Meet Irshad.
Irshad lives with locomotor disability and uses a wheelchair. His home has stairs, and he sleeps in a convertible bed in the front room of the house.
When Irshad was older his father bought him a normal scooter. He got the alignment from Hyderabad, another city in India. His father joined it to the main scooter and made Irshad a customised vehicle in two days. Irshad is fortunate to have a family who see him as a full person undefined by the disability.
His family and Irshad have ended the stigma of disability among themselves with great help from SERVE and our partner, The Association of People with Disability (APD).
SERVE and APD are working hard to end the stigma on disability through sensitising programmes and community education through outreach activities. APD are also campaigners for inclusion and disability rights.
“You have supported so many others like me through APD. Do you know this is a huge thing because being a wheelchair user in India is very difficult – there is stigma and so many challenges.”
In addition to this work APD offer numerous therapies and educational services on site. There’s a school for children who live with disabilities.
Irshad explains, “ I work at the Association of People with Disability, and you know I also did my primary school education here. So, it’s like I am starting at the beginning. I work in a department called MIS (Management Information System). I basically do all the registration for different programs here, I make reports of those programmes and also, I have my free coffee or green tea with no sugar that comes to my desk out of nowhere – it’s a great perk to have at work. I feel motivated knowing that I am financially independent, contributing to society and am so grateful for the life I have.“
When you donate €30 to SERVE, you will help more people like Irshad to overcome the stigma to live an independent life or buy a Solidarity Gift of a Specialised Wheelchair.
“I am very thankful to the people of Ireland for supporting my journey because you have supported APD. Do you know this is a huge thing because being a wheelchair user in India is very difficult – there is stigma and so many challenges.
With APD’s help, with your help I can think about my life with more confidence, and I am determined to stay focused in whatever I do.” – Irshad, Bangalore, India
