Tamil Nadu: Here, life’s made a lot easier for disabled

CHENNAI: “Turn on the induction stove,” says Ummul Khair, her eyes lighting up in sync with the stove. “Having a voice-activated stove like this can make my life, and the life of other people with disabilities, so much easier,” says the disability rights lawyer as she wheels herself through the rooms of the Museum of Possibilities (MOP).
Housed on the premises of the Tamil Nadu State Commissionerate for Welfare of the Differently Abled on the Marina promenade and opened to the public since Monday, MOP, complete with ramps, large wide doors and tactile maps, is designed exclusively for people with disabilities.
Established by the state government, the museum, spread across a single floor, showcases customized work, leisure, and living solutions. Everything is displayed to make it accessible to those with any kind of disability.
For Rajasekhar R, it was worth the three-hour bus ride from Tiruttani. Diagnosed with muscular dystrophy and slowly losing his ability to walk, Rajasekhar, a pharmacist, decided to visit the museum almost as soon as it opened. “If there is anything I can get to make my life more independent and my wife’s life easier I want it,” he says. “We fell in love and got married last year,” says his wife Leena, as she places his hand on her shoulder to help steady his gait. “Ever since we had our daughter, Leena finds it difficult to look after both me and our nine-month-old,” he says. Guided by the full-time staff at MOP, Rajasekhar was able to select a wheelchair and toilet seat to make his movements more independent.
“We have a physiotherapist, speech therapist and three assistants here to help people find what they are looking for as well as guide them on where and how they can get it for free if they are eligible,” says Poonam Natarajan, founder, of the NGO Vidyasagar, who worked with the government in setting up the museum. “For Rajasekhar, we found out how he can get a free wheelchair and toilet seat from the district disability rehabilitation centre,” says Poonam.
As Rajasekar now begins to toy with the adaptive glasses that can assist him with facial recognition, other visitors to the museum explore the sensory garden at the back, which is filled with plants of different textures. “All the plants are at wheelchair height. We also have adaptive gardening equipment,” says Poonam.
Ummul meanwhile cannot get enough of the kitchen. “Everything here is adaptive. It’s amazing how small tweaks to cutlery can help us a great deal,” says Ummul, pointing to the shelves that move at the press of a button, the knives with cloth wrapped around them for better grip, and the right-angled fork. “The leisure section is also extensive,” says Ummul, as she asks the staff on duty to show her how to roll the adaptive dice and knit. For the working professionals, adaptive keyboards and text-to-speech scanners are on display.
Eager to try out the café on the first floor, Ummul leads the way past the ramps to the elevator, the walls filled with art by people with disabilities. Upstairs, the wide café doors swing open, as a short-statured doorman welcomes customers. The café is manned by people with disabilities, says Poonam, adding that they are also conducting vocational training programmes there. Adaptive crockery and cutlery are available here as well. “There are 21 disabilities recognized by the government and there is something available that every single one of them can use,” says Ummul.
The Museum of Possibilities is open Wednesday to Monday from 11am to 8pm.