[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Music]
thank you for having me this is pretty
amazing so let me just start sticks and
stones may break my bones but words will
never hurt me ever since a young age I
was made to believe that
well what’s didn’t hurt but surprise
what’s actually hurt a lot
I tried killing myself not once but
twice because of hurtful words shocking
right ever since I became paralyzed in
the year 2006 I realized that my
inability to walk is a big deal
to other people not to me I’ve been
reminded time and again that I’m not
able to walk for example in 2006 my
friends left my side because apparently
I was a burden to them because I
couldn’t walk they thought how are we
gonna hang out with all she can’t even
move then in 2007 I overheard a family
member of mine tell my cousin not to
hang around with me because and I quote
if you hang around with all you’ll catch
whatever she had and you will end up
paralyzed and on a wheelchair horrendous
right for a 15 year old girl these words
who are like salt to my wounds I was
being reminded of my loss I was being
reminded that I can’t walk I was being
treated as if I was an illness a virus
that could destroy lives more than that
I wasn’t being treated like a human why
just because I can’t walk is it really a
big deal well I suppose it is ever since
I was young I have had dreams of being
an actress and a model and despite
having a disability
I didn’t let those dreams die
in 2014 I won second place in the missed
wheelchair India pageant and I decided
that it was the right time to pursue my
dream unfortunately though it was
short-lived I went to many auditions
contacted many casting directors and
even uploaded my profile on too many
casting portals but the one thing that I
heard from everyone was and I quote
Murali you’re beautiful you have the
perfect features your acting skills are
on point and you’d be perfect for this
role but not a problem here
it’s your wheelchair if you are walking
nah I swear we would have costed you for
this role so again I was judged because
of my inability it seems to me that most
people with disabilities are judged by
the inner abilities but one thing these
in abilities they have been decided by
society not by us
surprisingly the stigma around
disability is still prevalent to this
day it may not be that obvious but it’s
still there the other day I was called a
dev young by an unknown man now if
you’re unfamiliar with the tone it
basically means divine body it’s also
been encouraged to use the tongue live
young
in place of Vick Lang or disabled great
right so apparently I am considered
divine because I have a disability so
according to that logic I wasn’t divine
before questionable right now I didn’t
take it to heart but I decided to see if
my status of being divine is perceived
in the same way by other people now a
couple of months ago I went out on
restaurant audits to justice in
Mumbai just to see if restaurants are
truly accessible foiling alert then not
anyway I called the restaurant up that I
was supposed to go to and I asked the
employee there if the premises was
accessible first of all he didn’t know
the meaning of accessibility so I had to
explain it to him in extreme detail
anyway he finally told me that there
were some steps there and so I asked him
politely if they could help me up those
steps and surprisingly he said no I was
shocked I thought I was doing hello I
thought I was divine I thought I was
supposed to be treated that way so why
was this guy saying note I was
disheartened instead I felt as if he
should have treated me that way I’m a
divya after all anti I should be treated
as if I’m but that’s the thing
I’m not divine I’m a normal human being
that went through a traumatic incident
that left me wheelchair-bound and that’s
about it it’s the same for almost every
person out there with the disability we
want to be treated in the same manner we
don’t want to be treated specially but I
don’t understand why it’s so difficult
for everyone to understand but sadly it
is it is difficult to understand all we
ask is that you treat us like human
beings
but sometimes humanity fails us and
humanity has failed me more than once I
was molested three times by the luggage
porters at a railway station in Mumbai
I’m sure many of you must be knowing
this because of my petition for
accessible railways called my train too
now
why was I touched and manhandled I
suppose it’s because of the lack of
infrastructure sometimes it seems as if
my nation doesn’t consider me to be
human it feels as if I don’t have any
rights why I understand that according
to society I have three strikes going
against me I’m a woman I’m disabled and
I’m single I realize that but my life is
just as important and significant as
yours so why don’t I have these rights
why am I not treated as a human being it
seems to me that this sorry it seems to
me that this unintentional ignorance is
mainly because people have different
perceptions about disability according
to everyone it seems as if people think
that disability is just black and white
apparently to them there is no gray area
there is no in-between disability is
supposedly just black and white
