03 December 2007
Doctoral Student Discusses Achieving Success Despite Disability
USINFO Webchat transcript, December 3
Kamal Ud din, a Pakistani national studying in the United States as a Fulbright grantee, discussed overcoming disability to achieve academic success in a USINFO Webchat December 3. In spite of visual impairment, Ud din is a doctoral candidate in English literature at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Following is the transcript:
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of International Information Programs
USINFO Webchat transcript
International Day of Disabled Persons: Overcoming Disability to Achieve Academic Success in the U.S.
Guest: Kamal Ud din
Date: December 3, 2007
Time: 8:00 a.m. EST (1300 GMT)
Moderator: If you are just joining us, welcome! "Rafia" we see your questions coming in, thank you.
Kamal Ud din: My name is Kamal ud Din and I hail from Pakistan, I am pleased to join you today.
I lost my eye sight when I was 18 years old. At that time I was a student of intermediate science pre-engineering group and my aim was to become an aeronautic engineer. A few days before the final examinations I had an attack of Tb Meningitis and I suffered from bilateral optic atrophy. For 4 years, I made every possible effort to regain my vision, but all in vain. Finally, my doctor, Jaleel ul Doula advised me to plan my future in term of blindness for he thought there was almost no chance of regaining the vision.
I started my study again. The first thing I did was to learn Braille, and a very kind man and my benefactor, Mr. Faruque Ali Shah a visiting lecturer in University Law College, the University of the Punjab taught me Braille and told me not to cry over the spilt milk but try to create something better out of what I had lost. This advice brought about a sea-change in my approach to life. Now I started thinking how I could improve the quality of my life. I realized that if I accepted the blindness passively considering it the Will of God or the fate, my life would become miserable and I would be a defeated person. I wanted neither to be defeated nor my life to be miserable: so I decided to fight against the so called fate with this conviction that I would win because I have the “unconquerable will.” So I started my studies again.
Where ever I may be, whatever I may be, and however I may be I always keep 3 principles of life in mind:
-- the first principle, I learn from venerated and beloved teacher, late Professor Talat Mehmood who always used to say, “Life demands a price for everything it gives to you”;
-- the second principle is the gift from the teachers of BLIND Inc. Minneapolis, Minnesota and it is based on NFB’S philosophy of independence and the faith that we (blind) can make it happen if we will;
-- and the third and final lesson is from English poet Robert Browning’s poem "Prospice" -- "I was ever a fighter, so -- one fight more, The best and the last!"
And now I am happy to answer your questions.
Comment [Naimat Ullah Khan - LC Karachi]: Dear Kamaluddin, I congratulate you on your successful struggle which will inspire many others like you to come forward and work hard and to make everything possible in their lives.
Answer [Kamal Ud din]: Thank you very much for your compliment and appreciation of my efforts.
Q [Naimat Ullah Khan - LC Karachi]: Dear Mr. Kamal, How do you conduct your research work in your studies? & how are your colleagues cooperate with you?
A [Kamal Ud din]: Hello Mr. Khan, I have a laptop and a scanner. I have installed JAWS and Kurzweil in my laptop and they help me read what ever is written on the screens and scanned books and articles. I use print materials as well as online sources for my research. My professors and friends are very helpful.
Q [Naimat Ullah Khan - LC Karachi]: "A Civilized society better treat it's all members", what is your experience?
A [Kamal Ud din]: People here are usually nice. I don’t have any problem with them. They are considerate, cooperative, and helpful.
Q [Naimat Ullah Khan - LC Karachi]: Don't you think in South East Asia, special people considered to be a separate class which always treated with sympathies and considered as an isolated part of the society? what steps must be taken to resolve this?
A [Kamal Ud din]: The best solution for the problem of considering the blind pitiable creatures and keeping them at the margin is that we need to change our attitude. When I say ‘we’ I mean both the blind and sighted. When you say ‘special persons’, in fact, you are unintentionally marginalizing us. The society needs to understand that if a blind person is given proper training and guidance his/her blindness is nothing but a small ‘physical nuisance.’ So my suggestion is don’t pity us, don’t consider us special persons for it smells discrimination, and give us opportunity to prove what we are capable of.
Q [Naimat Ullah Khan - LC Karachi]: Many NGOs showcase special persons, to gain publicity & charitable in many parts of the world, don't you think its discrimination of special persons? What laws are there to protect them from this? could you share?
