MARIA'S PUBLIC SCHOOL

The 3rd of December is celebrated as International Day of Persons with Disabilities which promotes their rights and well-being at every level of society and development, and raises awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in all aspects including that of political, social, economic and cultural life. To commemorate this very day, Maria’s Public School’s differently abled children organised a special assembly on the 1st of December 2022. The day began with the school prayer initiated by Shuvam Deb and a beautifully delivered thought by Umang Arup Deka. This was followed by a brief speech on the significance of the day by Sanjeev Deka, the in-charge of the Inclusive Education section. Principal Mausumi Mahanta in her address to the gathering  raised the very pertinent question of  “Who is actually disabled?” Thereafter, a group dance was performed by the young bunch of differently abled children who cheered up the crowd with their enthusiasm. The solo song by Nayadita Das captivated everyone’s attention. The assembly was dispersed after the State Anthem was sung in unison.

– Jannat S Rahman

Speech delivered by Saniya Kakati in the assembly on 2nd  December, 2022

The reason that I am here today holding this mike  is so that I can speak a few words on a very pertinent topic of global significance.  On 16 December 1992, the General Assembly of the United Nations appealed to Governments around the world to observe 3rd December of each year as the International Day of people with disabilities. This is a day to celebrate the abilities of all people with a disability around the world. The main aim of this day is to  increase awareness, and understanding, of disability issues. 

The theme for disability day 2022 was “Transformative solutions for inclusive development: the role of innovation in fuelling an accessible and equitable world.” 

The theme recognises that the world is at a critical moment in history  to act and find joint solutions in building a more sustainable and resilient world  for us and all  the generations to come.

However, we must remember that an international day, on its own, is not going to redress the discrimination which people with disabilities face throughout our community. Whilst things have improved a lot during the last few decades, we still have a long way to go. Whether we like it or not, we are still swimming in a sea of narrow thinking. Ladies and gentlemen,  How many times have we looked at a disabled person and saw their disability before we saw them as a person ?how many times have we come across so called social media posts with captions like if they can do it, why cant we ? Well, on the surface level, they may seem acceptable but in reality, this kind of behavior is seperating, objectifying and condescending in terms of equality and inclusion.