before I start I would like to clarify
one thing I’m not doing this talk for
sympathy or I’m not doing this talk for
attention the purpose of this talk is to
aware and raise a voice for people with
different abilities with that I would
like you to close your eyes I would like
you to actually close your eyes
and don’t fool me do you think if your
eyes are shut
what can you see and see darkness right
now I presume think that you’ve spent
your whole life this way think that you
don’t know what you’re wearing
you can walk out with a black shirt and
a yellowish pant how would that look
think in that regard ladies and
gentlemen but the two reactions that
come out of people’s mind after I can
you can open your eyes now the two
reactions that come out of people’s mind
when they see such people who spend
their lives like your eyes were shut
number one
they think oh these people are there for
admiration
these people are legends they’re living
their lives with – wow that’s amazing
and the second group the reaction of the
second group is that oh these people are
blind they can’t do anything in the
world remember this I am NOT your
inspiration or a source for your
admiration and not there to get your
sympathy or your empathy I’m just like
you and that what would be my talk and I
will tell you how to outline the course
of my life both of these reactions have
affected me in adverse manner I will
tell you how
illusion is not based upon these two
ideals with this I would like to
directly jump into my story there was a
six year old boy sitting right next to
his father trying to play with him
trying to talk to him because he was a
usual boy who loved his father who
looked up to his father his father
didn’t pay attention to him the boy was
like what’s wrong with my father he used
to question his mother why can he not
give me attention the response of his
mother was simple you know what father
is really really busy he’s a member of
the provincial assembly of Punjab
province in Pakistan he has a lot of
responsibilities and that kid had an
impressionable mind he used to say okay
fine
I don’t have a problem if father is busy
then all fathers must be busy he was
seven this treatment continued for one
year he completely lost his father then
again he raised this question to his
mother he was like what happened why are
we moving out what’s wrong with father
mother said your father does not want to
live with us anymore he is very busy and
cannot give us time that’s why it’s fine
everything is gonna be normal once again
but at this particular juncture we’ve
gotta move out like it’s like okay
everything’s gonna be fine over time
that’s fine if you have to move away for
a temporary amount I can because her
mother is along with me 12 years before
that can’t used to wait every day that
that separation would be over and he
would go back home to his father but
that day never came and now when I
questioned my mom why did a divorce
happen I this would crush some people’s
heart but this this gives me immense
pride that I’m a child of such a mother
the response is that that father did not
want to live in a child who is disabled
I don’t like this term whose
differently-abled
who has different abilities and his
sister who has different abilities
because they cannot replace him in the
Prevention
or because they would add to his taboos
within the rural areas or the culture of
Pakistan that is the reason why that
divorce happened not because there was
some glitch between the family or not
because that father did not have that
time why does this make me proud ladies
and gentlemen this makes me proud that
I’m a son of such a mother which had the
option of living with her husband which
had the option of abandoning her
children and continued life but she
chose the latter she wanted to raise her
children up and she did that very well
in my perspective I today stand here in
front of you at NYU Abu Dhabi as a
freshman my sister currently studies in
Georgetown and this is the first step
the first thing that shows as my
mother’s achievements and I’m very proud
of that fact that is why it brings a
great smile to my face what is the
lesson that you can learn from this
story at the start you can learn how at
the end of the day persuasion and if you
commit to a certain cause you can be
very very successful and that is what my
mother’s resume shows to you working
raising two children and raising them
very very well this brings me on to the
second part of this story it is in
Jessamine let me talk to you about life
of different able child and what are the
hands what are the things that society
does to shackle you are shackled by
society having this mindset that I
mentioned in the start of my speech you
should not shackled by you not seeing
you not shackled by you not hearing
people you are shackled by the mindset
of society that you cannot do this the
most infuriating things that have
visually impaired or differently abled
person can hear is well you cannot do
this because they’re rational human
beings like you ladies and gentlemen who
will tell you when they cannot do a
certain action they will tell you that
we are not able to do this because they
would understand their own limitations
but when society imposes those
particular limitations on to those
particular people then the root cause
behind discrimination behind society and
oppression comes into existence we have
the clear-cut example of exceptions such
as Helen Keller such as Stevie Wonder
such as Stephen Hawking who brought the
norm but why are they celebrated with
the society they’re not celebrated
Stephen Hawking is not celebrated
because he was a visually impaired
person sorry Stephen Hawking is not
celebrated because he had a mental
disability Stephen Hawking is celebrated
because at the end of the day he did
what he did for science and nobody looks
at his disability when when looking at
our examining his success Helen Keller
