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Education > Success Stories > Aslam Amin

At an age when all his friends were learning to play cricket, Aslam lost his legs in a near fatal train accident and had to reconcile to a life watching from the sidelines as his peers played. But the one thing that young Aslam was clear about was the fact that he did not want his disability to come in the way of his being able to join the mainstream. "I started focussing on the things I could do, rather than the things I could not," says Aslam.

Even though he excelled in his studies during his schooling in Lucknow, he was discouraged from taking up Science by the concerned college in Lucknow because of his disability. "My teacher thought that the restriction in movement would prove to be a hurdle, but I was convinced that B.Sc. was what I wanted to do. He gave in with a lot of reluctance, but later when he saw my performance, he was very happy and I even got the Best Scholar award in college." After graduation, Aslam, second among five brothers, decided to do his Masters in Computer Applications (M.C.A.) and sat for an open competition at Hamdard University, Delhi. He got through and moved out from Maulviganj in Old Lucknow to take up the challenges of a life in Delhi on his own.

In Delhi, Aslam applied for a scholarship with the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (N.C.P.E.D.P.), to support him for the M.C.A. course. He got the Scholarship Support for two years, completed his M.C.A. and got a job through recruitment on campus.

But every story is not an Aslam story and every disabled does not get employed. According to data available with N.C.P.E.D.P., there are over 70 million disabled people in the country, but less than 1 per cent of children with disability receive education of any kind. Further, according to the National Sample Survey of 1991, there are 7 million employable disabled people waiting to get a job.

Says Aslam, "The most important thing is for the disabled to develop their own self confidence and realise their own worth and potential. Society tends to either sympathise with the disabled or isolate them. But I think all they need, is to be made to realise that they are as much a part of society and are as needed as any other individual."

In fact, Aslam, who is currently working as a Software Developer with a software company, one day plans to lead his team as Project Manager and does not consider becoming a C.E.O. as an impossible mission. He also wants to motivate and counsel other disabled people to achieve their goals.

For his family, Aslam says, "'I come from a modest background. My aim is to give my family stability and as much happiness as possible."

One of Aslam's proudest moments came when he was selected to carry the 2004 Olympics Torch, when the Torch passed through New Delhi.

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