Wheels over heels

Hasitha Illa defies all odds by transforming her disabilities into her strengths. The PIONEER BRINGS TO YOU her journey from demotivation to becoming a motivational speaker.

Tejal Sinha

Disability is just a matter of perception. It was the English theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who once said, “Concentrate on things our disability doesn’t prevent you from doing well, and don’t regret the things it interferes with.”

Today, we have with us Hasitha Illa, who proves the saying very well. Hasitha had no idea how quickly her life would change when she was a cute, bubbly kid in her childhood. And definitely not an easy one. One day, she abruptly started limping, which left her parents worried too. She couldn’t even hold plates properly due to her imbalance. At one point, while we enjoyed playing games and going to parks, she had to go for hospital visits and, in fact, discontinue her playtime because of her physical transformation.

She was diagnosed with Friedreich’s Ataxia, a progressive disease, at the age of 10. While she had previously used her wheelchair on and off, it wasn’t until about five years ago that she began using it on a regular basis.

Hailing from Pune, Hasitha is currently based in the US and working as an HR professional.
Beginning with her struggles, Hasitha said, “Self-acceptance was my biggest struggle. It was tough for me to accept this and be someone different from the rest of the people.

There was not much representation of people with disabilities back then, so I didn’t know much about people living in wheelchairs. I had no idea what to do as a child at the time. It felt as if I was the only one in the wheelchair, which made it more difficult for me. While kids enjoyed their childhood days, I couldn’t. People around me were also not very friendly. I was bullied for being different.”

During this tough phase of her life, she says her family has been her biggest support and strength. Not only this, but her mom had also encouraged her to participate in the Miss Wheelchair India Pageant held in Mumbai. “My mom wanted me to participate in this; I didn’t want to participate, but my mom enrolled me in it. Because of this, even my stage fright had disappeared. Even though I didn’t win, I learned a lot.”

While she began accepting herself as she was, she began gaining interest in writing and started expressing herself through her YouTube channel and Instagram (@lifewithhasi).
You might wonder if this was her turning point in life, but it was “when I gave my first motivational speech with singer and composer Shankar Mahadevan. It was then that I realised I could inspire others like me, as well as others in general.”

She believes that awareness about anything begins from childhood. And, thus, she recently released her own book ‘Wheeling Away’. The book, written by the debut author and motivational speaker, talks about being an ally to people with special needs. To make Wheeling Away happen, Hasitha, joined hands with parenting coach Saakshi Singla, and for sure, anyone who reads the book, will surely learn more about inclusivity and acceptance.

Morgan Freeman once said, “Attacking people with disabilities is the lowest display of power I can think of.” There are many people out there who are fighting against the odds, making their own mark. However, the discrimination and ill-treatment of people with disabilities never goes off.

“Awareness begins in childhood itself. When they are kids, one can point them in the right direction. However, when they grow older, they have their own perceptions. People with disabilities face a great deal of discrimination in all aspects of life.Treating people with disabilities as if they were any other human being is the way to go! People always ask me how I approach a person with a disability. Do it the same way you would approach anyone else. Also, I like it when people take the time to get to know me instead of just my medical history. The list goes on and on, and I talk more about it via my Instagram handle, @lifewithhasi,” she signed off.