Bilal Humayun – Taking DIS out of his DISABILITY
Bilal’s birth was not an ordinary one. Delivered normally, his existence was celebrated; rapturous smiles and laughs filled the room. As his family rejoiced, little did they know that their lives would soon take a rather unexpected direction.
Bilal’s growth was a bit slower than his peers’; he sat up during his eighth month, walked a year later. The trouble began when, at two and a half years of age, Bilal fell very ill. High fever was noticed, with frequent, violent seizures. A few days later the fever subsided and his family dismissed the experience; after all, why would it ever happen again?
When he grew older, his teachers commented he was much slower than his peers, and would remain distant from his classmates at a public school in his home town, Nawabshah. His family took him to the doctor where he was identified simply as a “Special Child”.
Both family and child were helpless and hesitant- what did being a “special child” mean? What were they to do? With no help or support from his local special needs school, Bilal’s uncle took the bold step to take him to Karachi in the search for necessary rehabilitation support. Hearing of the Karachi Vocational Training Centre for the Intellectually Challenged, (KVTC), he decided to enroll Bilal there, and hope for the best.
At KVTC, Bilal was identified as a slow learner through a series of personality assessments and IQ tests.
The 9 year old’s actions were predictable for a boy in his situation. He was aggressive, stubborn and hyperactive. Dealing with a case like this was certainly not going to be an easy task.
7 years later however, Bilal is remarkably transformed. Post-rehab, today he is wholeheartedly called one of the most successful trainees at KVTC. He has successfully learnt machine embroidery and screen-printing, and will now be trained as an Automotive Spray Painter through the Technical Simulation Learning Lab at KVTC. Furthermore, Bilal has attained many accolades in sports and athletics including gold medals in the Special Olympics City Games 2015 as a member of the soccer team.
Bilal’s feats are such that no ordinary person would achieve, let alone an intellectually challenged teenager. His example leads us to question the taboo within our society-that “special” children are a burden on their families. Bilal and KVTC’s hard work is a testament that instead of “normal” celebrities, or famous icons, one can find inspiration in a differently abled, seemingly burdensome teenager.
After meeting and interacting with him, Fatima and I are not in the least ashamed to say that of all the people we have known, Bilal has inspired us the most.