<h1><br></h1><h1>International Day of Persons with Disabilities: Being blind in a remote village of India</h1>
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<ul><li><b>By <a href="http://blogs.independent.co.uk/author/manisha-sethiya/" title="Posts by Manisha Sethiya" rel="author">Manisha Sethiya</a></b></li><li> <a href="http://blogs.independent.co.uk/category/notebook/" title="View all posts in Notebook" rel="category tag">Notebook</a></li>
<li>Saturday, 1 December 2012 at 6:00 am</li></ul>
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<p><a href="http://blogs.independent.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/disabilities1.jpg"><img class="" title="International Day of Persons with Disabilities: Being blind in a remote village of India photo" src="http://blogs.independent.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/disabilities1-225x300.jpg" alt="disabilities1 225x300 International Day of Persons with Disabilities: Being blind in a remote village of India" height="300" width="225"></a>Disability probably isn’t something you think about very often. It’s something that I think about every day. And today, the <a href="http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=1597">International Day of Persons with Disabilities</a>
provides a chance to reflect on how our world can become more
accessible and inclusive for disabled people. It’s a moment to think
about what progress has been made, and what still needs to change.</p>
<p>I’m 16 years old and I’ve been blind my whole life. There are many
barriers that I’ve already overcome, but also many that I still face as a
disabled person.</p>
<p>The biggest barrier for me is getting around. I live in the Barmer
district of Rajasthan in North-West India. It is very sandy here, so
mobility becomes very challenging. Only a few of the buildings in my
village have had ramps installed, and there is still a lot of work
needed to ensure roads and buildings are made accessible. For me and
others with visual impairment, it can be tough to get around and so this
makes me dependent on my parents. Through one-to-one training from a <a href="http://www.sightsavers.org/">Sightsavers’</a>
partner, I’ve learnt how to use my cane to navigate, which has really
helped. But still, on rainy days it becomes very difficult. And of
course being a girl, safety is another issue. I often end up feeling
isolated and dependent on others as family members need to accompany me
around.</p>
<p>My village is in quite a remote area, so it can also be hard to stay
in touch with the news. Many advances in technology haven’t yet reached
us, and so it can be challenging to get support and information. I rely
on the radio and a Braille newspaper to keep myself updated. But the
Braille newspaper is published on a fortnightly basis and takes seven or
eight days to reach my village. I want to have a Braille press in my
district so that we can get more frequent, in-depth materials.</p>
<p><a href="http://blogs.independent.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/diabilities3.jpg"><img class="" title="International Day of Persons with Disabilities: Being blind in a remote village of India photo" src="http://blogs.independent.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/diabilities3-300x225.jpg" alt="diabilities3 300x225 International Day of Persons with Disabilities: Being blind in a remote village of India" height="225" width="300"></a>However,
progress has been made where I live. One of the most positive changes
in my village has been in education. I know the government has a
programme called <a href="http://www.educationforallinindia.com/">Sarve Shiksha Abhiyan</a> (Education for All) and that there is a law in India called the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-17687204">Right to Education Act</a>.
So I know that education has become a right of all children, and where
it is being enforced, schools are changing their attitudes towards
people with disabilities. Many children like me are now going to school.</p>
<p>My school has now got a ramp and an accessible toilet, which means
that I don’t have to go home during the school day and can attend all my
classes. I’ve found that people in my village have really started to
respect me, and they’re pleased that my brother (who is also blind) and I
are studying. In fact there are two other disabled children in my
village who have also started coming to our school. <a href="http://www.sightsavers.org/in_depth/policy/education/16079_Sightsavers%20IE%20Policy%20Paper%202011%20-%20FINAL.pdf">Education is what can help children like me move forward with life</a>.
Before I went to school I was always at home and dependent on others,
but now my life is very different. I often speak out on social issues
and now help other blind children to be more independent.</p>
<p>More needs to change though if education is to be made fully
accessible. As my village is in a remote location, it’s a real struggle
to get enough trained teachers to stay here – they keep changing
frequently. There are still too few teachers who can support the needs
of children like me and are also willing to live in such a remote
location.</p>
<p>My hope is that barriers like these can be reduced – or even
disappear forever. I’m excited to hear that over the coming months, <a href="http://www.beyond2015.org/un-high-level-panel">world leaders will be deciding what the main priorities should be for global poverty reduction in the future</a>
– what to focus on, and how to make it happen. As a person with a
disability, I think there should be two areas of focus; employment and
gender.</p>
<p><a href="http://blogs.independent.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/disabilities2.jpg"><img class="" title="International Day of Persons with Disabilities: Being blind in a remote village of India photo" src="http://blogs.independent.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/disabilities2-300x225.jpg" alt="disabilities2 300x225 International Day of Persons with Disabilities: Being blind in a remote village of India" height="225" width="300"></a>First,
there is a huge need for the development of skills amongst people with
disabilities, including education, training and job coaching. Employment
brings independence and much needed income. One day I would like to be
the district magistrate.</p>
<p>Second, special attention must be given to women with disabilities.
Many women in my area are confined to the household. They have important
roles in caring for their family and home, but they remain dependent on
male family members for financial stability. I hope that the needs of
women with disabilities will be addressed.</p>
<p>But perhaps the greatest barrier of all is people’s attitudes towards
people with disabilities. I’ve so often experienced prejudices that
have hindered my participation in society. If we could tackle this
barrier, the rest would come tumbling down.</p><a href="http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/12/01/international-day-of-persons-with-disabilities-being-blind-in-a-remote-village-of-india/">http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/12/01/international-day-of-persons-with-disabilities-being-blind-in-a-remote-village-of-india/</a><br>
<br>Lan Anh<br clear="all"><br>-- <br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,153)">Director</span><br style="color:rgb(0,0,153)"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,153)">Action to the community development center (ACDC)</span><br style="color:rgb(0,0,153)">
<span style="color:rgb(0,0,153)">11 D2-2, Ngõ 95 Chùa Bộc, Đống Đa, Hà Nội.</span><br style="color:rgb(0,0,153)"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,153)">Tel: 04 3564 3053</span><br style="color:rgb(0,0,153)"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,153)">Fax: 04 3564 3052</span><br style="color:rgb(0,0,153)">
<span style="color:rgb(0,0,153)">Email: <a href="mailto:lananh@acdc.org.vn" target="_blank">lananh@acdc.org.vn</a></span><br style="color:rgb(0,0,153)"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,153)">Web: <a href="http://acdc.org.vn" target="_blank">http://acdc.org.vn</a></span><br>
<br><span style="color:rgb(255,102,0)">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span><br><b><span style="color:rgb(0,0,102)">Chúng tôi tồn tại vì sự phát triển của cộng đồng NKT Việt Nam</span></b><br><br>