From the day of knowing that a baby is to be born and to the moment it inhales on its own, a mother and a father awaits eagerly. The mother undergoes the greatest pain while the father walks impatiently with a heart weighed with hope. The hope in each and every parent under this sun is to have a healthy baby. On the day we were bornwhile our mothers sighed with relief and fathers smiled of pride it might not have been the same for many parents out there. Their smiles of joy would have been faded upon knowing that the baby they were expecting or the baby that is born is mentally or physically different from the rest.
Differences can be striking at certain times. It can be a minute change in the hereditary material or just a second of life that can decide the entire future ahead. Thoughwe grew up to be adults, some of our fellow mates are still in a position where their parents have to fulfill every need of them. While most of us complaint about complexion, height, weight and little differences in our appearance, we almost forget that there are millions out there who cannot even see how the world looks like and some who can’t understand what they see. The differences have deprived many pleasures out ofthem. While we are mesmerized by a song, marveled by the beauty of nature and overjoyed by a walk in the rain they are stuck in their own little places. From theday they were born throughout their lives they have faced nothing but difference.
According to the records differently abled persons represent 1 billion of the global population. But if we honestly ask ourselves whether we continuously care for them, the mere answer is that we have not got it right yet. It’s true that on certain occasions we sympathize them, we offer our seat and actually worry about them. But all their lives they have been looked on with just sympathy and empathy. They have been left out to feel their differences alone.
It’s timely to spend few hours of our lives with them. The coming Saturday rotaractors of University of Colombo Faculty of Science are extending their hands to give a different approach to this difference. Not to make them worry over what they do not have but to make them feel that they are one of us and to make them realize that physical barriers can be won through a friendly hand.
written by Amaya Sathurusinghe.
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