was successful because she broke the
norm and no people don’t look at her
that she was a visually impaired person
she or she was deaf or she was dumb they
look at her as an exception which who
broke the norms Stevie Wonder is very
well known for his music not for his
disability and there’s where I believe
that if you break these norms for these
particular people then you would be able
to achieve success to its highest level
these people will become protective put
these people would become productive
members of his society like all of you
sitting in front of me how did this
happen to me let me just tell you
another story of my life I’m really
really thankful to my family my paternal
or maternal family my grandfather we
should take me to the cricket ground and
tell me you should tell me go ahead ball
with normal children I used to fall down
run to him and say I’ve heard he never
told me that you were blind you could
not see as I hit the floor or you this
is the main issue with you you should
say every child that plays falls every
brave child that partakes in a certain
activity needs to fall down and that is
an attitude that prompted me to getting
into getting into all of these things
but I never considered myself as a
visually impaired person or I never
considered that I had a certain problem
with me I always thought that I was like
anyone else
second story we used to go to the market
my grandfather used to hand us cash you
should tell us go shop buy whatever you
want and because we were kids we love
free sweets that was a very big thing
for us and we used to think oh this is a
huge deal getting some money to buy
stuff but what he did there was in
confidence in to us for coping with
house sight releases and coping with
mainstream because we knew that if
everybody could walk around in the
market we used to bump into pillars we
used to bump into doors but he never
used to tell us that stop here or he
never used to even say or land a hand
with like oh my god he’s hurt he
understood that if they suffer these
bombs today but feeling normal that will
be the main basis upon which they will
care success within their lives and that
is what I want you to take back from
this particular talk I move back to the
last part of my speech I would let you
know what you can do as individuals to
change this particular mindset within
society what you can do as in to which
was to affect your surrounding what you
can do as individuals to become agents
for change what you can do is into which
was to make a society which is based
more on parity and harmony you can
simply just later and everybody says
what what is one person capable of I
believe that one person is capable of
changing the whole world you have the
examples of martyr mohamad you have the
examples of Nelson Mandela
you had movements getting successful
such as a suffragette because they
advocated quality they never said woman
require or even if talk with a feminist
movement then every said that women
require more rights or they should break
him through
they always vouched now advocated for
equality and those individuals were
reformers and revolutionaries because
they never thought that because their
into which was they would be shackled or
brought by society and I believe if all
of you act as citizens with
responsibility you will be able to bring
in this particular change so what are
poisonous additions that I would like to
give you number one if you see a vision
impaired child or a deaf child or a dumb
child Jonah’s gonna be right next to
them and say you need to need a hand for
help or oh my god what’s wrong with you
or oh my god you’re the best person on
this planet
you know just just treat them like
normal individuals and they wouldn’t
tell you when they need help if I am
bumping around near market place
obviously if there’s a certain person
right next to me I’m going to say excuse
me can you please help me and then like
good human beings
you can lend them a hand and hold theirs
and make them feel that because you’re
not helping them because they’re
disabled you make them feel that you’re
helping them because you’re good human
beings secondly in my perspective if you
want to bring in this particular change
you compel these misconceptions that are
in the minds of these particular people
that frames that create these particular
misconceptions that create these
particular stigmas how can you in a
decayed misconception you can eradicate
this particular misconception by virtue
of you talking about equality and
telling people of how everyone’s normal
and can lead normal lives thirdly it’s
certainly you can look at rehabilitation
campaigns going on within society you
can look at all of these things and a
lot of fun that is being given to these
I’m very proud and happy that the world
is lending money and such things society
but you can only individual severe talk
to into institutions that you have
graduated from like high schools because
these particular people are not accepted
by those high schools so on a micro
level you can change that particular
thing on that level you can you can you
can also have the other if you don’t
want to do any actions just in your
heart think that whatever they’re doing
they’re doing because they’re just like
you without any other issue or glitch
within them at last I would like to end
by saying this there are lots of things
that are being created within society
rehabilitation centers campaigns and
persuasions and there is a Moses center
that NY New York also has but the main
issue is in the developed world and in
the developing world is the mindset of
individuals and when we change this
mindset then we will be able to rekindle
the fire and then we will be able to
bring in more
and parity within society don’t feel
sorry that I can’t see feel sorry what
your ignorance is doing to me and
millions like me I thank you [Applause]
