<p>Rekha Kumari is determined to make the world understand that disability is not inability, writes Saadia Azim.<br /><br /></p>.<p>At first glance Rekha Kumari seems to be just another young woman with special needs. But this 22-year-old possesses unique powers. She may have been on a wheelchair since she was two years old after she was struck with polio but today she stands tall as the key campaigner for “World We Want”, an initiative that calls for equal rights and opportunities for children living with disabilities across the globe. <br /><br />An “enabling” manifesto<br /><br />She has spearheaded this movement, along with an 11-member team of children and together they have created a ‘Children’s Manifesto’, which she took all the way to New York recently. At the 68th United Nations General Assembly, Rekha drew the attention of the world leaders to their collective crusade, urging them to provide a respectable life to a significant section of the world population that virtually remains ignored by people and policy-makers.<br /><br />Literal burden<br /><br />Rekha has been driven to make a difference based on her own experiences. She shares, “Honestly, while I just felt I was differently-abled. But I know how difficult it was for my little sister, who would have to carry me to school and take me from class to class. Sometimes, when she fell ill I would also have to miss school because I could not walk on my own feet. The school asked me to withdraw because I needed assistance even to go to the toilet or drink water.”<br /><br />Personal motivation<br /><br />This daughter of a watchman living in Delhi’s Madanpur Khadar area is waiting to finally clear her Class Twelve exams at the age of 22. Surviving on her monthly government stipend for children living with disabilities (CWD) she says, “Despite having dropped out of school at 11, I resumed my education with greater determination than ever. Yet, the challenges existed. I got into a wheelchair but realised I couldn’t drive to school because Delhi roads don’t make for an easy drive for people like me. Moreover, the schools don’t have disabled-friendly toilets. That’s when I decided to fight because unless I raise my voice for the cause of people like me, collectively we will always remain invisible.” <br /><br />Coming to terms<br /><br />Her mother Vidya Devi, who had been apprehensive of Rekha's future, has stood by her. She says, "Initially I had found it difficult to handle Rekha's condition but with time I realised how she herself is determined to overcome her limitations. That’s when I knew I needed to support her wholeheartedly." <br /><br />Meek means<br /><br />Dr Mehnaz Warsi, Director of a local NGO, which is working for the rehabilitation of vulnerable children, says, “As per our data more than 90 per cent of children with disabilities from middle income homes drop out of mainstream schools because they cannot cope with the academic pressures and there are very few schools that are sensitive to their needs. Seemingly minor issues, such as availability of toilets, make it difficult for such children to access decent education.”<br /><br />True stats<br /><br />The statistics support Warsi’s observations. According to the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) data, 55 per cent of people with disabilities in India are illiterate whereas the share of children with disabilities out of school is five-and-a-half-times higher than the general rate of drop outs.<br /><br />Meagre numbers<br /><br />Even more alarming figures show that only nine per cent of disabled people have completed education up to secondary level and above, and out of 1000 people with disability only 15-35 have completed any kind of vocational course. About 11 per cent of children with disability in the age group 5-18 years were enrolled in special schools in urban areas as compared to less than one per cent in rural hamlets.<br /><br />Need for dignity<br /><br />These numbers only underline the need for a campaign like the one that Rekha and her team have mounted. India needs to spare only nine per cent of the GDP towards issues of education and health to provide a better life to its children. Yet, government studies show that every 17 seconds an Indian child below the age of five dies of simple, curable diseases and those who have to live with disabilities have little or no options but to exist just like Rekha or her counterpart Nisha Das, who was born with deformed limbs. <br /><br />Remarks Rekha, “All our life we live on the sympathy shown by others. I want a life of dignity, for what I am capable of, and not for what I am incapable of.”<br /><br />Unique campaign<br /><br />Eleven children from India, besides Rekha, who make up the campaign team, relay their concern at the indifference of the policy makers towards them. Not all of them are disabled and yet they want to stand by their friends in their call for a policy that includes their education, health and development needs.<br /><br /></p>
