Re-re-reservations ?

Just received a whatsapp question:

Dear sir,
मैं मानता हूँ stuttering कोई handicap नहीं है और यह प्रोपर देखभाल से ठीक हो सकता है ।
पर समाज के लोग इसे जब handicap ही मानते हैं और अधिकांश स्थितियों में PWS को मज़ाक व्यंग्य कटाक्ष एवं हीन भावना का शिकार बनने में कोई कसर उठा नही रखते ।
तो reservation हमारा न्यायसंगत अधिकार बनता ही है।
क्योंकि हमें समाज में ऐसे ही ट्रीट किया जाता है।
और अगर reservation नहीं तो कम से कम government sponsored treatment तो मिलना ही चाहिए ।

 I’m of the opinion that this is one such issue which should be discussed in TISA NC and communicated to government as well.

Sahi yeh hai ki hum government se stuttering ki problem ko leke kam se Kam ek baar negotiate toh karein.

– A PWS

My tentative thoughts:
The development status of a society is known by the way it treats its weak, its sick, its young and old. So, people with any disability – even if it is temporary and variable- should be offered “affirmative justice or action”: like:

• PWS could be offered a favorable tariff on phone by Telecom industry.
• PWS should certainly be given more time during interviews (than a glass of water! or useless suggestions..)
• During roll call, teacher should take a visual attendance – than auditory response – for pws. 
• Schools/ colleges and employers should promote stammering protocol (“3 things to do when talking to a pws”) and discourage bullying.
• Etc. etc.

On the other hand, if someone taunts me because I am from UP, a small town, speak “Hinglish” and am bald – should I seek reservation for these things too? Where does responsibility of the state and society END – and my personal responsibility, initiative and creativity come into play?
Will/ can reservation solve all these problems? Has it solved other/ older problems like caste discrimination?

Will it not be better, for us (and who else could it be?) to educate society and change the perception of stammerers by setting positive images by personal example?

If we get reservation, then whatever we achieve through personal effort and hard work will always be attributed by the world to RESERVATION: Oh- he got to Medical school. But he is a stammerer. He did not have to do very much..  Will you be able to accept that comment? Many of us wont. We want to be accepted and remembered for our positive traits, our hard work – not for our failings.

Lastly, many pws, recovered or otherwise, have gone ahead in life, transformed themselves and helped many others. Stammering is NOT a handicap in the same category as Albinism, Phocomelia, Quadriplegia, ALS, and many other commoner disabilities like blindness, deaf-mutism etc. etc.

I agree, that while you are in the dark tunnel of “stammering mindset”, you will not agree with above: You will simply believe that your own suffering is the biggest, blackest, worst, deepest.. That is the nature of stammering mindset. Once you step out of the dark cave, everything is transformed INSTANTANEOUSLY. When a lamp is brought into a dark room, does it become light inch by inch? or all at once?

If you doubt, come to NC and see for yourself. Ask the same question from 100+ participants. Do your own opinion poll! Why live on borrowed wisdom? Hai naa?
All the best!

(Dr Satyendra Srivastava, Community Health Consultant)