Disability is not obstacle to success if society treats it well

Aurangabad: “Everybody has one or another problem in life. There's no need to be ashamed of the problem one experiencing. Handicapped persons no exception to it. They are considered an object of pity in the family and other social institutions. The development of disabled individuals depends on the way society treats and motivates them,” said Nagarjunrao Akula, who overcame his disability and today works as an Accounts Officer at Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company Limited (MSETCL).

Talking to this newspaper, Nagarjunrao Akula said that journey to the position would have been possible without the motivation and support of parents and mentors at the different stages of life.

“The main challenge for me was accessibility in education institutes. I had to climb up to the second floor for attending B Com. There was a problem with the unavailability of washrooms for disabled persons in institutions. I had to attend college in a wheelchair,” he said.

Akula who uses a wheelchair said that different people give different reactions to disabled persons.

“Some maintain a social distance and treat the disabled as outsiders while others support them. The success of handicapped persons is determined by the attitude towards his/her disability and members of the society towards them,” he said.

Nagarjunrao Akula suffered from the polio virus when he was just 10 months. The reason is that his village in YSR District (formerly known as Kadapa) district lacked its vaccine at that time.

“My father A V Subbaiah and mother Darasanamma decided to establish me in life and for this, education is an important factor important. I completed primary education in Secundrabad. My father who was in Army was transferred to the city (Aurangabad) in 1996 from Sikkim,” he said.

Akula said that he completed his education up to SSC in 2003 from Kendriya Vidyalaya of the city while he passed HSC here in 2005.

“My parents and mentors advised me to go a sitting job profession. I choose CA. On the completion of the B Com, I started preparations for CA and CMA courses. I cleared CMA in 2010 and CA in 2013. I was selected in the electricity company in 2013,” he said.

He advised physically challenged youths and their parents to do hard work with utmost dedication, maintain self-confidence and identify their strengths for success.

“With every challenge, there is a hidden opportunity. So, removing an inferiority complex and working on skills that one has is significant for handicapped persons who should play at least one sports hobby. This helps a lot to remove the inferiority complex. I preferred swimming as a sport. Recently, I won a bronze medal in the national-level swimming contest held in Guwahati,” he asserted.