22-year-old Riya Aggarwal from Ahmedabad, Gujarat was born with Retinitis Pigmentosa, an eye disorder which results in gradual vision loss. Her vision started to deteriorate in class 8 and by class 10 she turned completely blind. Studying in a mainstream school with sighted students became challenging, so Riya had to drop out. After sitting idle at home for two years, someone guided the family to enroll her in a special school. Riya restarted her education, taking help from family and friends to study. She also learnt about online libraries to access books and course material in a digital format as opposed to the inaccessible printed versions. She successfully finished her schooling and started her graduation in English Literature.
A bright student and topper all along, she was increasingly hassled by the thought of not being able to score well as all syllabus wasn’t easily available in accessible formats. Riya called Eyeway for help.
Eyeway contacted a few NGOs working in this area, helping Riya get her the required study material. During the interactions, our counselor learnt that she wanted to complete her Masters and Ph.D. in Literature, aspiring to become a lecturer. However, dependency on her friends and family for a long time had left her unsure and under-confident. Eyeway counselor assured her that every dream was easy to achieve if she acquired adequate skills for functioning independently. Riya was given some local options for mobility and computer training which will help her regain confidence.