Benzy at - Walk with a Difference.held on 20th August 2015 at Siri Fort Auditorium,

 Banzy Differently Abled - Walk with a Difference.held on 20th August 2015 at Siri Fort Auditorium,

UMANG'S WORKSHOP FOR BLIND, DEAF GIRLS

Shimla: Umang Foundation is organizing a workshop for our daughters with blindness and deafness, studying in Portmore School/ RKMV College, on "Menstrual Hygiene and Reproductive Health" on 6th September( Sunday) at YMCA, near The Ridge, from 10 AM. A first of its kind in northern India, the workshop will be conducted by Dr. Alok Sharma and other specialist doctors from Kamla Nehru Hospital. This program will be very useful for the participants as such topics are rarely discussed in our rural hill - society and sources of information of our blind and deaf girls are still very limited. All girl students/ ladies associated with Umang Foundation are also requested to be the part of this workshop and reach before 10 AM.

EnAble India was at the Conference on Engage Ability,

EnAble India was at the Conference on EngageAbility, hosted jointly by the CII and the Disability NGO Alliance (DNA) last Friday where we talked about hiring persons with disability, the CSR Act, and the way forward for NGOs. Both our founders, Shanti and Dipesh, moderated sessions at the conference.The event had live Kannada translationr, a sign language interpreter for people with hearing impairment, and live tweeting of the proceedings with ‪#‎EngageAbility‬ for people who were following the conference at home.

[Image Description: A picture of Shanti's panel, and one picture of Dipesh delivering the Vote of Thanks, with a sign language interpreter in the foreground]

Inspiring Story: Samuel Mani - When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe then you will be successful

Samuel Mani was born with cerebral palsy, but that did not mow down his spirits. During his birth, there were a few complications that left him with a permanent physical disability. But what made him different from others, was not his appearance, but his grit and persistence to grow up like any normal kid. Mani has adapted the perceptions of society towards differently-abled and has made his peace with it. He does not seek support and is determined enough to reach his goals on his own.

Mani rightly quotes:

All my struggles are my own, all my victories are my own.

The Spastic Society of Northern India is where Samuel did his schooling from, the institution is now known as Action for Ability Development & Inclusion Hauz Khas, Delhi. His efforts didn’t go in vain, and he received immense support from people around him, be it his special educators, therapists or rehabilitators. Samuel cleared his class 10th exams and then 12th exams from St Mary School. He was motivated enough to study further, and he did, yes, he earned his graduation degree from Delhi University in Commerce stream. And, now it was time to face the real world challenges but, due to the typical mindset of people, Samuel didn’t land up with a job for two years. That is when the thought of arranging his own set-up. He took a course in computer hardware and software learning and founded a firm called Neutron Computers.

Mani is a strong-headed man who is not only financially independent, but also provides employment to five other people. Speaking about Neutron Computers, he says that sometimes it is good and sometimes it is not. He believes that had he been an ordinary person, business would have shaped out better. It is not his business he fights for, but against the mindset of people. Initially, he had problems settings up his venture as the idea was unique in itself to people. Nobody had heard of such a thing from a differently-abled person.

Samuel doesn’t care what people say about him and doesn’t look out for sympathy or support.

He speaks his mind saying:

Call me whatever you want, I don’t care. I earn my living, support my family, and that is the only important thing to me.

Though, it wasn’t a cake walk for him to set-up his business. He did face a lot of challenges, but his determination led him to a good future. Samuel has a positive outlook and has never been afraid of challenges thrown his way.

Eventually, his efforts paid off after years of dedication, and his work is now being recognised. Mani, proudly voices out that, people are now getting to know that only a person is disabled, but not the company or the work.

Samuel bagged the title of being the first Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher in India. He has been associated with the technology giant for the last eight years, and that has helped him get recognition and some good amount of work. He now has a number of clients like Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal, Evangelical Fellowship of India, Rehabilitation Council of India, Business and Communication Foundation, Bible Society of India, Business and Communication Foundation, Avana India, A.A.D.I. and more.

We all have something to learn from Samuel Mani's life and his ideologies. He swam against the tide and did the unthinkable.

Samuel’s Achievements
Founded Neutron Computers First Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher in India. Attended Microsoft India's annual conference as their partner in Bangkok in 2007. Provides Employment to five people in his Neutron Computers.