Advising an appropriate course of rehabilitation

14-year-old Sajan Kumar was only three when he lost his vision following a brain fever. Sajan’s parents were not aware of how to raise a child with blindness and as a result, he became entirely dependent on his mother for daily needs. As a teenager, Sajan was unable to eat his food independently. He was living an isolated life tucked away from the outside world. Given his seclusion, Sajan didn’t possess any communication skills, worse he even suffered from a speech issue, unable to articulate his views very well. And recently when his mother passed away, Sajan’s father struggled between working and taking care of a dependent child. He sought help immediately.

In a chance meeting with Silver Linings CEO, who works with persons with disabilities including women and children, Sajan learnt about Eyeway. He was told to seek help from Eyeway counselors on rehabilitation.

Speaking to his father over a series of calls, Eyeway counselor realised that Sajan needed training for daily functioning and mobility. Simple solutions were suggested in response to complaints like his son was unable to eat food without spilling. The counselor introduced Sajan’s father to the idea of using shallow bowls which would be more convenient to eat from rather than a flat plate.

Sajan’s father was looking for some training for his boy so he could eventually become independent and employable. On probing further, and even speaking to Sajan himself, the counselor realised that even before he were put through any vocational or educational training, there was need for the boy to open up and communicate. Sajan told our counselor that alone at home he dances to the songs on radio. Music and dance give him joy in his otherwise dull life. So the counselor picked up on Sajan’s interests and suggested rehabilitative training at Natyakulam NGO in Jaipur, where they help visually impaired males overcome their inhibitions and build a personality through art forms like dance and theatre. Once Sajan learns to co-exist in a social set-up, he can pursue education or vocation of his interest.

Sajan’s father is extremely happy and relieved with both short term and long term solutions offered by Eyeway. He even sought help in acquiring Disability pension for Sajan to get some financial assistance in addition to his own income.