A resident of Ahmedabad, 24 year old Ankit (name changed) is totally blind in one eye and has 25% vision in the other eye. He first contacted Eyeway Helpdesk in May 2017. However, it took him a while to open up to our counselor. Ankit seemed ridden with social stigma which made him hesitant of opening up about his condition and concerns to anyone. He made several calls to the Helpdesk using a different name identity each time. Our counselor was patient and understanding in response and as a result Ankit dropped his guard to freely share his issues.
After completing Class XII in 2014, he enrolled in a college. Unfortunately he could not complete his graduation. This was because Ankit was not aware that a blind student could use the services of a scribe for writing the exam. Ignorant of the provision, Ankit attempted writing his own exams two to three times and failed miserably. This left him depressed and hopeless. Since then Ankit has been scouting for some guidance but he only found half-baked information in bits and pieces he could not fully comprehend. He learnt about Eyeway from a friend and decided to seek help.
Our counselor informed Ankit about the provisions for blind students to take a scribe’s assistance and also told him about the scholarship handed out by the Gujarat government to support their education. Ankit wanted to know more about his employment options. He had heard from various sources that there was a reservation for blind people in government jobs but did not anything further. Our counselor informed him of the 1% reservation quota for blind people and shared avenues in railways and banking sector. But foremost counselor emphasized on the need to undergo mobility and computer training in order to be able to perform well at any job. We explained Ankit about the use of mobile and computers through screen reading software.
Ankit expressed a desire to take up a job in the banking sector. And while we shared information about jobs he was eligible for, both in railways and banking, Eyeway recommended him to complete his graduation in order to apply for better and higher posts in banking. We also told him about the HK Arts College in Ahmedabad which was inclusive in its approach and very supportive of visually impaired students.
Ankit has already started to prepare for a job in the banking sector and he is keen on joining a computer training course at the Blind People’s Association (BPA). He regained his confidence and the will to do something after engaging with Eyeway.