportspersons who went on to achieve great things on the sports field.

Former India cricket captain Dravid, an avid reader, said he was inspired by the story of Murlikant Petkar, who was disabled during the 1965 war against Pakistan, sustaining severe bullet wounds, but won an individual gold medal in the 1972 Paralympics in Germany.

"As a player, when you play cricket, you often find words like courage and brave by journalists to describe sporting achievements. When I read this book, I realised that courage is not what we do on a cricket field," the 41-year-old said.

"The Wall" recalled his experience of meeting former Test captain Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi for the first time, saying he was struck by the fact that the late cricketer had no sense of resentment about the car accident in England that robbed him of vision on one eye.

"When I got into the Indian team I was, as most young kids were, a huge fan of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. I hadn't watch him play but I had seen him. I heard Vishy (Gundappa Vishwanath) and Erapalli Prasanna talk about him a lot. So, in 1997 I got into the team and I was in Delhi to play a Test match against Australia. I thought it would be a good opportunity to go and meet Mr Pataudi, just to talk to him," Dravid said.

"I didn't have the courage to ask him up or pick up the phone and, through a common friend, I finally managed to arrange it (a meeting). We spoke a lot about cricket, and I asked him a lot of questions about captaincy and various things about batting," said Dravid.

"One of the things that I came away with from that meeting was the sheer lack of bitterness that Pataudi must have felt. Here was a person who at 21 was recognised in England as one of the most exciting young talents that was in English County scene at that time," Dravid said.

Pataudi's daughter and Bollywood actress Soha Ali was present at the event and said, "He would never speak about the accident. He would get very annoyed if you asked him about it.

"I would tell him instead of being one of the great cricketers or perhaps making many more runs, wasn't it so much cooler to be the only one-eyed cricketing legend. I don't think he shared that childish sentiment."

Former Test all-rounder Bapu Nadkarni, who had played under Pataudi nicknamed 'Tiger' by his close friends, shared his experience with the former captain in the book.

"The image of 'Tiger' facing those demonic fast bowlers with no helmet, a slanted cap over his right eye, head at an angle to ensure that he saw the ball with just one eye, will always remain with me," he has written in the book.

"The knock he played at Melbourne (in 1968) on a green track was probably the best he played. I saw Don Bradman coming down to talk to him and tell him... Young man I wish I had some of the shots you played today. You were brilliant. Well played.

"The oppositions were lucky that he played with one eye. If he had both eyes, he would have broken every record," Nadkarni has added in his tribute to his former captain.

Former wicket-keeper and present selector Saba Karim lost 85 per cent of his vision in one eye in 2000 when he was struck by a ball while keeping wickets and met the former India captain to seek the latter's advice, he has written.

"Till I met him, I was fighting my injury and was hoping I would regain my normal vision and it was 'Tiger' (Pataudi) who told me to accept my fate and move on. He said the vision will not improve and I would have to rectify the techniques to play at the level I was used to.

"He told me how to adjust and play with impaired vision. Once while leaving his house, I was so concerned about my injury that I asked him how long it took him to recover. A chill ran down my spine when he replied, Saba, I never did recover," Karim wrote.

The book also gives insight into the lives of differently-abled players like Rajeev Bagga, Murlikant Petkar, Taranath Shenoy, Rajaram Ghag and Satya Prakash Tiwari.



Source : Zee News , 12th Sep 2014

Arunima wants to open sports academy for differently-abled persons : Mangalore

ArunimaSinha, the national-level volleyball player who lost her left leg after being thrown out of a moving train in Bareilly three years back, wants to open a free sports academy for the poor and differently-abled persons.

In an interaction with students, organised by Yuva Brigade at Sanghaniketan here on Friday, the first woman amputee, and also first India amputee to climb Mount Everest, said the academy would need a funding of Rs 25 crore.

The brave heart climbed 21,110 feet with three other teammates after training for months with Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman to conquer Mt Everest. An inspiration for differently-abled sports persons, she told students to accept every opportunity and take it as a challenge. If you have the goal and determination to succeed, no target is unachievable,' she said.

Arunima, was hit by a passing train and was seriously injured, when she was pushed out of a moving Padmawati Express for resisting a chain-snatching attempt by some miscreants on April 12, 2011. In a bid to save her life, doctors had to amputate her left leg below the knee.

Arunima said there is lot negativity and you should translate it into positive energy. When I was in the hospital, I dreamt of climbing Mt Everest. As soon as I was out of the hospital, I started training for it,'' said Arunima.

Observing that Swami Vivekananda was her inspiration, Arunima said already I want to scale all seven peaks in the world. Of them I have conquered peaks in Asia, Africa and Europe. The next would be to scale the highest mountain in Australia, which will be in October. After that I will concentrate on peaks in rest of the world,'' said a confident Arunima.

Source : TOI , 12th Sep 2014 

Court says no sufficient proof against Akshaya trust, closes PIL : MADURAI

The Madurai bench of the Madras high court on Friday closed a public interest litigation (PIL) filed in connection with the Madurai-based Akshaya Trust which was embroiled in a controversy after a 21-year-old mentally retarded woman fled the home run by it on June 6, this year and sought refuge after levelling sexual allegation charges. The court said the allegations made against the trust had not been substantiated with sufficient evidence.

At the same time, the court has directed the state's commissioner for differently-abled persons to monitor the activities of the trust periodically as per the legal procedures.

The court also made it clear that if any irregularities are found in the running of the trust the authorities concerned would take action in accordance with law.

All India Democratic Women' Association of India (AIDWA) district president C Muthurani had filed the PIL levelling various allegations including sexual harassment, illegal organ transplantation etc against the trust. In her PIL, she wanted the court's intervention to evolve a mechanism to monitor/regulate and ensure the safety and well-being of the mentally retarded/ mentally ill-women and child inmates housed in all the non-governmental organisations / institutions / homes functioning in the state. After hearing the concerned sides, the division bench of justices M Jaichandren and R Mahadevan passed order on Friday closing the petition.

