Bhubaneswar, Jan. 28: At least 60 disabled students aged between 18 and 25 enrolled in colleges, universities or professional programmes across the state are in the city for a series of training sessions.
Organised by Swabhimaan, the State-Level Youth Leadership Training and Empowerment Programme, which began on Thursday, aims to help students cultivate a stronger sense of self and dignity that is often eroded or discouraged by the societal barriers.
Soudamini Behera from Balasore, who is among the delegates here, said the programme helped her build self-esteem.
"I learnt how to operate computers and new software that can make my daily work easier. I also learnt how to greet and converse in English," the teenager said.
Speaking at one of the sessions, resource person Ketan Kothari from Mumbai, encouraged the students to be so good that they did not have to depend on reservations. He asked them to read as much as possible using online platforms such as Sugamaya Pustakalaya and Bookshare that make accessible content available to print-disabled people.
"The next time a person with print disability needs to read a book, he can skip the laborious process of looking for volunteers to read to them," Kothari said.