Meenu Mani (42) has cerebral palsy (CP), a group of disorders that affect muscle movement and coordination. So does her husband Samuel Mani. But this has not deterred the wheel-chair bound couple from extending helping hands to people with special needs so that they know they are not alone.
"We are doing our bit towards creating self confidence among the persons with disabilities including CP to create independent lives. By raising awareness about CP, we can help the wider community to see and understand the different circumstances of others, to view this diversity as a strength and to work towards inclusion," she said at an event here organised by her NGO, Yes, We Can Trust.
The occasion was the World Cerebral Palsy Day celebrated on October 6.
The program, which was attended by the children suffering with CP as well as other disabilities and their parents shed light that with grit and determination one can excel in life. Like Ira Singhal, India's first differently abled woman UPSC topper has done. Suffering with CP herself, she faced lots of challenges, but her determination kept her pushing through.
"In our society there are lots of myths about this problem, like these children can't have good quality of life, they will remain disable for whole life and most of them are mentally retarded and can't do much in their life and so on… But this is not entirely true," Ira noted.
Ira stressed on early intervention to help children lead a quality life as they grow. More than 70% children with mild to moderate affection have nearly normal IQ. They can be active, productive members of their communities. They can have jobs, live independently, marry and have children too.
The SDM Alipur said, this can happen only when every parent and society identify their talent and give them a chance to become a productive member. Right usage of assistive technologies can bring a sea change in their lifestyle, said Ira.
Augusto Monteil, Ambassador of Venezuela talked about how the rights of the people with special needs are enshrined in his country's Constitution while Himadrish Suwan, chairman of Confideration of Young Leaders stressed on building accessible society for all.
Mani (43) summed up saying that the community is not looking for any help. "What we want is support", he said, adding: "It is important to accept as we are and steps are taken to bring the persons with CP in mainstream and make them independent. People yet not have been able to understand the CP. Awareness and acceptance is required at every stage and level."
Nearly 15-20% of physically disabled children are affected by cerebral palsy, whereas in India, the estimated incidence is around 3/1000 live births.