Srinagar

Urva Imtiaz of Srinagar, the capital of Jammu and Kashmir, has emerged as the voice of disabled players, literally and figuratively.

At the age of 17, this 11^th grader has been helping the mute and hearing challenged players communicate with their trainers and even families for five years.

Urva lives in Nowgam on Srinagar outskirts with her parents. Her mother, aunt and uncle are all deaf and dumb. While she saw their struggles to live normal lives, her experience of living with them also taught her naturally to communicate and understand such specially enabled persons.

“I learned the art of communicating with the deaf and dumb from my mother because she herself is disabled," says Urva Imtiaz. "When I understand my mother's gestures and follow her instructions, I became naturally trained in communicating with such persons.”

So far she has helped more than 300 deaf and dumb sportspersons. Today, thanks to her efforts, all these players are performing quite well in the arena. "I act as a translator for them," she said. She explains to them what they miss for not being able to understand from people who can speak – right from the rules of the game to the protocols during tournaments and on the field.

Urva was inspired to see her Uncle working for people with disabilities.

"My uncles were already helping deaf and dumb people, and when I saw them, I felt the urge to do the same," she says. She learned sign language before starting her interaction with these players.

Urva Imtiaz now travels with these players to different parts of the country as well as abroad and acts as their spokesperson.

Urva knows the challenges of explaining things to  disabled sportspersons. However, she feels this is the reason more people should come forward to help them.

She feels now she has grown comfortable in understanding the feelings of these special sportspersons through their gestures and more importantly she has won their trust.

"People with disabilities share their problems with me, take me to their homes and ask me to talk to people at home and explain things to them," she said. "Life for people with disabilities is not easy; they face numerous challenges in their lives, including economic deprivation.”

“As a child, I saw my mother being ridiculed for her disability and people used to harass her," he said. This is the most destructive aspect of society that must be addressed.

“I hope one day I will succeed and make my family proud,” she says.