Empowering experiences through Eyeway

Harshit Agarwal of Jabalpur, MP, has low vision due to Ocular albinism. He requested from his university an allowance of extra time to write by himself his 3rd year BCom examination. However, the university did not allow him for an extra time, apparently because there is no central circular issued to universities for them to implement such provisions for vision impaired students. Harshit referred his problem to the Eyeway Helpdesk, and right away, he was connected to an NGO in Bhopal which contacted the Chancellor of the university in the state. Finally, the College allowed Harshit to have extra time in his exams.

Manjula and Jayant Mahajan have twin daughters Prachi and Pragya. When the twins were just six months old, the parents discovered that both of the girls were blind. Life came to a stand still for the Mahajans. The future looked bleak and scary. They did not know what to do or what to expect, until they received some good advice that told them what to do, what the challenges were and how to address them and what potential the children had. The Mahajans stopped sulking and began planning and dreaming. Today Prachi and Pragya are living wholesome lives studying in mainstream schools. Right information at the right time brought in tremendous energy and hope into the Mahajan household.

S.P. Singh was a young family man, earning a decent living as a teacher for some years until he started to lose his sight because of severe retinal problem. Gradually becoming blind is the lowest point of his life. Then one day, he heard an inspiring radio show on living with blindness, the Eyeway- Ye Hai Roshni Ka Karwan, and suddenly started to shift his perspective about blindness. After that enlightening moment, he became motivated to call the Eyeway Helpdesk for more information which until now helps him adjust to his vision impairment. Recently, he learned using a computer talking software for blind people, which he finds useful in his teaching tasks and in pursuing higher studies. Because of these information and the constant motivation, S.P. Singh considers Eyeway his important lifeline.

This student pursuing a Masters Degree in Computer Applications (name withheld on family’s request) has had deteriorating eyesight when he was finishing his college degree. Thus, when he started graduate studies, taking regular exams became more difficult because of his low vision. He asked for some consideration of extra time from his university based on what he thought were “humanitarian grounds” for a vision impaired student. He was not aware that the support he sought for was in fact his right. Nonetheless, he learned of this right from Eyeway when a Helpdesk counsellor followed up on him one time, incidentally two days before his major exam. Apart from informing him of compensating facilities for vision impaired students, Eyeway also quickly and successfully reached out to the student’s university in its central office which made the regional office aware of their own rule to provide 20 minutes extra per hour in examinations for vision impaired students.

Alpana Dubey had always been optimistic about life and had strong resolve to face challenges in reaching her ambitions. When Alpana lost her eyesight which was the result of a complication of Menengitic hydrocephalus, her strength of character and support of family and society in general did not disrupt her optimism to reach her dreams. One of these is Eyeway, which still constantly gives her a rich knowledge resource and motivation to lead a full life amidst blindness. Eyeway counselled Alpana when her usual confidence waned as she chose her course of study. Today, as Alpana is confidently pursuing commerce, she has also been connected by Eyeway to an e-group of blind people who are in the same field of expertise as she is.

Gautom Baruah of Guwahati, Assam is an enterprising young man despite his blindness. Gautom runs his own shop where he sells cellphone connections, recharge coupons, and other basic telecom gadgets. He had always wanted to independently do easy recharging for his clients so that he would not rely on other people for an otherwise easy task. Gautom once heard over the Eyeway Radio Show about the talking software for cell phones which what he was looking for. Today, Gautom tops up his clients’ cellphones independently, much to their amazement of how a blind person can become a regular entrepreneur and contribute to the normal workings of society.

Amit Patel knew that there are compensating facilities which a blind student like him can use that will give him an equal footing with other students. His university allowed him for a scribe to write his MBA exams, but not extra time to take the exam. He then sought the help of Eyeway. Eyeway helped Amit in acquiring copy of the rules in MBA courses which is the basis of Amit’s request for compensating facilities. In addition to the information givern to Amit, Eyeway also connected him to the Office of the Chief Commissioner of People with Disabilities (CCPD) and his university for a discussion about the matter. After his university was enlightened with the facilities which they are obliged to give to blind students, Amit was granted his request both for a scribe and extra time in his examinations.

Mayank Sharma started to lose his eyesight when he was in class three in a regular school in Delhi. Mayank’s teachers were unexperienced in handling students with disability and advised his parents to transfer their son to a school for the blind. Despondent over the school’s approach to their son’s situation, the Sharmas approached George Abraham, the CEO of Score Foundation, for guidance on how to handle their son’s lose of sight. George did not only provide them guidance but approached Mayank’s school as well, to make the administration and teachers aware about blindness, notably in providing inclusive education to vision impaired students.

Anjina Bhat of Noida in UP is mother to Arush, a 3-year-old boy who is nearly blind because of retinal degeneration. Anjina has considered Score Foundation a valuable knowledge and motivational resource in bringing up her son. The parenting section of the Eyeway Website www.eyeway.org for instance, provides her information in developing the skills of Arush to become independent. Score Foundation significantly facilitated the inclusion of Arush in a mainstream play school by suggesting multi-sensory activities which both Arush and the other children enjoyed learning from. Score continued to help Anjina in getting Arush admitted to the Delhi Public School where he continues to get mainstream education today.

Avdhesh Kumar Kaushal has 6/36 vision. He appreciates Eyeway for guiding him as he continues to adjust to his eye condition, with the myriad of information and advice he got from Eyeway. When he started to lose his eyesight, he feared that he would also lose his teaching job in a central government school. Eyeway gave Avdhesh confidence after the Helpdesk informed him of the job security to blind people as stated in the People with Disabilities (PWD) Act, and specific concessions and other policies. He also found valuable support by being connected to other blind teachers in his school and other schools in other parts of India.

Saba Rizvi comes from a conservative family in Lucknow, UP. Neither Saba, nor anyone in her family knew about the facilities and the opportunities available for the blind to study, so she never went to school and had always thought that blind people like her can only be home-bound all throughout their lives. Then after 34 years, she almost instantly got addicted to the then new radio show for the blind, Eyeway – Yeh Hai Roshni Ka Karawan (Caravan of Light). Continuously listening to the show each week, she suddenly found herself aspiring to accomplish things in her life like the inspiring lives of blind people interviewed on the radio including Sudha Patel, the first blind lady sarpanch (elected head) of her village, and Nafisa Buhariwalla, a banker. Recently, Saba learned to read Braille and has been enrolled on home study. She is now getting ready to personally appear for class 10 exams.