Barrier-Free

Sixteen-year-old Manny Bagsit rolls his eyes dramatically, making puff shapes in the air with his hands to an equally animated, narrow-eyed woman. Then he sees his coach striding across the floor of the gigantic Indira Gandhi indoor stadium and, grimacing, scurries away to the spectator box. In another corner, M. Rekha looks up blankly as you interrupt her delicate work in floral silkscreen paintings. Shutterbug Suzanne Shuk-fan Chan from Hong Kong is kicked at the chance to click pictures of her "fabulous new friends", while Eun Ja Jung, a practising Buddhist from South Korea, immerses herself in the country "where my religion originated".

These young people are a special breed. They can match wit and ability with the best of us, but they are unique as all of them suffer from some disability—of hearing or speech or limbs. Some of them are even bound to wheelchairs but that did not stop these free-minded spirits from getting together recently in the capital for the 6th International Abilympics 2003.

The Olympics tag may stick to it (it's held every four years) but at the Abilympics the accent is on adult competitors with job-oriented skills. Each contest, from photography and desktop publishing to waste reuse and cabinet-making, addresses the core issue of employability.

With Ganesha as mascot, the weeklong event in end November was the epicentre of some powerful converging forces. Ilaben Dhirubhai Sachani from Gujarat, for example, does everything from sweeping and swabbing to embroidering delicate designs with her feet. Deaf-mute Rekha won a silver at the National Abilympics for her silkscreen paintings, her father proclaims proudly, while Jung has struck gold with flower arrangement.

Inspiring stories abounded in the 'barrier-free, disabled-friendly' environment. Kishen Bujpar, a visually impaired 14-year-old from AP, dreams of being a software engineer at night. By day, he makes perfect tie-and-dye creations, measuring spaces with his fingers. After this, the PC keyboard should be child's play.

The air here is of absorbed concentration. Running against time, each competitor barely looks up, intent on creating his or her masterpiece. Beyond these spaces lies a sea of animated exchanges, both vocal and in sign language, whizzing wheelchairs and buzzing energy.

At the centre of it all is the grey-haired, grandmotherly Uma Tuli, founder of NGo Amar Jyoti, the secretary-general of the National Abilympics Association of India (NAAI) and head of the People with Disabilities Committee formed by the ministry of social justice and empowerment. It's Tuli who took the initiative in taking the first Indian contingent with 14 members to the 2000 International Abilympics in Prague. Her team didn't disappoint: India won three golds, three bronzes and the chance to host the next games.

That was all the impetus needed. With 44 events and home turf advantage, the Indian contingent swept 30 medals in all this year. India was placed second with 7 golds, Korea came first with 13 and China was third with five golds.

India's involvement in the international Abilympics movement had begun much before its first entry in 2000. In 1981, the UN International Year of Disabled Persons, Tuli was invited to "observe" the 1st Abilympics in Tokyo. Moved by the "changes in attitude and social acceptance" that came with the games, she pushed for a national-level organising body. The NAAI was born in 2000 and began organising state, regional and finally national-level games in preparation for the grand climax. "It's the culmination of three years of work," says Tuli.

With the ministries of social justice and empowerment and HRD, the Delhi government, NGOs, corporate houses and thousands of volunteers pitching in to help, the Abilympics created history of sorts while providing a primer on how best to organise such multilevel events."It brought the NGO sector, government on one platform," George Abraham, senior VP, NAAI, says.

According to Tuli, the games provided a forum to find ways to a more "inclusive society". So while Shashi Kapoor, the goodwill ambassador for the games, gave interviews discussing the need to recognise that "they (the disabled) do not need sympathy, just a little support to carry on in life", conferences and exhibitions like "Education Towards Greater Employability" looked at the practical aspects.

The event has now prompted HRD minister Dr Murli Manohar Joshi to say that he would find employment for each of the Indian contestants who won a medal at the event and give "proficiency certificates" to other participants. It has also nourished loan schemes from the government. Prime Bank, a private bank, has agreed to provide loans at 4 per cent to budding entrepreneurs among the mentally or physically challenged. Other compelling factors: 18 hotels in the capital housing international delegates to the event have disabled-friendly rooms now, and several shopping plazas have 'barrier-free' zones.

The games has even inspired the Delhi Transport Corporation to run a disabled-friendly bus on the capital's roads. Meanwhile, the ministry of urban affairs has stated that all architectural plans for public buildings will now have to be certified "barrier-free". Also, corporate entities like hcl and icici are considering proposals on how to provide employment to the well-qualified-yet-unemployed disabled in India. The Coca-Cola Company has promised to supply raw ingredients "free of cost" to kiosks constructed by the state government for the physically challenged. If, as Tuli feels, these tiny steps become the key to unlocking the door to a "barrier-free" society, it would be a giant move for the disabled community in India.