Paralyzed Man Builds School, Helps 6,000 Disabled Kids

When a stray bullet hit Javed Ahmad Tak during an armed conflict in Kashmir in 1997, doctors told the college student he'd never walk again. The injury paralyzed him from the waist down and forced him to remove a kidney and his spleen.

But during months of recovery at home, Javed noticed something that changed everything. He saw disabled children in his community of Anantnag who couldn't attend school, isolated just like he was.

In 2003, Javed rented a single room using the $900 compensation he received from the government. He started teaching children who were victims of conflict, many with disabilities that kept them out of traditional schools.

That one room grew into the Zaiba Aapa Institute of Inclusive Education, which now serves over 300 students. In 23 years, his Humanity Welfare Organisation has helped 6,000 children with disabilities access education and rehabilitation.

Zakiya Manzoor remembers being stuck at home as a child because she was visually impaired. "Everyone my age went to school, but I used to be at home because I was different," she says.

Then Javed's school changed her life. She found friends with all kinds of disabilities and discovered confidence she never knew she had.

Today, at 24, Zakiya has completed her postgraduate degree and dreams of becoming a professor. Whenever she felt discouraged, Javed would tell her stories of visually impaired people who achieved great things.

The Ripple Effect

The school teaches standard subjects like English, math, and science, but with specially trained teachers who know Braille and sign language. Children with intellectual disabilities learn through music and art therapy.

Beyond education, the organization provides free wheelchairs, hearing aids, and crutches. They organize medical camps for eye and dental checkups and connect families with hospitals for corrective surgeries.

Regular physiotherapy sessions help children with orthopedic conditions maintain their strength and mobility. Every service focuses on what Javed learned from his own experience: disability affects internal strength most of all.

This Ramadan, Javed is raising funds to build a larger shelter home. He wants to reach more disabled children across Kashmir who have the same dreams Zakiya had but lack the resources to pursue them.

"I understand the challenges these children face," Javed says. His goal remains simple: let every child continue to dream.