Two differently-abled persons form special connection with selfies, social media

Vivek Pachpande tucks into a vada pav at an Indian-themed cafe in Edinburgh

In a hyper-connected world, a retweet or a status update is as much a part of our lives, as is eating or sleeping. But, can the experience be the same for the differently-abled? Is social media an inclusive space, or one where the lonely-in-a-crowd feeling holds true? Two Mumbaikars tell it like it is:

'Finding an emoji is a laborious task'
Nearly three years ago, Vivek Pachpande retired from commuting on the Mumbai local to savour the gentler pace of Edinburgh. Pachpande, 34, an academic, was selected by the Commonwealth Commission in 2015 to pursue his doctoral studies at the University of Edinburgh, and joined the company of alumni such as David Hume, Charles Darwin, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Now in the third year of his research on propositional knowledge, Pachpande is delighted to be in the Scottish capital, and especially likes the way the city smells. "It has a yeasty smell - it's intoxicating - because of the many whiskey breweries around," he says.

One of Pachpande's posts - a monkey that he shot on a morning walk

But, the UNESCO World Heritage City was still missing something. "I miss Mumbai's street food!" exclaims the Commonwealth scholar. On a whim, during an afternoon walk with a friend once, his longing nudged him into a café, where he ordered a vada pav and a martini. The cost of a nostalgic bite into the Mumbai staple was an expensive £9 (R800 approx), but he says it was one of his happiest moments since he arrived in the city.

It was a moment that Pachpande, who is visually-impaired, thought he must share on Facebook, which he had joined around 2012. "It wasn't that my happiness depended on it, but many people didn't even know that a vada pav, no matter how expensive, was available in Edinburgh. It was a bit narcissistic, but I wanted to put it out there in the social space," he says over a call.

Social media is inarguably a visual experience, says Pachpande. A common distinction between the way in which the sighted and the visually impaired post, he observes, is that the former will post photographs, but the latter will be verbose. An avid Apple user, Pachpande vouches for its accessibility features, including one that will "read" images for him.

You will also find Pachpande using emojis by the dozen, as he does in messages to us. "But, finding an emoji is a laborious task," he says, as the phone's Voiceover feature will describe one emoji after the other, until you land the right one. It's the kind of time that Pachpande only judiciously wishes to invest in, and the reason he couldn't stand Twitter. "After so many retweets and responses, it became impossible to find the original tweet," he says, adding that he doesn't understand how Shashi Tharoor finds the time to tweet.

Pachpande has also figured out how to use his phone camera, but selfies pose a problem. A couple of years ago, he attempted one and posted it on Facebook, but his mother pointed out that his face was too close to the camera. "It was probably my maladroit attempt to be accepted. Everybody does it, so I did it, too," he laughs. "But, I don't use Facebook to keep in touch with friends. If it's something significant, I know I will get to know about it through other means. But there are times when I do find myself lonely. After all, my support system is back in Mumbai," he says. And as far as the vada pav is concerned, he has found an inexpensive alternative - croissants.

Balraj Kaur posts often, such as one on right. She captioned it: Sometimes I pretend to be normal but it gets boring, so I go back to being myself. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

'I post about everything under the sun'
Balraj Kaur's chic phone cover reads, "Queens are born in November". Kaur, 27, is an MPhil student at the University of Mumbai, and is dressed in her favourite fuchsia pink salwar kameez. We are at a burger joint in Bandra-Kurla Complex, and Kaur has decided that she will order her favourite fish burger later. Seated behind us are a young couple with soft serves and burgers - all of which is getting Instgrammed first and digested later. "I am just like them! I post about everything under the sun," she says. The other day, she had updated her Facebook status, saying that she was eating mangoes, only to draw a horrified remark from her mother. "She asked me what kind of updates are these and who would even be interested in knowing," Kaur laughs.

Kaur is triplegic, having been diagnosed with cerebral palsy due to prenatal complications. She joined Facebook last year, and has 59 friends; she only adds people she knows, and, despite her food confessions, she is scrupulous about over-sharing details. As a differently- abled person, who uses a wheelchair, Kaur feels that too much public information would make her vulnerable to anti-social elements.

However, on social media, she has found a valuable support group through her friends. Using accessibility features on her phone, such as a transcriber and voice recognition, she comments on people's photos, using Internet acronyms by the plenty, too.

Of late, she has also started posting photos of herself at social events. "When I started my research, I was confined mostly to my home. Now, I venture out once a week, to catch up with friends or visit the mall," she says. It doesn't matter to her that she is in a wheelchair in these pictures, and is not afraid of making it known. The general apathy towards the differently-abled is what is more worrying than sympathy, she says.

There is, therefore, a greater purpose for Kaur in joining Facebook. As a young researcher who is studying disability and queerness, she says that she wants to use social media as a means for transformation. "There are horrendous stereotypes that I want to eradicate, and also change the language we use to talk about disabilities," she says. She frequently posts about the subject, along with opinions on feminism and secularism. Her other area of concern - dating apps. "Interested men immediately start sexting, but I am seeking a committed alliance," she says, smiling.

Also Read: Listen To Inspiring Travel Stories By The Differently-Abled At Event In Bandra

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