Contrary to popular belief, an abundance of money does not guarantee a positive future, especially if you are a disabled person in Sri Lanka. Beliefs that a person is afflicted with a disability in this life due to wrong deeds in a previous life, can prevent a disabled person from receiving the basic opportunities that most people take for granted. Mangalika is thirty years old this year and is enjoying her sixth year in the handicraft section of the CCODP. The CCODP found her during one of their surveys in 1995 and invited her to attend the vocational training course at the CCODP. After completing the training Mangalika has chosen to remain working with the CCODP indefinitely. Managalika comes from a reasonably wealthy family and has one sister and 4 brothers. Her sister and three elder brothers are all married, but her younger brother, like Mangalika, is disabled as a result of suffering from polio at a young age. Despite the income of the family, Mangalika was never sent to school and has spent much of her life inside the family home. The CCODP offered Mangalika a chance to take responsibility for her life and her time here has given her a purpose in life. She has made friends in the CCODP hostel who have experienced similar discrimination due to their disabilities and she has learnt important skills for reintegrating herself into society. There is plenty of money to look after Mangalika in her family home, but here at the CCODP she has learnt to become self-sufficient and make a contribution to society. After her aging parents die, Mangalika will be forced to make decisions about her future. With the skills she has gained during her training and the moral support her friends have given her, Mangalika now knows she has a choice in the decisions concerning her.