The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Helping them realise their dreams

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 26, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Helping them realise their dreams

Sahana Charan

WILLPOWER: Students at the Association of People with Disability in Bangalore. — Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.

Bangalore: Nagendra Raj is one of the best students in his computer applications class. He dreams of becoming an instructor in computer applications, as the images and characters on his computer screen make more meaning to him than the noiseless bustle of everyday life.

For, Nagendra is speech and hearing impaired. An earnest student, he enrolled for the Advanced Diploma in Computer Applications (ADCA) course at the Information Technology Unit of the Association of People with Disability (APD).

"I used to cry earlier thinking why this had to happen to me. But now I feel that the disabled are as good as normal persons and should not be treated unfairly," he explains in sign language.

He studied till 10th standard at the Hamsadhwani School for the Deaf and has now joined the one-year diploma course.

He is just one of the many with disabilities who has been given a ray of hope by the training unit that helps disabled boys and girls get a foothold in the job market.

"I want to work as a web designer and continue higher studies so that I have economic independence," says Nagaraj, a former student, who is now a DTP instructor at APD.

According to Joseph D' Souza, IT coordinator at APD, various courses offered at the association's unit have helped many persons with physical and mild mental disabilities to secure jobs in the government and corporate sector, including call centres and business process outsourcing companies.

"Recently, Ramakrishna and Yashoda, who finished the ADCA course, have been inducted by the State E-governance Department to work in information and customer service kiosks that are being established in "hoblis" all over the State," he says.

The unit was opened in 1996. Nearly 600 people with disabilities, including those affected by polio, spinal cord injury, speech and hearing problems, and mild mental impairment, have been trained at the unit since then.

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