The socioeconomic index of people with disabilities isn’t very encouraging in India, it worsens in case of people from marginalized background. Sudama is an example of that, in the past he faced many hardships, couldn’t find a stable source of income, didn’t have a social status and people always looked at him with pity. Sudama…
Pratap is a true inspiration for people with disabilities and others. Once a school dropout, he now holds a postgraduate degree in Computer Applications. His mother always encouraged him to pursue his studies and build a career. When he was in class 8, he had to leave school. The school infrastructure was ill-equipped and teachers…
Livelihood is critical to combating poverty, especially for people with disabilities. Dalima Kumari lives with her family in a small village in Bihar. Dalima grew up as an ambitious girl who wanted to work. Her disability was not the only hurdle to cross; being a girl had its challenges. When she wanted to complete her…
Amanat is 22-year-old mentee from Malab village, Nuh, Haryana. Amanat lost her right leg three years ago in an accident and stays with her parents and two younger siblings. She has completed her bachelor’s degree and holds a diploma in JBT (junior basic training for teaching), but still unable to find a right job. Amanat’s…
She couldn’t walk due to disability, but this didn’t stop her from standing against all the odds. Nunita uses her hands to commute. She has completed her graduation in arts with the help of a scholarship. There was a time when she went through severe depression and exclusion. She had lost all her confidence and…
35-year-old Zubair Ahmed Shah, a resident of New Delhi’s Madanpur Khadar has locomotor disability. Despite completing his primary education, Zubair has been denied any livelihood opportunities due to his disability. He came into contact with Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) and its Virtual Livelihood Resource Centres (VLRC) program. In partnership with Leonard Cheshire, the programme aims to generate…
Twenty two year old Ambika Kumari was born in a financially backward family. She was diagnosed with locomotor disability, after her birth. As a child, Ambika found it hard to mix with her peers as they rarely cared to involve her in while playing games. This led her to depression and exclusion at a very…
India is a diverse country with multiple cultures, traditions, languages and religions. We like to call ourselves an inclusive society, a society which looks beyond differences and is equal to all. However, we don’t take into account the differently-abled population. India is home to nearly 27 million differently abled people; they constitute 2.21% of the…
Jakhopur or as DEF likes to say ‘Jakhopur Smart Village’ is a typical rural village in Rajasthan with narrow lanes that turn into narrower lanes that lead to people’s houses. I entered one such lane and was greeted by a cow and three goats. A couple was sitting with their two children and I approached…
Bhagyalata runs a SoochnaPreneuer centre (digital service centre) in Chinna Kondur. With one laptop, one printer and one biometric machine she serves the community by providing digital skills that would have been inaccessible to them. Most of the people in the village and some people from neighbouring villages as well visit the centre to apply…
