In a day and age where people have the ability to use their knowledge to create advanced and sophisticated machinery to improve the lives of people, it is surprising to hear about the rights of innocents being trampled. Suppressed voices have often taken the world by storm, and created popular movements like ‘Me Too’, and ‘The Black Lives Matter’.
Despite the surge of emotions displayed, the shameful cycle where a powerful few abuse their power carries on. Ironically the tragic circumstance of ‘Covid-19’ provides an opportunity for a global reset. From the struggles that have led to the creation of the ‘Americans with Disabilities Act’ in 1990, to the non-payment issue of salaries which special educators had to face in the state of Goa in 2020, there have been numerous challenges which the disabled have had to face, but throughout these dark times, there have been people lighting up their path, by making sure their voices are heard. Playing a vital role in empowering the differently abled, Disability Rights Association of Goa has travelled the extra mile to ensure that the disabled have a bright future.
 |
| The logo of Disability Rights Association of Goa |
Though Cerebral Palsy restricted her to study at home during a major moment of her academic future, only permitting her to visit the examination hall during her exams, Dielle Da Silva fought against those odds and secured an impressive 84% in her Class X Board Exams. Being a major contributor to ease her mobility, Disability Rights Association of Goa sponsored a wheelchair to assist her in daily activities. Perpetual Succour Convent High School, Navelim helped Dielle to a great extent by admitting her in a regular school, allowing Dielle’s mother to stay with her during recess, and made several adjustments. Though Dielle attended classes regularly till class V, being wheelchair-bound made it difficult for her to carry her education forward. The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan programme enabled a teacher to visit Dielle at her residence, to help Dielle excel in her studies. The teacher helped Dielle learn through videos, and utilized diverse teaching aids which she grasped quickly. As her knowledge grew due to diverse visual aids, she developed a liking towards Adobe Photoshop. She proceeded to teach herself skills regarding Photoshop.
 |
| Dielle Da Silva |
As much as Dielle’s story is an inspiration, there are plenty of disabled people whose stories wouldn’t have been heard if not for platforms like Disability Rights Association of Goa. Helping ease the challenges that the disabled face along with playing a major role in the creation of an inclusive society, Avelino de Sa, the president of Disability Rights Association of Goa didn’t let Cerebral Palsy deter him from improving the lives of the disabled in society. The challenges which he faced only drove him to uplift the lift of people with various kinds of disabilities. The tremendous efforts DRAG has made for empowering the lives of the disabled over the years have made them the recipients of a number of awards, and numerous achievements.
 |
| Avelino de Sa |
There are similar organisations like DRAG who have travelled the extra mile to help amplify the quality of lives children live. SETHU is an organization which was born out of a need to help a child achieve their potential. They drastically improve the lives of children with development delays, teenagers struggling with issues like depression; they also collaborate with teachers to come up with a syllabus which is friendly to such children. Their efforts have earned them various awards since their inception in 2005. Catering to over 1200 children per year, SETHU has been a huge help in assisting the parents of these children. Their telehealth services have ensured that these children have received adequate care during these troubling times of COVID-19. There are organizations that go out of their way to assist the disabled, but it’s high time we as a society recognize their potential and work towards an inclusive society. An inclusive society not only helps the disabled, but also reminds people what it means to be human. Let us strive for a better tomorrow, by working on our ‘compassion’.