either way death either were not high
they were walking either were not but
that’s not the case sometimes it seems
to mean that people aren’t away and
people just have different perceptions
about disabilities and just to make us
feel better and to spare our feelings we
have all of these different terms and
labels live young specially abled
differently abled handicapped etc how am
i different you use the stairs I use the
elevator and that’s about it if you
really need a term then please
acknowledge the elephant in the room
because according to the dictionary I am
disabled but only physically and only
because you need a term in my mind I am
still the same verily that I was before
I became a wheelchair user now
I to be very honest I consider myself to
be unique why because this wheelchair is
my throne and I am a queen now how many
of you can say that you have your own
personalized throne not many I’m sure
even though people have considered my
legs before they’ve considered me I
still consider myself to be a queen and
to be honest I am not really disabled
disabled’ are those that like empathy
those that are rapists murderers and
Psychopaths those are the ones that are
truly disabled but to be very honest
these terms we need to eliminate these
terms of our vocabulary able-bodied
disabled they divide us nothing more
when I say to say when I say the word
disability you automatically think of
someone in a wheelchair but think about
it for a second
am i charlie disabled are we truly
disabled sure we may be less able than
some of you but you may be less able
than some of us so does that mean I
surely have a disability does that mean
that you have a disability but what
about those with invisible disabilities
will you call them disabled sure you can
categorize me as having a disability
because it’s physical and it’s visible
but what about those that are dealing
with some other issues like say a
learning disability would you call them
disabled I’ve said this many many times
and I will repeat myself
stop using terms and labels that
indirectly or directly mean abnormal
because normalcy is subjective what may
be normal to me may be viewed as an
abnormality to you so who are we to
decide what’s normal
I don’t think we’re not anyone to decide
I just think we just need to accept
ourselves we need to stop labeling
ourselves and I’m telling you the day
that we eliminate these terms of our
vocabulary the day that we change our
perception that’s the day when we’ll
achieve equality and that’s the day when
the stigma around disability will be
abolished thank you
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Music]
thank you for having me this is pretty
amazing so let me just start sticks and
stones may break my bones but words will
never hurt me ever since a young age I
was made to believe that
well what’s didn’t hurt but surprise
what’s actually hurt a lot
I tried killing myself not once but
twice because of hurtful words shocking
right ever since I became paralyzed in
the year 2006 I realized that my
inability to walk is a big deal
to other people not to me I’ve been
reminded time and again that I’m not
able to walk for example in 2006 my
friends left my side because apparently
I was a burden to them because I
couldn’t walk they thought how are we
gonna hang out with all she can’t even
move then in 2007 I overheard a family
member of mine tell my cousin not to
hang around with me because and I quote
if you hang around with all you’ll catch
whatever she had and you will end up
paralyzed and on a wheelchair horrendous
right for a 15 year old girl these words
who are like salt to my wounds I was
being reminded of my loss I was being
reminded that I can’t walk I was being
treated as if I was an illness a virus
that could destroy lives more than that
I wasn’t being treated like a human why
just because I can’t walk is it really a
big deal well I suppose it is ever since
I was young I have had dreams of being
an actress and a model and despite
having a disability
I didn’t let those dreams die
in 2014 I won second place in the missed
wheelchair India pageant and I decided
that it was the right time to pursue my
dream unfortunately though it was
short-lived I went to many auditions
contacted many casting directors and
even uploaded my profile on too many
casting portals but the one thing that I
heard from everyone was and I quote
Murali you’re beautiful you have the
perfect features your acting skills are
on point and you’d be perfect for this
role but not a problem here
it’s your wheelchair if you are walking
nah I swear we would have costed you for
this role so again I was judged because
of my inability it seems to me that most
people with disabilities are judged by
the inner abilities but one thing these
in abilities they have been decided by
society not by us
surprisingly the stigma around
disability is still prevalent to this
day it may not be that obvious but it’s
still there the other day I was called a
dev young by an unknown man now if
you’re unfamiliar with the tone it
basically means divine body it’s also
been encouraged to use the tongue live
young
in place of Vick Lang or disabled great
right so apparently I am considered
