Being deafblind has not stopped Raj Anil Solanki from becoming a
Skilled Massage Therapist
The 32-year-old resident of Ahmedabad works with children who have special needs
Aruna Raghuram
There is an innocence and gentleness about him. That’s probably what endears Raj Anil Solanki to the children he administers medical massage to. These are children with special needs who may hit or push him at times. But Raj is unruffled. He has learnt how to manage the children and has won their trust and love.
Of course, the fact that he is skilled in massage therapy and the children feel calm and relaxed after a session is another reason for his popularity.
There’s another factor that makes Raj special. He has been deafblind since childhood. The 32-year-old lives in Ahmedabad and commutes a long distance every day to the Blind People’s Association (BPA), the largest NGO in the country in the disability sector. Raj works as a massage therapist for children at the centre for special needs at BPA.
Incurable condition
Raj was nine years old when he first experienced hearing loss and then vision loss. “I could not read the blackboard in school. I also started having difficulties in conversing. The doctor said it was a nerve-related problem and there was no cure,” says Raj. Later, when he joined BPA’s deafblind unit he was assessed and diagnosed with Usher’s Syndrome, a rare genetic disease that affects both hearing and vision. It is a progressive condition.
Raj lives with his parents and older sister who works as a laboratory assistant. He has two other siblings and is the youngest in the family. His father retired from Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and now drives an auto-rickshaw. His mother is a homemaker.
“My father drops me to the bus stop at Chandkheda every day. I travel by BRTS to BPA. Sometimes, I cannot see the bus or bus number but strangers help me out. At times, in spite of carrying a cane I fall down on the road. The people around help me up,” he says with remarkable calmness.
Second home
When he was removed from regular school in class 7 for not writing properly, he came to BPA with his parents. From then on, things looked up for Raj.
He was admitted in the deafblind unit and the school for the blind, both on the premises of BPA. He studied from class 8 to 12 at the school for the blind. At the deafblind centre, he was mentally prepared that his vision would deteriorate further.
He learnt braille, how to use magnification techniques to read, and how to prepare short answer questions at the centre. Volunteers read aloud to him and helped him with his studies. He cleared class 12 exams with the help of a writer.
“Soon after completing my 12 class studies in 2013, I took admission in the three-month medical massage therapy course on the advice of my mentors at BPA. I managed to complete the course with a lot of support from BPA and the help of technology. I started working at BPA almost immediately. I work six days a week from 10 am to 5 pm. On Thursdays, I go to another branch of BPA,” says Raj.
Natural vocation
Raj does eight to ten half-hour massages a day and earns around Rs 10,000 a month. He has also done a computer course at BPA but it is massage that has become his vocation. Earlier, he would take lectures in the massage therapy course. But now, giving massages takes up all his time.
“I love me work. When I touch the children, I am often able to figure out the problem, be it hyperactivity or a physical challenge. The parents also brief me about the problem. I feel good that the massage therapy I give relaxes and calms the children,” he says.
Physically and intellectually challenged children and also those with sensory disorders come to the centre for special needs. Raj has adapted very well to his profession. He is able to figure out how to work with each child. Having had a cochlear transplant, he is able to hear loud sounds and conversations in his vicinity.
After going home, he continues his learning of braille and helps in the housework and cooking. Raj relishes Gujarati food. He aspires to do a course in physiotherapy at BPA. However, his mentors tell him it will be difficult. As it is a paramedical course, there is considerable reading involved. The other reason is that he lacks the physical strength needed to be a physiotherapist.
Since 95 per cent of what we learn is through our eyes and ears, the deafblind, who have both sight and hearing loss, face huge challenges. According to a 2019 research paper published in the journal ‘Indian Pediatrics’, it is estimated that there are more than 500,000 deafblind adults and children in India.
Raj is a classic example of victory over multi-sensory impairment. He has attained a remarkable level of independent mobility and is an earning member of his family. As a person with deafblindness who provides scientific massage therapy to children with disabilities, he is truly a role model.
