Here are stories of a few special needs children who Challenged and changed how the world saw them and made us all proud!
ALL KIDS HAVE THEIR OWN UNIQUE SUPERPOWER!
It is not uncommon in this society to limit the potentials of children with special needs to a list of behaviors they are “expected” to perform. They are so often looked down upon, ‘sympathized’ and restricted from doing things they actually might excel in.
So here are the TOP 10 SUCCESS STORIES FOR SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN(out of the many more) who did not let their disability obstruct them from achieving great success in life.
TOP 10 SUCCESS STORIES FOR SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN
1. Jiya Rai – In the year 2020 itself, a young 11-year-old girl from Mumbai, Jiya Rai, sets a swimming ‘world record’ when she swam from Elephanta Island to Gateway of India in 3 hours and 27 minutes as opposed to the set time of 4 hours and 21 minutes by the Maharashtra State swimming body. It is a celebration in itself but what is more splendid is that she did not let her disability stop her from achieving huge things. Jiya was diagnosed with Autism. But with her father’s support and her courage, she became the ‘youngest and the first special-needs girl’ in the WORLD to swim 14 kilometers in 207.5 minutes.
You can read more about her success story at https://www.shethepeople.tv/top-stories/inspiration/jiya-rai-autistic-swimmer-sets-record/
2. Hitesh Ramchandani – With a ‘movement disorder’ called Cerebral Palsy that affects the muscle tone and the posture of the individual, Hitesh Ramchandani achieved a great name in the area of sports. Now a 28-year-old adult, he represented Singapore in the sport of football at the 7th Asian Para Games in Myanmar and the Incheon Asian Para Games 2016.
In his childhood, he had a hard time overcoming the challenges of the disorder; he could not even hold a milk bottle. But with his father’s push and support, he started taking part in sports activities at the young age of 11 years. He has now involved himself in not just one sport, but many like swimming, tennis and roller-blading, cycling, soccer, and kickboxing. He also pursued a degree in sports science at the PSB Academy, Singapore.
Read more at https://yourstory.com/2017/12/hitesh-ramchandani-cerebral-palsy?utm_pageloadtype=scroll
3. Ankush Saha – Intellectual disability is generally characterized by low intelligence or mental ability and lack of skills necessary for daily life functioning. But Ankush Saha, a 24-year-old male, braved all the odds and won a silver medal in golf for India at the 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games held in Abu Dhabi. He started playing golf at 13 years of age and has achieved many prizes and wins since then. Ankush has mentioned in an interview how he derives a lot of satisfaction playing golf and that golf helps him stay positive and upbeat. He has indeed made India proud representing the nation at a global level.
Read more about his journey at https://yourstory.com/socialstory/2019/04/ankush-saha-special-olympic-golf-disabled
4. Dheeraj Saini – A 22-years-old turned his life around by winning a bronze in a cycling race at the Special Olympics of 2019, that too on a bike that he brought from his own earnings. When you read his life story about coming from a lower socioeconomic background, working as a gardener, suffering from intellectual disability along with speech and hearing impairments, and achieving laurels at Special Olympics, it fills us with pride and joy! Being 22-years-old, he took cycling training from the training camps of Special Olympics Bharat for the last 15 years of his life. It is nothing less than remarkable, what he achieved and the great things he will definitely achieve in the future!
5. Avila Kane – Winning a bronze medal in a 100m roller skating race at the Special Olympics 2019 at the age of 18 and making India proud is a huge thing. But when I add that it was achieved by a girl named, Avila Kane who was suffering from Down syndrome isn’t it remarkable? Yes, it is!
When she was born, her parents were told that she had only a 5% survival chance but looking back, Avila fought all the odds and excelled in her passion for sports and Zumba. She plays basketball, football, sports-skating, carom and is a certified Zumba trainer. It was not a linear journey but it definitely made her stronger and overcome the limitations presented by this genetic disorder as much as possible.
6. Shalu – Abandoned by her parents when she was 4 years old, Shalu found a haven at the All-India Pingalwara Charitable Society – a home for the abandoned and destitute. She suffered from an intellectual disability, a learning disorder, and speech impairment. Fast-forward to nineteen years later, she won 4 silver medals for India at Special Olympics held in Abu Dhabi in various sports like Squat, Bench Press, Deadlift, and combination. She started training in power-lifting in 2012. Shalu has always been passionate about sports, she used to love football and has also won a gold medal at Unified Sports in team table tennis. She has made India proud time and again and became an inspiration and a ray of hope for society.
The success stories are not limited to sports but children with special needs have succeeded in many more professions and areas of life. They are like those little plants that find a way to grow even through a cemented pavement of societal stigma.