one thing I’m not doing this talk for
sympathy or I’m not doing this talk for
attention the purpose of this talk is to
aware and raise a voice for people with
different abilities with that I would
like you to close your eyes I would like
you to actually close your eyes
and don’t fool me do you think if your
eyes are shut
what can you see and see darkness right
now I presume think that you’ve spent
your whole life this way think that you
don’t know what you’re wearing
you can walk out with a black shirt and
a yellowish pant how would that look
think in that regard ladies and
gentlemen but the two reactions that
come out of people’s mind after I can
you can open your eyes now the two
reactions that come out of people’s mind
when they see such people who spend
their lives like your eyes were shut
number one
they think oh these people are there for
admiration
these people are legends they’re living
their lives with – wow that’s amazing
and the second group the reaction of the
second group is that oh these people are
blind they can’t do anything in the
world remember this I am NOT your
inspiration or a source for your
admiration and not there to get your
sympathy or your empathy I’m just like
you and that what would be my talk and I
will tell you how to outline the course
of my life both of these reactions have
affected me in adverse manner I will
tell you how
illusion is not based upon these two
ideals with this I would like to
directly jump into my story there was a
six year old boy sitting right next to
his father trying to play with him
trying to talk to him because he was a
usual boy who loved his father who
looked up to his father his father
didn’t pay attention to him the boy was
like what’s wrong with my father he used
to question his mother why can he not
give me attention the response of his
mother was simple you know what father
is really really busy he’s a member of
the provincial assembly of Punjab
province in Pakistan he has a lot of
responsibilities and that kid had an
impressionable mind he used to say okay
fine
I don’t have a problem if father is busy
then all fathers must be busy he was
seven this treatment continued for one
year he completely lost his father then
again he raised this question to his
mother he was like what happened why are
we moving out what’s wrong with father
mother said your father does not want to
live with us anymore he is very busy and
cannot give us time that’s why it’s fine
everything is gonna be normal once again
but at this particular juncture we’ve
gotta move out like it’s like okay
everything’s gonna be fine over time
that’s fine if you have to move away for
a temporary amount I can because her
mother is along with me 12 years before
that can’t used to wait every day that
that separation would be over and he
would go back home to his father but
that day never came and now when I
questioned my mom why did a divorce
happen I this would crush some people’s
heart but this this gives me immense
pride that I’m a child of such a mother
the response is that that father did not
want to live in a child who is disabled
I don’t like this term whose
differently-abled
who has different abilities and his
sister who has different abilities
because they cannot replace him in the
Prevention
or because they would add to his taboos
within the rural areas or the culture of
Pakistan that is the reason why that
divorce happened not because there was
some glitch between the family or not
because that father did not have that
time why does this make me proud ladies
and gentlemen this makes me proud that
I’m a son of such a mother which had the
option of living with her husband which
had the option of abandoning her
children and continued life but she
chose the latter she wanted to raise her
children up and she did that very well
in my perspective I today stand here in
front of you at NYU Abu Dhabi as a
freshman my sister currently studies in
Georgetown and this is the first step
the first thing that shows as my
mother’s achievements and I’m very proud
of that fact that is why it brings a
great smile to my face what is the
lesson that you can learn from this
story at the start you can learn how at
the end of the day persuasion and if you
commit to a certain cause you can be
very very successful and that is what my
mother’s resume shows to you working
raising two children and raising them
very very well this brings me on to the
second part of this story it is in
Jessamine let me talk to you about life
of different able child and what are the
hands what are the things that society
does to shackle you are shackled by
society having this mindset that I
mentioned in the start of my speech you
should not shackled by you not seeing
you not shackled by you not hearing
people you are shackled by the mindset
of society that you cannot do this the
most infuriating things that have
visually impaired or differently abled
person can hear is well you cannot do
this because they’re rational human
beings like you ladies and gentlemen who
will tell you when they cannot do a
certain action they will tell you that
we are not able to do this because they
would understand their own limitations
but when society imposes those
particular limitations on to those
particular people then the root cause
behind discrimination behind society and
oppression comes into existence we have
the clear-cut example of exceptions such
as Helen Keller such as Stevie Wonder
such as Stephen Hawking who brought the
norm but why are they celebrated with
the society they’re not celebrated
Stephen Hawking is not celebrated
because he was a visually impaired
person sorry Stephen Hawking is not
celebrated because he had a mental
disability Stephen Hawking is celebrated
because at the end of the day he did
what he did for science and nobody looks
at his disability when when looking at
our examining his success Helen Keller
was successful because she broke the
