FLASH NEWS: நிலவின் தென்துருவத்தில் இறங்கிய சீன விண்கலம்; பாறை மாதிரிகளுடன் 25-ந்தேதி பூமிக்கு திரும்பும் **** சீனாவிடம் இருந்து தைவானை சுதந்திரமாக பிரிந்து செல்ல ஒருபோதும் அனுமதிக்க மாட்டோம் என சீன ராணுவம் தெரிவித்துள்ளது ***** அமெரிக்க ஆயுதங்களால் ரஷிய இலக்குகளை தாக்கலாம்.. உக்ரைனுக்கு அனுமதி அளித்த பைடன் ***** அமெரிக்காவில் நடைபெற்ற 'ஸ்பெல்லிங் பீ' போட்டியில் இந்திய வம்சாவளி மாணவர் புருகத் சோமா சாம்பியன் பட்டம் வென்று அசத்தினார் ***** கலவர வழக்குகளில் இருந்து பாகிஸ்தான் முன்னாள் பிரதமர் இம்ரான்கான் விடுதலை ***** நாட்டில் வெப்ப தாக்கத்திற்கு 56 பேர் பலி; என்.சி.டி.சி. அறிக்கை ***** அசாம் மாநிலத்தில் பெய்த கனமழையால் பிரம்மபுத்திரா நதியில் நீர்மட்டம் உயர்ந்துள்ளது ***** நாடு முழுவதும் 3-ந்தேதி முதல் சுங்கச்சாவடி கட்டணம் உயர்வு ***** இங்கிலாந்தில் இருந்து 100 டன் தங்கத்தை இந்தியாவுக்கு கொண்டு வந்த ரிசர்வ் வங்கி ***** பள்ளியிலேயே மாணவ-மாணவிகளுக்கு வங்கி கணக்கு: பள்ளி கல்வித்துறை அறிவிப்பு ***** பிரக்ஞானந்தாவின் வெற்றி வியக்க வைக்கிறது.. கவுதம் அதானி வாழ்த்து ***** திருப்பதி கோவிலில் 65 வயதுக்கு மேற்பட்ட பக்தர்கள் 30 நிமிடத்தில் தரிசனம் செய்ய வசதி ***** சிக்கிமில் மீண்டும் ஆட்சியமைக்கும் எஸ்.கே.எம்? .. அருணாச்சலப் பிரதேசத்தில் பா.ஜ.க முன்னிலை ***** டெல்லியில் தலைவிரித்தாடும் தண்ணீர் பஞ்சம் *****

Wednesday, November 21, 2018

‘Disability can turn into special ability if you just aim high’


21.11.2018
Nishtha Dudeja, 23, has a 100% hearing disability and is an international para-athlete; and she’s won a National Award and an international beauty pageant.

From enthralling an audience with a dance recital, to winning an international beauty pageant and competing as a para-athlete in multiple sports, Nishtha Dudeja has decided she wants to do it all.

Dudeja, 23, who is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Economics at Mithibai College, has had a 100 per cent hearing disability since childhood and uses a hearing aid. Her speech, which was previously affected, was developed after seven years of therapy, and she now speaks clearly.

Originally from Delhi, she became the first Indian to win the title of Miss Deaf Asia 2018 at the Miss and Mister Deaf World Pageant held in Prague in September.

In yet another feather in her cap, the 23-year old was recently selected for the national award for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, 2018, in the Role Model category, awarded by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Dudeja will be presented with the award at a function scheduled to be held in Delhi on December 3.

In an email interview to Mirror, Dudeja said, “The letter (from the ministry) came on November 9. When I read it, I screamed and ran to my mom. ‘Look, we are getting a National Award!’ I told her. My dad was in the office, and I called him like an excited child and broke the news. It is a great honour for me, and I am really very happy I was selected for this award this year. No disability can stop you from realising your dreams. You should keep your targets high and achieve them through hard work and dedication. Let your disability become a special ability.”

Dudeja decided to come to Mumbai for further studies. “I find Economics very interesting, and have always wanted to do my post-graduation from Mumbai. I think the Master’s course will enhance my understanding of economic issues at micro and macro levels, and help me in my goal of working for the welfare of deprived and disabled people.”

Since Dudeja stays in a hostel near the college, commuting is not a problem. She is able to follow lectures with the help of the hearing aid, and sometimes takes the help of classmates.

However, she recalled the early struggles her family and she experienced after her hearing disability was detected at age three.

“My mother would take me to a speech therapist daily, and would teach me after we returned home. I was sent to a regular school (not a school for the hearing disabled). Since then, it has been an interesting and challenging journey to develop speech and linguistic skills. My family took it up as a mission to bring me at par with other children. The initial years were the most difficult,” Dudeja said.

She pointed out that though reservation in education is available for disabled students, more needs to be done to plug the dropout rate.

“A large chunk of reserved seats in higher education remain vacant. There is a need to facilitate education at the primary and secondary levels, to bring down the dropout rates of disabled students. There is also a lack of awareness about the treatment available for various disabilities,” she said.

Despite her youth, Dudeja’s list of laurels seems unending. An international tennis player, she has represented India thrice at the Deaflympics 2013 (Bulgaria), World Deaf Tennis Championship 2015 (Nottingham, UK) and Deaflympics 2017 (Turkey). She practised judo for five years (from ages 7 to 12) and won numerous medals at the state and national levels. And in the Class XII CBSE board exam, she had topped her school in Hindi.

“I want to break the barriers in various fields where differently abled people have not been considered suitable,” she said.

Her father VP Dudeja is a chief engineer (construction) with the Northern Railway, and mother Punam Dudeja is a homemaker. The family is from Haryana.

“Dudeja is a very good student, attentive and good at her studies. She has reached this level through her sincerity and dedication. We are really proud of her. The award [given] to her is a great honour for the college,” Mithibai College

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