A [Kamal Ud din]: If some NGOs exploit the blind for their selfish purposes, I can only condemn them and call them heartless criminals. Every country has its laws to deal with such organizations.
Q [Naimat Ullah Khan - LC Karachi]: How cooperative is American society towards special persons? How much advantages do you have in America as compare to any other part of the world as a special person?
A [Kamal Ud din]: Americans are very considerate to their fellow human beings who suffer from any kind of physical or mental flaw. But, please keep one reality in mind where ever you are from, you have to struggle and fight for your rights because no one gives rights quietly. You have to ask and struggle for them. The blind in the United States are leading a better and more dignified life than most of the blind people living in the other parts of the world because their elders have struggle and fight for equal rights and opportunity. They don’t wait for ‘Godot’ to ameliorate their conditions. If you want to know about the blind in the United States. Please go to www.nfb.org and read the history of the National Federation of the Blind and biographies of their leaders, particularly of Dr. TenBroek and Dr. Jernigan.
Comment [Khadim Hussain Shah]: Dear Mr. Kamal, we appreciate your commendable offers for interaction with the Pakistani special community. Sir, we are running a National Library & Resource Centre (NL&RC), at Islamabad. This centre is dealing with all the disabilities. We are providing literature on disability, training on ICT and services to the 500 special education institutions in Pakistan for the Education and Rehabilitation according to the aptitude of the Disabled. Besides this we are establishing a National Braille Library (NBL) at NL&RC.
Though we have the Braille literature collected from different sources but yet it to be updated according to the new advancement taking place in the world over in this connection we need your guidance specially as regard to the field of Information Technology, Technological Software for the education of the Visually Impaired and the Partially sighted. We have the equipment such as CCTVs and computers for this purpose.
Comment [ACKG]: It is a pity that in Serbia not many disabled people have the ability to study in the same way as other students, let alone achieve PhD. For those phisically disabled the University facilities with its high stairs probably don't look nothing but life-threatening, if you know what I mean. It's the same case for people with other types of disabilities, they don't get much chance...
Comment [Kamal Ud din]: I don’t know how to respond to your question, except that I wish we could do something for the blind in your country.
Moderator: Dear participants. Today's webchat is conducted in English.
Q [Naimat Ullah Khan - LC Karachi]: Are you willing to do something for Special Person after completing your research work? Could you share some of your future aims in this regard?
A [Kamal Ud din]: The first thing I’ll do after completion of my Ph.D program is to start a center to train visually impaired persons (both blind and persons with low vision) new computer and assistive technology. The second project in my mind is to set up a library which will provide text books and secondary and research materials in the form of recorded books, floppy discs or memory sticks.
Q [Naimat Ullah Khan - LC Karachi]: What are the learning resources for special person? what are the mediums they use to conduct their studies and how successful are these methods?
A [Kamal Ud din]: Almost all the education institutions have Disability Support Services (DSS) which helps the blind and other students with physical flaws in acquiring recorded books or Braille books or assistance in taking tests. Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic and National Library Service loan recorded and Braille books to their members The blind also use computer and Braille note takers to take notes in their classes and to write assignments. You can judge how successful they are from this fact that they admission in top universities of America on merit and their success in practical life for they are successful lawyers, professors, writers, business administrators.
Q [Naimat Ullah Khan - LC Karachi]: Would you like to share some web resources for special persons, which could help them to increase their productivity and knowledge.
A [Kamal Ud din]: www.nfb.org, www.afb.org, and Louisiana Tech Institute on Blindness.
Q [Naimat Ullah Khan - LC Karachi]: Job placement for special person is always a hot topic for NGOs & Critics. Do you think that curriculum for special persons in 3rd world countries really enable them to fit into the race of society? How they can protect their rights?
A [Kamal Ud din]: There is no special curriculum for the blind so far as I know. They study the same courses that are taught to sighted students in humanity group. It is not only the blind who have face problem of jobs, almost every graduate is facing the problem of unemployment in the third world countries. If I am not wrong, Pakistani government has reserved 2 per cent of the available jobs for the disable.
Q [Naimat Ullah Khan - LC Karachi]: How important is the role of Government to protect the rights of special persons? What are its responsibilities? And do you feel what has been done is enough. Kindly highlight it in American and International Perspective.
