In our childhood a popular game we used to play was ‘Blind man’s Buff’ in which one of us would be blindfolded and attempt to get his hands on others. As long as it was a game it was enjoyable. But imagine a situation when one is required to carry on day after day in this fashion.

I happened to experience a similar situation when I attended a conference organized by the office of the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities. To get a first-hand experience of the daily ordeal encountered by the disabled(since renamed as physically challenged), the organizers had made arrangements for certain wheelchairs, crutches, blind folds & white canes. The participants were expected to simulate one of the disabilities. They were required to go down to ground floor from the third floor where the conference hall was situated and come back seeking necessary guidance but no assistance from people around.

I chose to put on the blindfold. We were explained how to use the universally recognized white cane lest we meet with an accident. One of the first experiences on putting the blindfold was loss of sense of direction. The cane became our eyes. With one faculty gone you start depending more on the other faculties. For instance when I entered an open area from the corridor the sound of tapping of the cane changed. When I entered a canteen area I could sense it from the smell of food and the sound of utensils. The bottom line is that the simulation exercise was a Herculean task. The other participants who simulated other disabilities underwent similar experiences. The simulation exercise created awareness on the difficulties encountered by the handicapped persons day after day. Even a simple sounding task like crossing a street must be full of difficulties and dangers. Despite their handicaps we see many around us having to commute daily to their place of work and back.

The organizers explained three terms viz. physically impaired, handicap and disability. The first term relates to some medical or biological deficiency of the body. The second term ‘handicap’ is inability to perform a task due to being physically impaired. The third term, which is very important ‘disability’, is a social factor. It is inability of a handicapped person to perform a task, say for instance inaccessibility to a building due to absence of ramps and lifts. This is an area where many of us can help our brethren in overcoming disability. Mere sympathy is not enough. We should help them in whatever manner we can in overcoming their disability. The planners should take care to design their structures which can be used by the disabled persons as well be it a building, a street, a bus stop, railway station or any other public utility. The school children should be educated on how best they can assist physically challenged persons around them. In fact such simulation exercises as I experienced should be arranged in schools as well to create awareness from a young age itself for the physically challenged. Our little effort could bring a smile on their faces and help them in overcoming their loss, which Destiny has denied them.

We should not forget that old age makes us handicapped in many ways. Let us reach out to the physically challenged so that tomorrow when we are not as capable as we are today others will extend their helping hand to us.