Struggle With Life

SEEVER, LOLAB, KASHMIR, INDIA - MARCH 29: Irshad Ahmad, 16, writes with his right foot on his note book on March 29, 2010 Seever, Lolab, 140 km (87 miles) north of Srinagar the summer capital of Indian administered, Kashmir, India. Ahmad was born with immature arms but his disability wouldn�t deter him from pursuing his studies and writing his secondary school examination, which he will do with using his toes. While slipping through his notebook it comes as a surprise that the neat geometric diagrams and flawless handwriting have been produced by the use of toes and not hands. Apart from handwriting Irshad has made himself capable of doing everything for himself that matters. He expertly picks up glass of water or cup of a tea with the help of his feet and immature arms and takes it to his mouth. No doubt he is facing lot of difficulties but the confidence in his voice has overcome his physical incapability. He says we cannot let others measure we can measure ourselves only when we conquer weaknesses and it can be done by being confident and independent. In Kashmir, a vast number of people are disabled and lack basic support such as access to social safety, internets, education, health services, and gainful employment. Disability issues are given low priority or are excluded from official statistics. Many forms of disability are difficult to capture in statistics, often due to under-reporting. The incidence of disability is increasing in Kashmir due to conflict. (Photo by Yawar Nazir/Getty Images)