7. Pranav Bakshi – A 19-year-old Delhi boy is the first male model of India with Autism. He had always dreamt about being a model like his idol Spanish supermodel Jon Kortajarenna. After various futile efforts, he finally got a breakthrough. Since then, there is no stopping. He has walked the ramp for various popular fashion labels. Despite his condition, he never backed down and is fighting day by day to achieve his dreams.
8. Rucha Shere – It is not only the child with Down syndrome but also the parents that go through a lot when the child is diagnosed with such a disorder. This was also the case with the parents of Ms. Rucha Shere. But she alongwith her parents fought through the challenges of this disorder and created a niche for herself in education.
She pursued her passion for reading and completed her Master’s degree in Sanskrit where she also won a gold medal for securing the highest marks in the University! She also pursued Bharatnatyam up to several levels. Basically, she challenged the challenges of Down syndrome, did not let it define her life, and made her parents and everyone around beam with pride and joy.
9. Aditi Verma – A genetic disorder – A down syndrome that affects intellect and physical growth did not stop a young woman, Aditi Verma, from outshining and braving all the odds. She with her exceptional entrepreneurial skills opened her own café in Navi Mumbai called, Aditi’s Corner. She runs this whole business, cooks, handles accounts, and has gained a lot of popularity. In 2019, the café completed four years. She wanted to do something of her own and did not back down. She was awarded the 2019 Hellen Keller award for being an inspiration and a role model to many.
More about her on:https://yourstory.com/2018/01/mumbai-restaurant-owner-23-year-old-syndrome-extraordinary-story
10. Swapnil Tewari – I wanted to end this blog with someone who has lived a rollercoaster life but found a way to spread joy, give hope and love to the community and start a revolution in itself. He is one of the youngest specially-abled social reformers of India – Swapnil Tewari.
His journey through life has been difficult with losing his father, almost attempting suicide, and suffering from dyslexia and synaesthesia (a neurological condition where the five senses are not normally connected). But this did not deter him from achieving and doing great things for society. This 32-year-old changemaker started a movement in 2015 called, ‘Livemad’ which strives to spread hope for people who have none. Out of the several social projects, providing psychological help to the troubled community and establishing a 24-hour helping people suffering from depression has been notable. Swapnil did not stop there; he worked towards empowering the disadvantaged and the marginalized. His NGO called – The light mission has been working in this field of Social action.
Swapnil dived deep into his passion for bringing a positive change in society and has given a number of TED Talks, earned laurels from Forbes and the government of Uttar Pradesh and Odisha, and was also chosen as UNESCO Ambassador for inclusive learning in 2018.
Read more about his inspiring work at https://yourstory.com/socialstory/2019/06/swapnil-tiwari-dyslexia-social-change
These Indians have worked very hard, faced criticisms and stigmatized behaviours of others towards them and have gone way beyond the societal expectations from them. They did not let society define them or deter them.
They have not only succeeded in whatever they aspired to do, but they have created a niche for themselves contradicting the various myths about how there is only so much you can achieve when you are a child with special needs.
These children and many more like them are ideals for many their age and hope for parents of children with special needs.
These are not just success stories; these are stories of PRIDE, stories of COURAGE, stories of PERSISTENCE, and stories of HOPE.
References:
- https://www.patientsengage.com/personal-voices/excel-beyond-expectations-despite-down-syndrome
- http://www.downsyndrome.in/excel-beyond-expectations-despite-down-syndrome.php
- https://yourstory.com/2018/01/mumbai-restaurant-owner-23-year-old-syndrome-extraordinary-story
- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/others/meet-the-special-olympians-who-made-india-proud-at-abu-dhabi-games/articleshow/68636164.cms
- https://www.theweek.in/leisure/society/2019/12/01/meeting-aditi-verma-the-entrepreneur-with-down-syndrome.html
- https://yourstory.com/2017/12/hitesh-ramchandani-cerebral-palsy?utm_pageloadtype=scroll
- https://yourstory.com/socialstory/2019/05/inclusive-india-specially-abled-sportspersons-olympics
- https://yourstory.com/socialstory/2019/06/autism-disablities-artist-narendra-modi-recycling-inspiration
- https://www.shethepeople.tv/top-stories/inspiration/jiya-rai-autistic-swimmer-sets-record/
- https://yourstory.com/socialstory/2019/04/ankush-saha-special-olympic-golf-disabled
- https://yourstory.com/socialstory/2019/06/swapnil-tiwari-dyslexia-social-change
- https://yourstory.com/socialstory/2019/06/swapnil-tiwari-dyslexia-social-change
- https://www.indiatimes.com/sports/shalu-was-abandoned-at-the-age-of-four-now-she-will-represent-india-in-powerlifting-at-the-special-olympics-360857.html
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