divine because I have a disability so
according to that logic I wasn’t divine
before questionable right now I didn’t
take it to heart but I decided to see if
my status of being divine is perceived
in the same way by other people now a
couple of months ago I went out on
restaurant audits to justice in
Mumbai just to see if restaurants are
truly accessible foiling alert then not
anyway I called the restaurant up that I
was supposed to go to and I asked the
employee there if the premises was
accessible first of all he didn’t know
the meaning of accessibility so I had to
explain it to him in extreme detail
anyway he finally told me that there
were some steps there and so I asked him
politely if they could help me up those
steps and surprisingly he said no I was
shocked I thought I was doing hello I
thought I was divine I thought I was
supposed to be treated that way so why
was this guy saying note I was
disheartened instead I felt as if he
should have treated me that way I’m a
divya after all anti I should be treated
as if I’m but that’s the thing
I’m not divine I’m a normal human being
that went through a traumatic incident
that left me wheelchair-bound and that’s
about it it’s the same for almost every
person out there with the disability we
want to be treated in the same manner we
don’t want to be treated specially but I
don’t understand why it’s so difficult
for everyone to understand but sadly it
is it is difficult to understand all we
ask is that you treat us like human
beings
but sometimes humanity fails us and
humanity has failed me more than once I
was molested three times by the luggage
porters at a railway station in Mumbai
I’m sure many of you must be knowing
this because of my petition for
accessible railways called my train too
now
why was I touched and manhandled I
suppose it’s because of the lack of
infrastructure sometimes it seems as if
my nation doesn’t consider me to be
human it feels as if I don’t have any
rights why I understand that according
to society I have three strikes going
against me I’m a woman I’m disabled and
I’m single I realize that but my life is
just as important and significant as
yours so why don’t I have these rights
why am I not treated as a human being it
seems to me that this sorry it seems to
me that this unintentional ignorance is
mainly because people have different
perceptions about disability according
to everyone it seems as if people think
that disability is just black and white
apparently to them there is no gray area
there is no in-between disability is
supposedly just black and white
either way death either were not high
they were walking either were not but
that’s not the case sometimes it seems
to mean that people aren’t away and
people just have different perceptions
about disabilities and just to make us
feel better and to spare our feelings we
have all of these different terms and
labels live young specially abled
differently abled handicapped etc how am
i different you use the stairs I use the
elevator and that’s about it if you
really need a term then please
acknowledge the elephant in the room
because according to the dictionary I am
disabled but only physically and only
because you need a term in my mind I am
still the same verily that I was before
I became a wheelchair user now
I to be very honest I consider myself to
be unique why because this wheelchair is
my throne and I am a queen now how many
of you can say that you have your own
personalized throne not many I’m sure
even though people have considered my
legs before they’ve considered me I
still consider myself to be a queen and
to be honest I am not really disabled
disabled’ are those that like empathy
those that are rapists murderers and
Psychopaths those are the ones that are
truly disabled but to be very honest
these terms we need to eliminate these
terms of our vocabulary able-bodied
disabled they divide us nothing more
when I say to say when I say the word
disability you automatically think of
someone in a wheelchair but think about
it for a second
am i charlie disabled are we truly
disabled sure we may be less able than
some of you but you may be less able
than some of us so does that mean I
surely have a disability does that mean
that you have a disability but what
about those with invisible disabilities
will you call them disabled sure you can
categorize me as having a disability
because it’s physical and it’s visible
but what about those that are dealing
with some other issues like say a
learning disability would you call them
disabled I’ve said this many many times
and I will repeat myself
stop using terms and labels that
indirectly or directly mean abnormal
because normalcy is subjective what may
be normal to me may be viewed as an
abnormality to you so who are we to
decide what’s normal
I don’t think we’re not anyone to decide
I just think we just need to accept
ourselves we need to stop labeling
ourselves and I’m telling you the day
that we eliminate these terms of our
vocabulary the day that we change our
perception that’s the day when we’ll
achieve equality and that’s the day when
the stigma around disability will be
abolished thank you
[Applause]
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