For many Sri Lankans who are physically disabled, the road to overcoming their handicap is littered with numerous seemingly unsurpassable hurdles. However, for the members of Young Asia, a charitable initiative for disabled youth, this arduous journey is nearly complete, with just one major obstacle impeding their progress; securing the basic human rights that those of us who are not physically impaired, take for granted.
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| Young Voices Member from India with a film maker |
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| Young Voices participants during a training workshop for broadcasting |
The Young Voices group in Sri Lanka was, like several others located in countries such as China, India, South Africa and Philippines, established by UK charity Leonard Cheshire Disability. The local Young Voices group has about 78 members, representing groups from Colombo, Trincomalee, Galle, Matara and Hambantota.
The four groups fight relentlessly for the rights of the disabled and also organize initiatives that help further empower this largely forgotten demographic. President of Young Voices Sri Lanka, Ishan Jaleel (22), who is visually handicapped, says the organization aims to procure basic liberties for the disabled, like the construction of special ramps so people on wheelchairs have easier access to buildings. The vehicle to achieve this change is the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons Disabled.
“Many of us who are disabled don’t have the freedom to exercise our human rights and we definitely feel discriminated. Take for instance this Presidential election. When I went forward to cast my vote I was not allowed to do so on my own, someone else had to vote for me, and who knows if he voted for whom I wanted,” Ishan complains.
He goes on to say that such an infringement of his freedom can be negated if suitable modifications can be made at polling centers, like the use of Braille to list one’s possible choices.
Ishan explains that the Young Asia group for Sri Lanka began in 2006 and since he has taken over as President he has been involved in two global initiatives.
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| Ishan Jaleel |
“In February of this year I traveled to Johannesburg for a meeting of all the 19 countries who are a part of Young Voices. The meeting really showed me how discrimination against the disabled is added to in countries like Botswana, where women there also have to deal with gender discrimination,” Ishan says.
He further divulges that there was a workshop for filmmaking and radio broadcasting, which was held recently, in the country, that drew together 19 members of Young Voices from Philippines, India and Malaysia as well as those from the Sri Lankan unit.
The workshop taught the enthusiastic youngsters how to operate film and sound equipment as well as assisted them on the finer points of effective broadcasting. Ishan raves about the importance of the workshop, calling it integral in “helping us get our message across.”
Young Voices vows to steadily take its fight forward toward bigger battlefields, and has an immediate strategy to meet with President Rajapaksa to discuss their grievances.
“We want to be independent. We don’t want people to feel sorry for us because we are not looking for people’s sympathy but rather for their empathy,” Ishan passionately expresses.
For more information about Young Voices Sri Lanka you can visit their website at www.Icdisability.org or go to their Facebook group.
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