The high-voltage electric shock that left Eknarin Sararat with severe injuries lasted only one minute. But it was a minute that turned his life upside down.
After the accident, Eknarin, then 21 years old, had his left hand amputated. But that was not all. Two days later, his right hand needed to be chopped off followed by his left foot a week after that.
"I went completely numb and speechless," Eknarin recalled of the moment he was notified of the necessity of the amputation. "The doctor was worried that the injury in the limb would turn serious. I was then very afraid to die. My hands and legs damaged by the electric shock were unbearably painful. So eventually I decided to have the affected parts amputated just to save my life."
After the incident four years ago, the then newlywed man not just lost his job but also his wife who abandoned him. He had to be hospitalised for more than three months.
Eknarin Sararat believes people with disabilities deserve to be given the same opportunities as the able-bodied. Photos by Chumporn Sangvilert
"Back then I could not imagine living a life without hands and legs," he said. "But going through those miserable experiences, I was given a lot of support from my family and people around me. And from then on I only knew I had to pull myself back up."
Computer mechanic Mankorn Prakij, above left, has spent his entire life with no lower body.
After being discharged from hospital, he was sent to the Social Security Office's worker rehabilitation centre where he was provided with coaching on basic skills for living such as how to put on and take off clothes, how to brush his teeth, use eating utensils and so forth. Workers with a disability will also be given occupational training. And in Eknarin's case, he chose to learn how to fix computers.
A native of Kalasin province, Eknarin is now 25 and working as a computer repairman _ a job that actually requires a tremendous use of hands _ at a computer shop in Bangkok. Despite his impairment, he is able to open up a laptop for repair in less than 10 minutes by using what's left of his arms and his mouth.
He was introduced to the shop by its owner Pornthep Munchoupong, who is also an instructor at the rehabilitation centre. And at the store, Eknarin is not alone.
"We have three people with disabilities here," said Pornthep, 46, referring to Eknarin and two physically-impaired computer mechanics, Teerapat Toopmongkol and Mankorn Prakij. Mankorn was born with no legs, while Teerapat lost his entire left leg in a car accident many years ago.
Pornthep is the father of an autistic child, so he knows very well the feeling of people whose loved ones fall prey to disability _ be it physical or mental. To him, everyone should be treated equally and should be given the same opportunities regardless of their physical condition.
"There is nothing complicated about the word 'human dignity'. It is all about chances," he commented.
Also working at the shop is Teerapat Toopmongkol who lost his left leg many years ago. Just like Eknarin, Teerapat's wife abandoned him when he became incapacitated, leaving him to raise two young daughters alone.
But for Teerapat, fixing computers comes a bit more easily, giving he still has two good hands. But getting to work on his prosthetic leg causes him difficulties.
''Life has changed considerably after I lost my leg,'' said the 36-year-old. ''My wife left so I am the only person in the family who earns a living and so I have to make sure the income is enough to put food on the table. But amidst all these hindrances, I am glad I was given a chance to work here. The only thing to do is to not give up.''
For Eknarin, staying emotionally strong sometimes seems to be easier said than done.
Teerapat Toopmongkol lost his left leg in a car accident many years ago.
''Often I went to shopping malls and people gave me a weird look,'' he said. ''Some people looked down on me. Some looked at me with sympathy while others looked at me with disdain. They probably thought a crippled man like me was not capable of doing a thing.
''There was this one time when I was sitting at a bus stop waiting for my transport. And I just finished my drink and was about to throw away the empty plastic glass, which was then placed in front of me. A lady walked by and put some money in the glass. She thought I was a beggar!''
Eknarin is not enraged by those people. Neither does he feel he is good for nothing. Mostly he thinks to himself that people in society might not totally understand those with disabilities and consequently have no idea that people with physical impairments are capable of doing things the able-bodied can.
''People with disabilities are not unable to work. We only need more training than normal people. Training allows us to learn and many times we the disabled can do better than the able-bodied,'' he said, adding that his responsibility at the shop is not just to repair computers but also to install software, take customers' orders and do paperwork.
''Sometimes customers were worried I would drop or damage their laptops because I have no hands and they were afraid I could not hold theirs properly,'' Eknarin said, laughing.
According to Pornthep, one of the most important obstacles to occupational development among people with a disability is the fact that most of them _ after undergoing rehabilitation and job training _ are usually sent back to work in industrial or service sectors. And this bars them from taking a leap forward in their careers.
''When people with disabilities were sent back to the industry or to businesses, they are framed by salary-related limitations,'' Pornthep commented. ''If they become full-time staff, they are normally put to work eight hours a day and after that they do nothing. Working under such a system, they hardly develop professionally. They are hardly able to save up some money because most of their incomes are spent on work-related expenditure.
''But I think working under such a system should not be the only option for people with disabilities. The important thing is that they need to know what they are keen on and then undergo training in the field they are interested in so that they can work or probably open a small business of their own. This way they can have a better life with a better quality of living.''
Pornthep wishes that one day his physically-impaired staff will be able to set up their own small computer shops, probably in their home towns, so that they can be proud of themselves. And as a single dad, Eknarin shares this wish.
''I cannot say for how long I will be working here,'' he said. ''I just hope that one day I can go back to my home town and open my own shop fixing computers and installing software. Disabled or not, I think everyone is equal and everyone deserves to be handed an opportunity.''
