Modern era is the era of competition, and children with disabilities also need high achievements in every sphere of life. For achievements, children with disabilities need proper guidance, family and social support, so that the disabled children also become asset of the nation like normal children and make their life successful.
Society's attitude towards the disabled has been changing rapidly in recent years. Declaration of the International year of Disabled Persons 1981 under the theme “ Full Participation and Equality” taken by the UN General Assembly was important breakthrough in the field of disability (United Nations Disabled Persons Bulletin,1998). It is recognized that disabled children are also valuable human resource for the country. In order to develop a positive attitude towards the disabled persons, the need for the freedom of the disabled in the society is required.
It is observed that if they get equal chances and protection of their rights and opportunities for complete participation in the society, they can definitely lead a quality life, and can make a valuable contribution in the growth of national wealth (Joshi, 2004).
On the basis of physical ability of the child, they are mainly divided into two categories. One is the students who are physically healthy, and there is no deformity found in them. Such children are called normal children, whose interests, abilities, self-confidence, motivation etc. are found to be normal or better than that. They are able to adjust quickly with the environment.
The second category of the children is of those students who are physically handicapped. Many types of deformities are found in these children, and they are not able to function at full capacity like normal children. As per the reports by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (2016), eight types of disabilities are diagnosed- Seeing, Hearing, Speech, Movement, Mental Retardation, Mental Illness, Multiple Disability and any other like Autism, difficulty in communicating etc. Among these eight types of disabilities, orthopedic disability comes under movement disability, where full development of the muscles of the child is not possible, his functionality is hampered, his abilities are overlooked, his capabilities are underestimated, and his needs are given low priority. It is observed that they are ridiculed by the society. As a consequence people with disabilities are less motivated and more discouraged. Due to disability, inferiority complex is developed in the child and there are possibilities of his becoming backward. Accordingly persons with disabilities have to face a lot of difficulties in social life.
Repetti (1996) reported that disabled persons experienced more problems with their peers who were teased by a child or hurt their feelings by a friend. Bellin & Rice (2009) pointed out that negative attitudes toward disability exacerbate conflict, which increases behavioral difficulties.
Dharitri,et.al.,(2015) reported that children with disabilities have a sharp intellect, but their behavior is negative. This negative attitude also affects their adjustment as well as their academic life which has a negative effect on their academic achievement.
Arora & Kaur (2014) observed that children with disabilities are more emotional and dependent on others than normal children and there is a lot of negativity in them. Too much negativity lowers their confidence and morale. This is the reason for their mental issues. They found that if their negativity is reduced, then most of the social and mental problems of the disabled child will be solved.
Rokach,et. al., (2006) reported in his study that loneliness is more common in physically handicapped people. Their emotional well-being and social adjustments affect their quality of life.
Psychological solutions are needed to cure the frustrated mind of the disabled person, and they need support at societal level which works to enhance their social cohesion. If there is an atmosphere of cooperation in the society and people do not make fun of their physical weakness, then positive results can be seen in the coming days (Joshi,2004).
It is evident from the studies that support from family and friends have been found to reduce the impact of psychological problem among differently-abled students (Calvete & Connorsmith,2006). Many studies reported that supportive parental attitudes and family support serve as a strong resilient factor against poor mental health outcomes. It is found that inequality and less or no familial support felt by the differently-abled students belonging to rural area lead them to develop low self-esteem as well as low self-confidence. This eventually keeps them away from main stream of society.
Disability affects a persons in different ways. It affects his independence, social relationships, with family and friends and his health. Lack of disabled friendly environment is making the life of disabled person miserable. Acceptance of society about their disability is very helpful in having them to lead a normal life (Diener, et. al., 1999).Parents, relatives and friends are crucial part of every single individual’s life. These people with disabilities are not an exception. They might drift away from mainstream social structure, as well as relationships and try to kill themselves sometimes. Consequently they become depressive, irresponsible and become burden upon their near and dear ones. A motivational feeling from relatives and friends is an important and a much cherished factor for an individual with some disability. It allows growing a connection between the person and the surrounding atmosphere as well as making them motivated to do something.
In the modern era, there are some people with disabilities who are able to fly high on the strength of their skills. If the handicapped are given an opportunity, they do not lag behind in proving their worth. If God would have given something less to the handicapped, then surely he would have given something, which would not be there in the common man, so he has been called a ‘special common’man without considering him handicapped.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his radio address 'Mann Ki Baat' on 27 December 2016 said that physically challenged people have a 'divine potential' and the word 'Divyang' should be used for them instead of the word 'disabled'. Bellin & Rice ( 2009 ) reported that personal, family and peer factors are all important. People of the family, society are expected to inspire them to move forward. It would be better to call people suffering from physical ailments as differently- abled rather than as disabled.
If they are made to realize their true potential, then it would not take them long to become something special from their ordinary status.
