Imagine in fifteen years from now a small crop of young leaders coming from across Nepal, young professionals with a strong desire of contributing in making the country stronger. They are smart, well-educated and have started interesting careers while also caring for the society. Hopefully, in such a timeframe the nation will be a promising and thriving lower middle economy, a country that will not depend any more on remittances from its own youths who for many decades have been sacrificing their best years of life to earn a living and keep the country afloat.
In this scenario, young people will have more opportunities to grow and show their capabilities. Now think that the same batch of successful but at the same time grounded youths had undertaken, years earlier, a transformational process of change, through intensive, cutting-edge trainings. Leadership courses, real life exposure and opportunities to develop skills and grow played a huge role in the career trajectory of this group.
In the year 2040, some of these fifty students are in the banking sector, some have become promising social activists, some are writers and there are even some lawyers and promising chefs. If you think about it, there is nothing impossible in this scenario.
I did not mention that all these new leaders are visually impaired and have low vision because I am convinced that in fifteen years of time, their disabilities will not be a disqualifying factor as unfortunately it is now. This scenario could be doable also because of what Ability Development Society of Nepal (ADSoN), a local NGO, is trying to achieve.
Fifteen years is a reasonable timeframe to not only expect and demand change but also to achieve it despite the existing barriers. Persons living with disabilities, especially citizens who are visually impaired, still have considerably less opportunities to grow and thrive. If you think of principles of equity and equality in Nepal, unfortunately there are still multiple barriers and a long and steep journey towards their implementation. If we move from words to the real world, what does this mean in practice? What are the repercussions at the society levels? Are there any long-term implications?
Frankly speaking, right now what can the system offer to these fifty students and thousands of their peers? Do such children and youths have a chance to emerge, thrive and be seen for their potential and for their skills? Because even if the society tends to discount them as a burden, these young citizens have the right to develop and shape their agency even if the society does not much recognize it. This hurts a lot because it hits their own self-confidence.
But no matter the challenges, many of them live their lives full of hope and optimism. They consciously decide to try their best and live their lives to the fullest. Their resilience can stem from different sources including a loving and caring family environment. Yet it is unquestionable that smart and professionally run leadership and capacity building programs can make a huge difference in the lives of these young citizens.
These programs can become a lighthouse for them, showing that the path towards self-realization is worthy and, no matter the obstacles, should be pursued. This is what ADSoN is doing for many years.
Now a disclosure. I know one of the founders of the organization, Nirmala Gyawali, and I do know one of the key persons working there, Bharat BC who used to be a colleague of mine and now is the Project Manager at ADSoN. Over the years, I have been following the work that ADSoN has been doing.
I do believe that its activities really make a difference for hundreds and hundreds of children and youths with visual impairment. Now in the last undertaking, in the first week of August, ADSoN organized an intensive camp, I would call it a “mini-Olympics” of capacity building that lasted 3 days with a focus much broader than sports. A mini-Olympics? Am I exaggerating? Look at the sessions that were included in the initiative.
From orientation & mobility to daily living skills to learning unified English braille to physical training to yoga and meditation, the participants, all from three different inclusive schools in Bagmati Province with visual impairment and low vision, had really a great but also demanding time. This initiative is a key component of ADSoN’s ongoing project: “Education, Rehabilitation, and Empowerment for Persons with Disabilities”, aimed at strengthening inclusive education through both capacity-building and logistical support. “We designed this training to go beyond theory — equipping both students and resource teachers with tools that can immediately be applied in the classroom and in daily life. The feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive” Hom Nath Aryal, Lead Trainer & Executive Committee Member of ADSoN shared with me.
The diversity of trainings offered during the residential camp speaks volume of a holistic and crosscutting approach that can truly support the personal and professional growth of the participants. We are talking of foundational skills upon these young citizens to find their own way, claiming for their rights, showing their talents while navigating a complex society that is still far from being inclusive. Participants were introduced to the importance of the white cane, navigation skills in new environments and building confidence in independent movement. In relation to the so-called Daily Living Skills (DLS), these are simple but at the same time foundational skills like brushing, hygiene, food etiquette to promote autonomy in daily routines.
Then the beneficiaries had the opportunity to focus on learning about Unified English Braille (UEB), the most used international version of sign language is also paramount because it can open a trove of opportunities in terms of acquiring new knowledge by reading books written in sign language.
Through UEB, young students with visual impairment can aspire to explore the world, venturing outside their comfort zone like ADSoN co-founder Nirmala did when she travelled to the USA to study. But this capacity building also tried to lay the foundations for healthy lives through sports.
Aryal shared over the training sessions that a study conducted in Hong Kong found that persons with visual impairments (BVI) tend to experience poorer health outcomes and have a shorter life expectancy compared to individuals with other types of disabilities. Through exercises and adapted games like judo, running, skipping, and “hot potato,” the students were encouraged to start their journey towards a healthy life. There were also yoga and meditation activities with sessions focused on mental clarity, breathing and chanting to promote emotional regulation and mindfulness. “This workshop was a significant step towards promoting independence and dignity among students with visual impairments. By focusing on practical life skills and braille literacy, we are helping empower these students for real-world inclusion” shared Rabendra Raj Pandey, Chairperson of ADSoN and a well-known businessperson.
A small reflection
Oftentimes capacity building programs are easily dismissed and are not taken seriously. It is hard to find the resources to finance them; it is hard to convince donors that if properly designed and delivered, they are really value for money and a real, long-term investment.
“Our mission is to break barriers to inclusion and programs like this workshop are essential in building a more accessible and equitable society,” Bharat told me. I believe that this is one of the most important goals that a country like Nepal can set, a place that, despite many positive changes, is still struggling with inequities and discrimination. Let’s remind ourselves of the vision that I offered at the start of this piece. It is something doable but it requires a collective endeavor: “We’re committed to continuing relentlessly pursuing our mission across the country”.
One day the nation should show gratitude to what organizations like ADSoN are doing because a more inclusive Nepal without discrimination where all youths have a chance to thrive is something that really matters and makes the difference for all of us.
[Author’s disclaimer: I declare no conflict of interest and have not receive any compensation for this piece.]
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