The International Day of Persons with Disabilities

The date of 3rd December is celebrated every year as the International Day of Disabled Persons beginning from the year 1992. This day aims to promote the rights and well-being of persons who are specially-abled and increase awareness in every aspect of their political, social, economic and cultural life.

Building on many decades of UN’s work in the field of disability, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted in the year 2006, has further included the rights and well-being of people with special abilities in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other international development frameworks, such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Charter on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action, the New Urban Agenda, and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development etc.

This year, the International Day of Disabled Persons (IDPD) focuses on the empowerment of people with special abilities for inclusive, equitable and sustainable development under the  Agenda for Sustainable Development 2030, which recognizes disability as one of the important issues to be solved using the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The United Nations Disability Inclusion strategy launched on 11th June, 2019 provides the path to achieve the 17 SDGs. Through the strategy, the United Nations system makes it clear that the issue of disrespecting specially-abled in the community is not something which will be tolerated and will be taken action upon, this will be supported by the rules of the UN.

The movement started by the UN in 1992 and the celebration of this day every 3rd of December with a theme to be worked upon every year for helping the specially-abled gives us a promise that surely the topic on solving the problems for the specially-abled will be solved much earlier than 2030.

It’s time to dump the word “DIS-ABILITY” and pronounce it loudly as “SPECIAL ABILITY”. Special Neighborhood (https://www.specialneighborhood.com) is an initiative focussing on building an inclusive world by bringing together all the specially-abled on a single platform, empowering them with an ecosystem, which enables them to Connect, Collaborate, Communicate and Create. Additionally giving them access to jobs, events, news and much more from the world of Special Abilities.

5 Gadgets That Help People with Disabilities

Technological advancements have paved a way to help the Specially Abled by helping them cope with specific diseases/issues by means of technological advancements. Below listed are some breakthrough products that have proven extremely useful in assisting the Specially-Abled :

1. Google Glass is one of the best devices for physical handicaps. With the features of a head-mounted display gadget already present, it has the ability to translate spoken language into real-time subtitles completely eliminating the barrier of communication between individuals. It also features a face-tracking software that helps partially or fully blind people recognize others' emotions and facial expressions. Along with the navigation, software has the ability to help navigate places on the go.
2. DynaVox EyeMax is a system used by patients with cerebral palsy, stroke and people suffering from paralysis. It uses an eye-tracking technology that allows a user to watch television, read online books and even use computers. By tracking the user’s eye movement and blinking, it allows them to enter a word that is then converted into the spoken language using a complex text to speech mechanism. The company’s motive of launching this product is to educate children dealing with mental issues who are unable to grab languages and help them to overcome these issues.
3. Kenguru is the world’s first electrically powered car which is specifically designed for people in a wheelchair. Designed by Kenguru, a company based in Hungary, these cars are only available in the USA. Controlled by a motorcycle-type handle, it allows the user to control it from the wheelchair and gives easy access through its back door. Currently, it can carry only one person and reaches a maximum speed of 45 km/h. 
4. EDGE 40 is a powerful device that reads data from the computer screen and converts it into Braille. It enables people to use many applications including Notepad, Calculator, Alarm without connecting to a PC or smartphone. EDGE 40 understands 13 different languages and can store thousands of books with external memory cards. Powered by a rechargeable battery with a shelf life of 20 hours the product priced at $3100 is a popular choice among people requiring visual aid.
5. Liftware is an eating utensil that allows people with motion disorders (like Parkinson’s disease) to eat their food without any external help. Liftware works as a stabilizing handle on forks, spoons, and soup spoons. The device is capable of reducing hand tremors by 70% by detecting the direction of motion and then moving the handle in the opposite direction of the hand tremors. With the passage of time, newer devices are being made and work is being done to improve on the devices made until now so as to further improve the situation and making people feel even more confident to complete daily tasks and even perform complex tasks without any external help.

It’s time to dump the word “DIS-ABILITY” and pronounce it loudly as “SPECIAL ABILITY”. Special Neighborhood (https://www.specialneighborhood.com) is an initiative focussing on building an inclusive world by bringing together all the specially-abled on a single platform, empowering them with an ecosystem, which enables them to Connect, Collaborate, Communicate and Create. Additionally giving them access to jobs, events, news and much more from the world of Special Abilities.

Trischa Zorn, swimming to victory with eyes closed

Welcome to another inspiring story of “Meet The Real Heroes” on Special Neighborhood, an exclusive Social Network for the specially-abled. For our first time readers, this series is dedicated to individuals, who have conquered problems resulting from their physical or mental disabilities to achieve their dreams and ambitions. The world of Specially Abled needs more role models and this series is dedicated to bringing those real-life heroes to you.

As per WHO, more than one billion people in the world live with some form of disability, of whom nearly 200 million experience considerable difficulties in functioning. Consequently, to achieve the goals set under UNITED NATIONs SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS of building an inclusive and equitable world, it’s imperative to empower people living with disabilities

Moving on now, let's celebrate the life of Trischa Zorn.

Trischa Zorn has proven the world that her disability can’t stop her from achieving what she dreams in her life after she became the most successful Paralympian until date, retiring with 55 international medals (41 gold, 9 silver, and 5 bronze). Born on 1st June 1964 in Orange, California with Aniridia, a congenital, genetic eye condition that causes the eye to stop developing prematurely making her completely blind by birth.

Over the years she has competed in the 1908,1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004 Paralympics swimming in (S12, SB12 and SM12 disability categories). After starting at the age of 10 at the Mission Viejos Natadores Team, she has never looked back. 

She won 7 gold medals during her first Games in 1980, after which she won 5 more golds at Stoke Mandeville/New York 1984 and enjoyed her most successful Games at Seoul 1988 claiming a staggering 12 gold medals, easily breaking the previous record of 10 set by Italian Maria Scutti at the first Paralympics in Rome, in 1960. She topped the individual medal table at the 1992 Games in Barcelona with 10 gold and 2 silver medals and became the only athlete to win 2 gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze medals in the 1996 Games in Atlanta. In the Sydney Games of  2000, she had 8 world records to her name in the disability category (50 m backstrokes, 100 m backstroke, 200 m backstroke, 200 m individual medley, 400 m individual medley, 200 m breaststroke, 4×50 m medley relay, 4×50 m free relay) and she retired from swimming post Olympics in Athens in the year 2004 after her mother expired due to cancer.

In the year 2001, she started teaching young school-aged children with special needs in Indianapolis which she continued doing for 10 years, became one of eight athletes honored during New Year celebrations in Times Square in New York City on 1 January 2005 and got inducted into the Paralympic Hall of Fame in the year 2012. Being a Lawyer she works currently with the Indiana Pro Bono Commission in Indianapolis and lives in Indianapolis with her husband  Bryan and her stepdaughters Emelie and Erika.

Do you still think a disability makes you weak in front of others?  Examples like her are there in every domain to prove you wrong because remember that you are not disabled but specially-abled.

It’s time to dump the word “DIS-ABILITY” and pronounce it loudly as “SPECIAL ABILITY”. Special Neighborhood (https://www.specialneighborhood.com) is an initiative focussing on building an inclusive world by bringing together all the specially-abled on a single platform, empowering them with an ecosystem, which enables them to Connect, Collaborate, Communicate and Create. Additionally giving them access to jobs, events, news and much more from the world of Special Abilities.