norm and no people don’t look at her
that she was a visually impaired person
she or she was deaf or she was dumb they
look at her as an exception which who
broke the norms Stevie Wonder is very
well known for his music not for his
disability and there’s where I believe
that if you break these norms for these
particular people then you would be able
to achieve success to its highest level
these people will become protective put
these people would become productive
members of his society like all of you
sitting in front of me how did this
happen to me let me just tell you
another story of my life I’m really
really thankful to my family my paternal
or maternal family my grandfather we
should take me to the cricket ground and
tell me you should tell me go ahead ball
with normal children I used to fall down
run to him and say I’ve heard he never
told me that you were blind you could
not see as I hit the floor or you this
is the main issue with you you should
say every child that plays falls every
brave child that partakes in a certain
activity needs to fall down and that is
an attitude that prompted me to getting
into getting into all of these things
but I never considered myself as a
visually impaired person or I never
considered that I had a certain problem
with me I always thought that I was like
anyone else
second story we used to go to the market
my grandfather used to hand us cash you
should tell us go shop buy whatever you
want and because we were kids we love
free sweets that was a very big thing
for us and we used to think oh this is a
huge deal getting some money to buy
stuff but what he did there was in
confidence in to us for coping with
house sight releases and coping with
mainstream because we knew that if
everybody could walk around in the
market we used to bump into pillars we
used to bump into doors but he never
used to tell us that stop here or he
never used to even say or land a hand
with like oh my god he’s hurt he
understood that if they suffer these
bombs today but feeling normal that will
be the main basis upon which they will
care success within their lives and that
is what I want you to take back from
this particular talk I move back to the
last part of my speech I would let you
know what you can do as individuals to
change this particular mindset within
society what you can do as in to which
was to affect your surrounding what you
can do as individuals to become agents
for change what you can do is into which
was to make a society which is based
more on parity and harmony you can
simply just later and everybody says
what what is one person capable of I
believe that one person is capable of
changing the whole world you have the
examples of martyr mohamad you have the
examples of Nelson Mandela
you had movements getting successful
such as a suffragette because they
advocated quality they never said woman
require or even if talk with a feminist
movement then every said that women
require more rights or they should break
him through
they always vouched now advocated for
equality and those individuals were
reformers and revolutionaries because
they never thought that because their
into which was they would be shackled or
brought by society and I believe if all
of you act as citizens with
responsibility you will be able to bring
in this particular change so what are
poisonous additions that I would like to
give you number one if you see a vision
impaired child or a deaf child or a dumb
child Jonah’s gonna be right next to
them and say you need to need a hand for
help or oh my god what’s wrong with you
or oh my god you’re the best person on
this planet
you know just just treat them like
normal individuals and they wouldn’t
tell you when they need help if I am
bumping around near market place
obviously if there’s a certain person
right next to me I’m going to say excuse
me can you please help me and then like
good human beings
you can lend them a hand and hold theirs
and make them feel that because you’re
not helping them because they’re
disabled you make them feel that you’re
helping them because you’re good human
beings secondly in my perspective if you
want to bring in this particular change
you compel these misconceptions that are
in the minds of these particular people
that frames that create these particular
misconceptions that create these
particular stigmas how can you in a
decayed misconception you can eradicate
this particular misconception by virtue
of you talking about equality and
telling people of how everyone’s normal
and can lead normal lives thirdly it’s
certainly you can look at rehabilitation
campaigns going on within society you
can look at all of these things and a
lot of fun that is being given to these
I’m very proud and happy that the world
is lending money and such things society
but you can only individual severe talk
to into institutions that you have
graduated from like high schools because
these particular people are not accepted
by those high schools so on a micro
level you can change that particular
thing on that level you can you can you
can also have the other if you don’t
want to do any actions just in your
heart think that whatever they’re doing
they’re doing because they’re just like
you without any other issue or glitch
within them at last I would like to end
by saying this there are lots of things
that are being created within society
rehabilitation centers campaigns and
persuasions and there is a Moses center
that NY New York also has but the main
issue is in the developed world and in
the developing world is the mindset of
individuals and when we change this
mindset then we will be able to rekindle
the fire and then we will be able to
bring in more
and parity within society don’t feel
sorry that I can’t see feel sorry what
your ignorance is doing to me and
millions like me I thank you [Applause]
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