SHILLONG: The differently-abled people of Roilang Livelihood Academy, a unit of Bethany Society, spread cheers before Christmas by distributing handcrafted cards to ministers, bureaucrats and officials.
“The card is made for all people and it is handcrafted by persons with disabilities, who were guided by a trainer. Some trainers are also differently-abled,” Ricky Renthlei, senior programme coordinator at Bethany Society, told The Shillong Times.
The academy has received requests for such cards, many of which were intricately made, from other quarters as well.
Renthlei said the card-making process started on October 3-4 to meet the government project deadline and was completed on November 9. “There were over 16,800 orders but we made 20,000. Some can make 20 cards or even 50 cards a day,” he added.
Stating that during Christmas, there is a heavy order for cards and decorative items made by them and he recalled that in order to meet deadlines, the differently-abled persons would often work till 1-2 am.
“Even if I ask them not to work beyond 4-5 pm they don’t listen. This is because they love to be here as they feel loved, because when they go back from here, nobody will understand them. Societal acceptance towards them is difficult,” he said.
When asked about the problems faced while giving them instructions, Renthlei said, “It will take time (to teach them) but once they get hold of an idea on how to go about the things, they can do it more beautifully than abled persons.
“They are very determined and tend to focus more on their work.”
Referring to the self-employment works taken up at the academy for persons with disabilities, Renthlei said, “They are being taught on handicrafts, screen printing and card making, among other things. By doing so, they become financially independent.”
He observed that with good training, persons with disabilities can be financially independent.