<p>Rekha Kumari is determined to make the world understand that disability is not inability, writes Saadia Azim.<br /><br /></p>.<p>At first glance Rekha Kumari seems to be just another young woman with special needs. But this 22-year-old possesses unique powers. She may have been on a wheelchair since she was two years old after she was struck with polio but today she stands tall as the key campaigner for “World We Want”, an initiative that calls for equal rights and opportunities for children living with disabilities across the globe. <br /><br />An “enabling” manifesto<br /><br />She has spearheaded this movement, along with an 11-member team of children and together they have created a ‘Children’s Manifesto’, which she took all the way to New York recently. At the 68th United Nations General Assembly, Rekha drew the attention of the world leaders to their collective crusade, urging them to provide a respectable life to a significant section of the world population that virtually remains ignored by people and policy-makers.<br /><br />Literal burden<br /><br />Rekha has been driven to make a difference based on her own experiences. She shares, “Honestly, while I just felt I was differently-abled. But I know how difficult it was for my little sister, who would have to carry me to school and take me from class to class. Sometimes, when she fell ill I would also have to miss school because I could not walk on my own feet. The school asked me to withdraw because I needed assistance even to go to the toilet or drink water.”<br /><br />Personal motivation<br /><br />This daughter of a watchman living in Delhi’s Madanpur Khadar area is waiting to finally clear her Class Twelve exams at the age of 22. Surviving on her monthly government stipend for children living with disabilities (CWD) she says, “Despite having dropped out of school at 11, I resumed my education with greater determination than ever. Yet, the challenges existed. I got into a wheelchair but realised I couldn’t drive to school because Delhi roads don’t make for an easy drive for people like me. Moreover, the schools don’t have disabled-friendly toilets. That’s when I decided to fight because unless I raise my voice for the cause of people like me, collectively we will always remain invisible.” <br /><br />Coming to terms<br /><br />Her mother Vidya Devi, who had been apprehensive of Rekha's future, has stood by her. She says, "Initially I had found it difficult to handle Rekha's condition but with time I realised how she herself is determined to overcome her limitations. That’s when I knew I needed to support her wholeheartedly." <br /><br />Meek means<br /><br />Dr Mehnaz Warsi, Director of a local NGO, which is working for the rehabilitation of vulnerable children, says, “As per our data more than 90 per cent of children with disabilities from middle income homes drop out of mainstream schools because they cannot cope with the academic pressures and there are very few schools that are sensitive to their needs. Seemingly minor issues, such as availability of toilets, make it difficult for such children to access decent education.”<br /><br />True stats<br /><br />The statistics support Warsi’s observations. According to the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) data, 55 per cent of people with disabilities in India are illiterate whereas the share of children with disabilities out of school is five-and-a-half-times higher than the general rate of drop outs.<br /><br />Meagre numbers<br /><br />Even more alarming figures show that only nine per cent of disabled people have completed education up to secondary level and above, and out of 1000 people with disability only 15-35 have completed any kind of vocational course. About 11 per cent of children with disability in the age group 5-18 years were enrolled in special schools in urban areas as compared to less than one per cent in rural hamlets.<br /><br />Need for dignity<br /><br />These numbers only underline the need for a campaign like the one that Rekha and her team have mounted. India needs to spare only nine per cent of the GDP towards issues of education and health to provide a better life to its children. Yet, government studies show that every 17 seconds an Indian child below the age of five dies of simple, curable diseases and those who have to live with disabilities have little or no options but to exist just like Rekha or her counterpart Nisha Das, who was born with deformed limbs. <br /><br />Remarks Rekha, “All our life we live on the sympathy shown by others. I want a life of dignity, for what I am capable of, and not for what I am incapable of.”<br /><br />Unique campaign<br /><br />Eleven children from India, besides Rekha, who make up the campaign team, relay their concern at the indifference of the policy makers towards them. Not all of them are disabled and yet they want to stand by their friends in their call for a policy that includes their education, health and development needs.<br /><br /></p>
