Surmounting odds: A glimmer of hope for the handicapped

A polio victim, Asad, has won sports tournaments and works to spread awareness.

PESHAWAR:

With his willpower, Asadullah, 26, has not only managed to overcome disability but also excel in sports and set an example for others. Crippled by polio since he was six months old, he proved his mettle by winning two gold medals in wheelchair competitions in 2008 and 2001.

He is the founder and president of Independent Committee for Special Persons, which he established to motivate disabled persons to participate in healthy activities, so they “do not feel left behind and lead normal lives”.

While talking to The Express Tribune, he commented, “The handicapped are no less capable than anyone else; it’s only a matter of getting proper support.” His organisation works to help handicapped persons participate in various games and other healthy activities and help them become useful citizens.

During the National Olympics for Disabled Persons in 2008, Asad won a gold medal after bagging the first position in a three-kilometre wheelchair race. In 2011, he got another gold medal for getting the first position in a provincial-level wheelchair competition. He also won two bronze medals in body building competition, sponsored by Baitul Mal in Lahore, and won a bronze medal in Tajikistan for a weight-lifting competition this year.

According to an official of Social Welfare Department Mardan, around 8,000 people are physically-disabled in the district while majority of them have been affected by polio. Asad says that he contracted the disease because of not getting vaccinated on time. However, he wants to spread awareness among all parents to administer vaccination to their children and stem the crippling disease “before it’s too late”.

In Mardan, most of the disabled children, he says, do not step out of their homes. They feel awkward and hesitate in interacting with others in public. Parents usually don’t bother sending their physically-challenged children to school.

Asad, on the other hand, went to school and passed his Secondary School Certificate examination from Government High School Mardan. He urges people to immunise their children during anti-polio campaigns and not give in to any myths surround vaccinations. “Our next plan is to go door-to-door with the polio vaccination teams and spread awareness among those who rejected the polio vaccination,” he said. Moreover, he asked the parents of disabled children to have them enrolled in schools to ensure them a secure and bright future.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 29^th, 2012.