Dear GKD Members, I thought you would be interested in this case of someone here in India who used ICT to overcome his physical handicap.
Best regards, Chetan Sharma Founder-Datamation, New Delhi(India) Ph# 91-11-2167230/2169162/2167973/2168017 www.datamationindia.com email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ************************************************** Subhash--currently 30 years old--was plagued with polio when he was 2 years old. Born eldest in a lower middle class family of Muradnagar in the U.P. State, close to Delhi, his parents did not spare any efforts in his medical treatment. They took him to the District hospital as well as brought him for consultations at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS); however it did not help. After several rounds of hospitals & no improvement in sight, his parents gave up hope of his deformed limbs getting fixed. The poliovirus had deformed his right leg permanently. He was provided a walking crutch. However Subhash as well as his family members got immense joy after they were blessed with three brothers all of them physically able & fit. Subhash's father, a forward-looking man, always instilled in Subhash a feeling of independence & self-reliance. He did not want Subhash to feel physically handicapped or deficient at any point of time. Consequently Subhash was sent to a distant school, even though he had to walk long distance. He took lot of interest in the academics especially in Science & Maths. He possessed a rare infallible spirit that allowed him to rise to any form of adversity & difficulty. This attitude helped him withstand ridicule & mockery of his classmates. Subhash went to the Kisan National Inter College, Muradnager and completed his Intermediate. Subsequently he completed his graduation from the MM College, Modi Nagar Unfortunately for Subhash, he lost his father at the age of 26, before he or his younger siblings could settle down in life. However his mother, an exceptionally brave woman, raised Subhash along with his siblings single-handedly by doing odd jobs such as running a small dairy business. Subhash even as a child had always been interested in the computing gadgets. After completing his graduation, he decided that IT would offer him a career, despite his physical disability. He enrolled himself into a basic IT course in a small training institute. After learning computer fundamentals, COBOL and Fortran programming; he started applying for jobs. That's how he landed at Datamation in response to one of their computer operator's vacancy. He performed well in the speed & aptitude tests Datamation administers for recruitment. Consequently he was hired initially on a contract basis. However, he persisted in his professional goals with determination, even though there were a number of adverse factors for him such as the long commute from home to the bus stop & then changing mid-way to a second bus that brought him over to Datamation. Walking long distance on crutches was not easy; especially in the scorching heat & rain. However these adversities did not deter him from pursuing his goals at Datamation. He enjoyed different & diverse types of jobs he was assigned at Datamation from time to time. The communications & information technologies excited him and he knew a life-long career in the ICT field was crucial to him due to his inability to travel extensively. He was overwhelmed by the guidance & moral support he got from his seniors. He was extended normal treatment as one would get for an able person since his IT skills were strong. At no stage during his more than 6 years of working at Datamation did he experience any sort of discrimination from his colleagues. After settling himself in his job; his mother arranged a suitable match for him. Since she was concerned about his disability & the consequent problems Subhash would experience after his marriage, she identified a bride who was also disabled albeit marginally. She has a slight deformity in her leg. Now the couple is blessed with a two-year-old baby girl. The baby has brought a lot of happiness & cheer in the family. Subhash's mother is very happy & proud after the birth of a "normal" healthy child & she thinks the baby is God's biggest gift for her family. Says an overwhelmed Subhash "I took my disability in my stride as fate would have for me; however by the grace of God my disability never came in the way of my desire to lead a life similar to one of an able, normal person. Because I could get a good job in the IT field, I have an interesting careet as well as a sustainable income to look after myself and my family". ------------ ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, an NGO that is a GKP member*** To post a message, send it to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: <http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/>