"We are of the considered view that the allegations made against the trust have not been substantiated with sufficient evidence. However, we find it appropriate to direct the state's commissioner of differently abled to monitor the activities of the trust periodically as per the legal procedures," justice Jaichandren said, who wrote the order. The judge further said, "It was also made clear that if any irregularities are found in the running of the trust or home or if it is found that certain unlawful activities had taken place therein, it would be open to the authorities concerned to take appropriate action in accordance with law." As a direction to the trust, the order said it should submit monthly reports regarding the inmates of the home to the state's commissioner. The bench further directed the trust that it should pass on information relating to people who are taken to the home, and if possible their identity might be established and further details, if any, may be submitted to the nearest police station.

It may be recalled that when the matter was earlier heard by the division bench of justices V Ramasubramanian and V M Velumani in July, the court ordered inspection of the home by the advocate commission, which listed out various irregularities including accommodating the sound people along with mentally retarded children, alleged deaths of 122 inmates etc. Following it, the court ordered the release of 121 inmates who were willing to leave. 

Source : TOI , 13th Sep 2014 

Hyderabad-based ACE Experiences takes initiative to employ persons with disabilities

Using Dialogue in the Dark — an exhibition tour on persons with disabilities (PwDs) — as a stepping stone, Hyderabad-based ACE Experiences recently partnered with the National Skill Development Council (NSDC) for its Take 1 initiative, aimed at getting companies to employ the differently abled. ACE has set a target of skilling and making 1,000 PwDs employable by this fiscal year end.

ACE says it has placed about 70 people in companies such as Aegis, Prasad Corp., Kantar IT, Rockwell Industries and SAP India in the last few months. "Further, we have a commitment from companies like Lemon Tree, Dominos, Veetech Diesels, Landmark Group, Mediciti Hospitals, Aditya Birla Retail, for creating 200 jobs for the PwDs in the coming fiscal," said SV Krishnan, founder and CEO of ACE Experiences.

Apart from this, 40 other companies are keen on recruiting people with disabilities, Krishnan said. Krishnan launched the DID concept in 2011, kicking off the Taste of Darkness restaurant concept a year later. The dine-in-the-dark experience is for better understanding about disability. Rockwell Industries managing director Ashok Gupta recalls his first experience.

"Initially, it was a little uneasy but we were made comfortable by a voice of our guide. It was a great experience and after finishing our food we stepped out only to realize that Razzak who had engaged us was visually blind," he said.

Rockwell has hired four PwDs from ACE and is planning to add another 30 by the fiscal year end. ACE is looking to set up DID centres in Chennai, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune and Delhi within a year as it looks to widen employment opportunities for PwDs. NSDC will help ACE spread its footprint by connecting it to industry. "Through ACE, we expect to skill around 1,00,000 PwDs over the next 10 years," said Dilip Chenoy, CEO of NSDC.



Source : Economic Times , 9th September 2014 

From bottling industry to IT, India Inc finds right fit in differently abled as they bring more dedication to job : Delhi

A couple of months back when Prasad Corporation hired 50 people with disabilities, it unknowingly discovered a perfect fit for its digital film restoration division. Unlike its normal staff, the new hires with hearing and speech impairment, could cope better with high noise levels in the division. The company is now looking at hiring 100 more differently abled people this fiscal.

"Initially, they were a little slow, but they picked up after a couple of months. Now, they are better than the average employee in the division," said Sree Suresh, manager (talent acquisition) at Prasad EFX. "Other employees tend to take hourly breaks, but people with disabilities put in longer hours." Around 100 employees at Cafe Coffee Day who brew coffee are hearing and speech impaired.

Coca-Cola India too has employed many such people at its factory as bottling inspectors. Companies like Microsoft, IBM, Lemon Tree hotels, the Park, etc are all actively looking to hire differently abled people in various roles. Many companies are finding "right fit" employees among people with disabilities and are discovering that differently abled people are better than others in several job profiles.

Coca-Cola is one example. "In the factory bottling line, where the bottles are constantly clanking, hearing impaired persons are more suitable than other workers. We are continuously looking at engaging more people with disabilities," a company official said. In fact, Coca-Cola along with American India Foundation(AIF) is engaging other companies to find employment and train 1,000 people with disabilities by this fiscal end.

As part of its campaign, Coca-Cola through AIF is placing 600 differently abled in companies like Titan, Lemon Tree, Vodafone and National Association for the Blind by the fiscal-end. These companies have committed to absorb around 600 people by this fiscal-end, a Coca-Cola official said. Salman Khan's Being Human and Rage Frameworks have committed funds for the cause to Coca-Cola.

Realising the potential in the hearing and speech impaired, Cafe Coffee Day (CCD), is looking at adding more of such employees to the cafes across the country. "People with hearing and speech disability are the best brewers across all our stores," said K Ramakrishnan, president-marketing of Cafe Coffee Day. "They have a heightened sense of smell, this is very important for brewing coffee." Lemon Tree has engaged close to 260 people with disabilities and is looking at adding another 100 by the end of this fiscal.

Every month, the hotel chain conducts a sign language certification programme for all its employees. "To enable a smooth communication between employees with disabilities and the rest of our staff we religiously hold the certification programme where participation is compulsory," said Santosh Kumar Nayak, GM fromRed Fox Hotels (Lemon Tree). The Park, Hyderabad has hired around 10 persons with disability as a pilot project. The hotel sensitises all its guests on the floor before these employees take up the house cleaning task under a supervisor.

Source : Economic Times , 5th September 2014