Sharma is additional district commissioner and CEO of Mewat Development Authority, but it took him six years to make it to the IAS despite topping selection tests, only because he was hearing impaired. Sharma lost his hearing at age nine. Another village boy from a family of modest means might have given up studies, but he taught himself lipreading and did well in school, college and university. He started his career as a government clerk, then became a lecturer, and in 2004 topped the 'physically disabled' category in the civil services exam. But the IAS had no place for the deaf, and he faced disappointment till 2010, when the Prime Minister's Office ordered his placement according to merit. By then, Sharma had got a cochlear implant and was able to follow conversations. "UPSC was a way for me to conquer my deafness, not just for myself but also for others," he says.
Sneha Das Gupta
Sneha Das Gupta
Kolkata resident Sneha is doing MPhil in development studies. Hers is a story of resilience as she did not surrender despite facing many hurdles. She was diagnosed with hearing impairment when she was only a year old and the early diagnosis helped her complete schooling from a regular school. However, when she applied to Presidency University, Kolkata, she found out that it had no provision of affirmative action for disabled students, even though the Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995 mandates it. She got her due only after the education minister intervened, but even after her admission and till date, no step has been taken to support persons with disability and the university lacks disabled-friendly infrastructure. Despite all these hurdles, Sneha continued her education. She completed her MA from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) Mumbai, and is now pursuing MPhil at Institute of Development Studies, Kolkata.
Karan Singhania
IIM-Ahmedabad alumnus Singhania is from Korba, Chhattisgarh, and a management trainee with a telecom company. A visually impaired person, he didn't know about the legal provisions for people with disabilities until it was time for him to write his Class X boards. His school principal refused to let him sit for them and he was expelled from school for not attending classes. He tried for two years to get re-admitted and finally wrote his exams as a private candidate. During this phase, someone told him about the 1995 Act. He went to the state disability commissioner, who handed him a copy of the Act. Armed with it, he demanded admission to his school and was accepted. He topped his school in the Class XII Boards and went on to study at SRCC, Delhi before clearing CAT and getting a seat at IIM-Ahmedabad. He was the first visually impaired student at IIM-A.
Bugga Mallesh
Dwarfism runs in Mallesh's family. His parents before him, and now his daughter too. For 16 years, he was a circus clown, but started selling handkerchiefs on the streets of Secunderabad, Telangana, to give his daughter "a better life". His life changed after the Andhra Pradesh government stopped issuing bus passes to dwarfs. "I was dependent on government bus passes which allowed me to take the more expensive express services to avoid the danger of either falling or being trampled. The passes were stopped for us in 2003, and one day I wasn't allowed to board a bus and insulted. It was very humiliating." He formed 'Twin Cities Dwarf Association' and built up a movement to demand the inclusion of dwarfs in the 'orthopedically disabled' category of the 1995 Persons with Disabilities Act. "In 2005, finally, the government relented and recognized us, and I got my bus pass back.
Karan Singhania
IIM-Ahmedabad alumnus Singhania is from Korba, Chhattisgarh, and a management trainee with a telecom company. A visually impaired person, he didn't know about the legal provisions for people with disabilities until it was time for him to write his Class X boards. His school principal refused to let him sit for them and he was expelled from school for not attending classes. He tried for two years to get re-admitted and finally wrote his exams as a private candidate. During this phase, someone told him about the 1995 Act. He went to the state disability commissioner, who handed him a copy of the Act. Armed with it, he demanded admission to his school and was accepted. He topped his school in the Class XII Boards and went on to study at SRCC, Delhi before clearing CAT and getting a seat at IIM-Ahmedabad. He was the first visually impaired student at IIM-A.
Bugga Mallesh
Dwarfism runs in Mallesh's family. His parents before him, and now his daughter too. For 16 years, he was a circus clown, but started selling handkerchiefs on the streets of Secunderabad, Telangana, to give his daughter "a better life". His life changed after the Andhra Pradesh government stopped issuing bus passes to dwarfs. "I was dependent on government bus passes which allowed me to take the more expensive express services to avoid the danger of either falling or being trampled. The passes were stopped for us in 2003, and one day I wasn't allowed to board a bus and insulted. It was very humiliating." He formed 'Twin Cities Dwarf Association' and built up a movement to demand the inclusion of dwarfs in the 'orthopedically disabled' category of the 1995 Persons with Disabilities Act. "In 2005, finally, the government relented and recognized us, and I got my bus pass back.
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