A [Kamal Ud din]: Every good government provides protection to the weaker sections of the nation. It is very particular about this fact the weak and the minorities should not be deprived of their rights. America has Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, programs and services provided by state and local governments, goods and services in the other sectors also.
Moderator: For more information on the “ADA” please visit the U.S. State Department’s eJournalUSA Disability and Ability at http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itsv/1106/ijse/ijse1106.htm
Q [Naimat Ullah Khan - LC Karachi]: In a male dominated society, like in South East Asian society and Arabs, don’t you think female special persons remains behind the scene. i.e. they are not provided opportunities and lawful rights as they deserve? Even they are not protected from abuse and misconducts. Don’t you think special emphasis need on this issue?
A [Kamal Ud din]: I agree with you. We need to do a great deal in this regard.
Q [Naimat Ullah Khan - LC Karachi]: In Pakistan, there are many NGOs working for special children, but I come to know a unique organisation which has been working for professional integration of special children into different organizations like KFC & etc. Can you share your experiences of Pakistan?
A [Kamal Ud din]: If some NGOs in Pakistan are working for professional integration, it is encouraging and good news.
Q [raffia]: How did the Holy Quran help in adding value to your life?
A [Kamal Ud din]: Every religion gives high moral and human values. It is up to us how we understand them and use them to make ourselves good human beings.
Q [Khadim Hussain Shah]: As the National Library and resource centre is collecting biographies of the Special community members so that visiting members of this community may read out their successful case history. May I have a copy of your biography in the NL&RC? We have already biographies of Mr. Abdul Manan, Director in Special Education and Madam Salma Maqbool, chairperson of PFFP.
A [Kamal Ud din]: How can I send you my biography? If you want a short one it is on the webchat site. Regards, Kamal.
Q [rubina]: Are there any research studies available having focus on developing self-confidence in special children through activities at children's Library complexes?
A [Kamal Ud din]: Almost all American universities have some kind of research study on blind children, but National Federation of the Blind and its associate organizations like BLIND Inc. in Minneapolis, Minnesota have Buddy programs in which they specially take care that blind children should gain self-confidence. NFB also insists on teaching Braille and cane travel to blind children so that they may attain independence. If you want to know more, please go to www.nfb.org and http://blindinc.org, you can read their philosophy and mission in detail.
Q [Khadim Hussain Shah]: Question 1) Would you like to guide us for the establishment of National Braille Library (NBL) at NL&RC in Pakistan?
A [Kamal Ud din]: Since 1982, I have been requesting the librarians of Lahore to start a Braille section in their libraries, but their excuse was Braille books occupied a lot of place. It is true that Braille books are voluminous you need a large area to house them. Secondly, you must have facility to print the printed books in Braille after seeking permission from the copyright holders because it is expensive to buy Braille books from other countries. Although I believe that every blind person must learn Braille for it instills in him/her confidence and sense of independence, but the general tendency is toward electronic media and computer as well as online sources.
Q [Khadim Hussain Shah]: Question 2) Would you like to guide us in the field of Information Communication Technology to educate the visually impaired and partially sighted. We have already the JAWS Software facility in the computer centre?
A [Kamal Ud din]: I am not a communication technology expert and have only the working knowledge of the Internet. However, with the help of JAWS, I can access online sources that I need for my research. Kurzweil helps me to read books.
I scan the print material and Kurzweil reads them to me. Most of the files on the library data basis are image files, I use Omnipage to convert them into word files for JAWS does not read image files. I don't rely too much on technology, for it can betray you any time: so I use Braille to prepare notes which, I know, is with me whenever I want them.
Thank you for joining me today. I have a message for my questioners: please don't consider a blind person a "special person" because the blind are normal human beings who can perform everything normally if they are given proper training and guidance. According to the NFB philosophy, blindness is only a small physical nuisance.
If the sighted people change their attitude towards blindness and the blind, the life of the blind can become more comfortable and normal. Thank you.
Moderator: We wish to thank Kamal Ud din for joining us today. The webchat is now closed. Please visit our USINFO Webchat Station homepage for more information on upcoming events and a transcript of today’s discussion (usually posted within one business day).
(Guests are chosen for their expertise. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of State.)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
