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Delhi

Plight of differently-abled students highlighted in JNU workshop

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Visually Challenged Students forum and Equal Opportunity Office, in collaboration with the Centre for Study of Social Systems, on Monday organised a day-long workshop titled 'Humari Zubaan: From Impairment to Disability'.

The workshop was organised to put forward the sufferings of differently-abled JNU students and advocated seeing disability as just another form of diversity rather than treating it as a tragedy.
"Our life and personalities are by some means related to disability," said Ira Singhal, Civil Services Examination Topper, batch 2015 and Assistant Collector, government of Delhi.

"The real challenge is to bring a halt to those operating as a puppet. Victimisation needs to end. Apart from academic standard, what lies underneath disability is social standard," added Singhal.
The workshop, held at the JNU Convention Centre, aimed at making the voices of the differently-abled students heard and spreading awareness amongst people towards treating them with proper respect and justice. Ill-treatment faced by the differently-abled students and the denial of equal opportunities to them was also highlighted.

A documentary titled 'Humari Zubaan', prepared by JNU student Tejasvi Sharma, was also presented during the workshop. The documentary was based on 50 biographical narratives by differently-able students of JNU.

One of the students also put forward his dismay on the humiliation he faced on the day of his interview, despite having proper academic credentials.

Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar gave the inaugural address at the conference and later a discussion by students, as well as representatives of student political parties, on the theme of 'Accessibility in the JNU Campus' was also held.

Well-known speakers, such as Roma Bhagat, Navneet Sethi and Abha Khetrapal talked on issues of disability, rights and culture.

"Remember, we disabled are human beings too and have all the right to compete in the job market, to be a lover or a spouse, to be a parent and to get good care," were the words put forward by one of the students.
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