This Cuddalore man is training his fellow disabled, lepers and widows in skills and helping them get their work done

Being disabled did create a lot of troubles for Arockiya Edwin Prabhu all his life. He had to stop going to school after class X. That wasn't just it, it took a toll on his self-confidence as well. But Prabhu knew that this mustn't be the case for another disabled person and with that thought in mind, three years ago, he started Information Center (IC) in Cuddalore that works for the upliftment of the disabled and assist lepers and widows.

"Previously, whenever I went to government offices or met officials, I felt humiliated because I didn't know how to talk properly or carry the procedures ahead. I sought help from almost everyone around me and have even bribed people to get my work done," Prabhu recalls. So, before he started training others, Prabhu equipped himself with good conversational skills and within no time he started to converse confidently to government officials, learn people's skills. He also worked on disability advocacy. Later, he went on training the disabled on advocacy and helped them with monetary aid, employment opportunities and getting the work done in government offices.

Today, IC has detected thousands of disabled and about 90 lepers in the Keerapalayam block. When we caught up with Prabhu, he was in the Cuddalore Collectorate, helping a disabled couple avail their marriage certificate. "The couple could not avail for a marriage certificate as the woman do not possess a birth certificate or any school documents. Hence I have been trying to help the couple get the certificate. Although these are small gestures, for a disabled person it is a huge task," he says.