disability rights activist
The disability rights movement is a global social movement that seeks to secure equal opportunities and equal rights for all disabled people.
It is made up of organizations of disability activists, also known as disability advocates, around t ...
and author who has
cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, spasticity, stiff muscles, Paresis, weak muscles, and tremors. There may b ...
. Chib wrote the book ''One Little Finger'' over the course of two years by typing with only one finger.One Little Finger – One Big Review! - 'Disability Horizons'
Biography
Malini was born in
Kolkata
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
, India in 1966. She had a loss of oxygen during birth causing cerebral palsy. Her parents moved to
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
after her birth to get better care for her. After her brother Nikhil was born, the family moved back to India. Since no school would take her as a student, her mother,
Mithu Alur
Mithu Alur (born 27 March 1943) is the founder chairperson of The Spastic Society of India – now rechristened ADAPT – Able Disable All People Together. She is an educator, disability rights activist, researcher, writer and published autho ...
, started a school called The Centre For Special Education. Malini would later return to England to attend Thomas Delarue School, a boarding school for pupils with cerebral palsy. She returned to India to attend
St. Xavier's College
A multitude of schools and universities have been named after St. Francis Xavier, a Spanish Roman Catholic saint and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. This page lists notable educational institutions named after St. Xavier, arranged by country a ...
, affiliated to the
University of Mumbai
University of Mumbai is a public state university in Mumbai. It is one of the largest university systems in the world with over 549,000 students on its campuses and affiliated colleges. , the university had 711 affiliated colleges.
It was est ...
, where she earned a BA. She went back to England to get a master's degree in Gender Studies at the
Institute of Education
The UCL Institute of Education (IOE) is the faculty of education and society of University College London (UCL). It specialises in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and is one of UCL's 11 constituent faculties. Prior t ...
,
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...
. Filmmaker
Shonali Bose
Shonali Bose (born 3 June 1965) is an Indian film director, writer and film producer. Having made her feature film debut in 2005, she has since won such accolades as a National Film Award, a Bridgestone Narrative Award, and a Sundance Mahindr ...
is her first cousin.
Career
In December 2010, Chib wrote her first book and autobiography ''One Little Finger'' published by
Sage Publishing
Sage Publishing, formerly SAGE Publications, is an American Independent business, independent Academic publishing, academic publishing company, founded in 1965 in New York City by Sara Miller McCune and now based in the Newbury Park, California, ...
. The book was critically acclaimed.
In 2015, she wrote a chapter titled ''I Feel Normal Inside. Outside, My Body Isn't!'' in the anthology ''Disability, Gender and the Trajectories of Power'' edited by Asha Hans and published by
Sage Publishing
Sage Publishing, formerly SAGE Publications, is an American Independent business, independent Academic publishing, academic publishing company, founded in 1965 in New York City by Sara Miller McCune and now based in the Newbury Park, California, ...
.
Chib is the founder and co-chairperson of ADAPT Rights Group, a part of the ADAPT (Able Disable All People Together) organisation. The Rights Group was formed with the belief that both "able" and "disabled" should work together to form an "inclusive" society where ''"all"'' are welcomed and included.
She also heads the Library and Media Services. She is responsible for the micro and macro advocacy efforts of the ADAPT Rights Group. She lent her skills organizing an 'Inclusive Job Fair' for disabled youth. She also conducts Empowerment and sensitization courses for individuals, corporates, parents, professionals and disabled activists.
Awards
In 2011, the Indian
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is a Government of India Ministry (government department), ministry. It is responsible for welfare spending, welfare, social justice and empowerment of disadvantaged and marginalised sections of soc ...
awarded Chib the National Award for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities in the category Role Model.
In 2017, on the occasion of World Cerebral Palsy Day, Chib was honoured with the first global
Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, spasticity, stiff muscles, Paresis, weak muscles, and tremors. There may b ...
Day Award for ensuring rights and entitlements of persons with disability conferred by the
Cerebral Palsy Alliance
Cerebral Palsy Alliance (formerly The Spastic Centre) is an Australian nonprofit organisation helping babies, children, teenagers and adults living with cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
.
In popular culture
The 2014 Indian film ''
Margarita with a Straw
''Margarita with a Straw'' is a 2014 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Shonali Bose. It stars Kalki Koechlin as an Indian teenager with cerebral palsy who relocates to America for her undergraduate education and comes of age follow ...
'' is based on her life, in which actress
Kalki Koechlin
Kalki Koechlin (; born 10 January 1984) is a French actress and writer who works in films and stage. Known for her unconventional body of work, particularly in Hindi films, she is the recipient of several accolades, including a National Film ...
played a character based on her. Upon release, the film was a major critical and commercial success, and Koechlin won several awards for her performance.