In disability lies ability to change and to empower

"What happened to his hand?" asked a child with curiosity.

- SARAH BERRY

The child's parent, in an effort to deviate attention, hastily added that the hand in question was "injured" and would recover soon. However, I knew only too well that that would not be the case. My son was born with a radial club hand—a permanent condition," says Dr. Shweta Verma, the co-founder of Ginny's Planet and Ginny Ki Duniya Foundation. She goes on to emphasize that permanence isn't always a problem. It's more to do with mindset. "My son was born with multiple health conditions and we were constantly in and out of hospitals, but that has taught us so much. As a disability rights social worker since 2002, I had forgotten how people perceive you when you're seen only as a mom. The question—"What happened to his hand?"—is fine. The discomfort around the answer isn't."

As per the Census 2011, the number of Persons with Disabilities in India stands at 2.68 crore, which is 2.21 percent of the total population of the country. A number of initiatives, like the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act, by the Government has positively impacted the lives of PWDs, but there is still a lot that needs to be done. Challenges are manifold: lack of awareness, funding, implementation gaps, adequate training, among others.