How Can A Disadvantaged Individual Rise Above The Prejudice And Preconceived Notions About Their Abilities?
Last year, in the midst of the quarantine, I, like many others, longed for an escape from the repetitiveness. The days seemed to meld together into one, like a dream one wishes to escape from. I knew that I needed to do something to get back into the swing of daily life. With that single goal in mind, I started participating in art competitions.
One of these competitions was hosted by a non-profit organization named Voice of Specially-Abled People, VOSAP [1]. Based in California, this organization aims to redefine the meaning of a disabled individual. No longer called ‘disabled,’ but instead a person with the strength and fortitude far greater than any of us could ever imagine — specially-abled [2].
I tried out, creating a piece whose topic revolved around the term ‘disability’ for their art competition [3]. To my surprise, I had won the award of country representative [4]. Of course, this was alone, in and of itself, an exciting journey. And after doing a few interviews with the company, I bid them adieu and went on with life as school started once again.
That was nearly two years ago, yet I continue to stay in frequent contact with VOSAP.
Why? Well, though the prize may have been what enticed me to join in the first place, I stayed because of the people and relationships I had formed with this organization. I seldom see such talented and hardworking individuals working to further a cause that many may not think about when looking at non-profits.
As a result, I only saw it befitting for my community leader interview to be based around that of Mr. Pranav Desai, founder of VOSAP. After some emailing, a few weeks ago, I was blessed with the opportunity to interview him. Prior to the meeting, I had done some of my own research, hence I was already partly aware of his accomplishments. Despite all of this, however, I was awestruck at the individual who I was talking with. His challenges and story; his life and his impact. He had inspired me while doing the competition all those years ago, yes; but learning about his life only increased my fascination and drive to continue working with the organization.
This is the culmination of our interview, and I truly hope you will be as inspired as I was while writing this.
Born in India in 1969 to a “very education-focused family,” Desai started out his life as a fairly normal child. In the next few years, however, at the age of 3 and a half to four years old, the polio virus took over the muscle power in both of his legs. Desai notes that due to his young age at the time of the diagnosis, it did not result in “a huge adjustment [in his] life.”
But that is not to say that it did not have an impact on him at all.
Of course, like all fortunate children, the continuing-and-lasting prominence of school started to emerge into his life. Desai would soon “undergo a lot of challenges […] to get an admission in regular school.” Despite the fact that his disability had no physical bearing on his brain, he was prevented from going through this important event like the average individual. Luckily, due to the standing of his family within the community, he was able to “get admission [into] the first grade.” But, like the virus which took away much of his mobility, time too took away his ability to participate in kindergarten like any other child.
During his school years, Desai was tasked with demonstrating his ability to handle himself with normal students. He mentions the mental impact this had when he was younger, as he needed to “prove [himself] more than others.”
And so, he continued working.
Despite the challenges which faced Desai, he well more than proved himself to others. His ambition and drive carried him to being top of his classes. In post-secondary, he pursued a Master of Business Administration (MBA) Marketing course. However, despite his hard work and sacrifice, he could not pursue marketing or sales in India; his ability as an individual was doubted due to his disability.
Soon, after graduating, he moved to America, an action which changed more than just where he lived.
“I saw [how accessible America was,] and [the infrastructure] was far better […]. I could successfully go around the whole country on my own without any dependency.”
This revelation gave him an idea: the ability for change. If this change in accessibility could unlock his potential, what more for others? After all, India has a much larger population than America. So, it came with a massive ‘what if.’ What if he were to make India just as accessible? How many more individuals’ potentials would be unlocked?
“India needs much more accessibility; only 5% of places there are accessible.”
Armed with this new goal, Desai strove to incite change. Soon, with the aid of like-minded individuals, Desai founded VOSAP, a non-profit international organization which aims to re-define the meaning of disability. No longer are such individuals ‘disabled,’ but instead specially-abled with abilities, drive, and passion far beyond those who aren’t [2].
Despite the prejudice which Mr. Pranav Desai faced in his life, he continued to prove himself time and time again that he is more than capable to carry himself and his work. Though I may not face a disability myself, one does not need one to see his desire for change. He, much like many other specially-abled individuals, faced and subsequently climbed mountains to reach their goals. As of now, he balances both VOSAP’s activities and his own job at Nippon Telegraph and Telephone DATA (NTT DATA) as the Head of Sales of one business unit for all of North America and Mexico.
Of course, by itself, this is a tall order. No one man, specially-abled or not, could handle such a colossal task. That is where the thousands of volunteers come in; individuals with the passion to make a difference in the world.
“We are, right now, a family of 11,000 volunteers. It’s not me alone now. It is all of you. That is the purpose! I created this organization [for] a mass movement of like-minded individuals [to] institutionalize the vision I have so that it survives beyond me.”
Finally, this goes back to the question, how does an individual work past prejudice about their abilities? Desai’s answer: hard work and passion. You must prove to those who doubt you that you are so much more than just some stereotype; that you are an individual capable of doing great things. We cannot let a preconceived notion dictate what and who we are. I too share this sentiment and believe that this mantra should apply for everyone, specially-abled or not. After all, how do we break down these prejudices if we ourselves do not take a stand and prove who is truly ‘incapable’ on pure ability alone?
“It is important that [even] with disability, you cannot undermine [an individual’s] ability.” – Pranav Desai
For those who have difficulty reading for any reason, or you do not wish to read, please feel free to listen to the audio recording of this article below!
Picture taken from source [3].
Sources:
[1] “HOME.” Voice of SAP, 18 Aug. 2020, www.voiceofsap.org.
[2] “Vision and Mission.” Voice of SAP, 16 Aug. 2021, www.voiceofsap.org/vision.
[3] Indica. “Indian-American Launches Virtual Art Gallery on Disability.” Indica News, 6 Dec. 2020, indicanews.com/2020/12/06/indian-american-launches-virtual-art-gallery-on-disability.
[4] “Congratulations!” Voice of SAP, 24 Dec. 2020, www.voiceofsap.org/congratulations.