19-year-old Sachin Kumar is blind by birth. Born into a farmer family in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, Sachin lost valuable years initially because he was denied admission in mainstream schools. His parents were not aware of special schools for blind children and so their son simply sat at home, losing out on education. But they were keen to educate their son and finally decided to home tutor him. They arranged for a teacher to come twice a week to their house for the next two years. Sachin’s tutor who was a special educator found out about a Pre-Integration Camp (PIC) for disabled children in Moradabad, under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan government programme.
At the age of 12, Sachin enrolled in the camp and studied all the way up till Class 8. But once again, he hit a roadblock as he couldn’t find any schools who would admit him in Class 9. His blindness coupled with over age became a deterrent. At this point, Sachin called Eyeway asking for help. Our counselor put him in touch with Jayati Bharatam, an organization based in Lucknow, engaged in education of persons with vision impairment. He was admitted in Class 9.
A year later, Sachin is now pursuing Class 10 at Jayati Bharatam. Alongside mainstream studies, he has also learnt to use computers with the help of screen reading software. He is also keen on preparing for entrance exams which he will become eligible to appear for once he finishes Class 10. Eyeway continues to offer assistance to him for his varied needs.