Accepting disability and moving on

27 year old Arjun (name changed) hails from Jaipur, Rajasthan. Arjun had low vision in one eye since birth but he wasn’t really aware of it until a few years ago when he lost vision in his other eye.  Arjun met with a failure early in life when he was 15. He could not clear all his Class X exams. He was disappointed and lost his enthusiasm to study further. He decided to move out of Jaipur and explore options in the dream city of Mumbai. Arjun joined his cousin’s business. He worked with great zeal in the family business until one day when a ball hit his eye while playing ‘gali cricket’. Things took an adverse turn following the accident. Arjun lost his vision in one eye and during the course of medical consultancy, realized that he had low vision in the second eye as well. Loss of vision made him inefficient at work.  Arjun didn’t know what to do and who to seek out for help. Then he overheard about Eyeway on the radio. He called the helpline and shared his issues. Our counselor helped him understand how he could continue to live a happy and independent life despite blindness. But somehow Arjun never fully heeded to our advice. He struggled at work, trying to deliver but kept failing.

It was only after his cousin asked him to leave that Arjun felt he was a liability on people. He called Eyeway again, this time more determined to change his situation. He expressed a desire to start his own business. Our counselor assured him that it was possible to successfully set up his own business if he followed the right steps of rehabilitation. Eyeway guided him about the various rehabilitative and mobility training courses available at National Association for Blind (NAB) in Mumbai. Our counselor also motivated him to complete his studies in order to improve his future prospects. Arjun agreed to pursue both his studies and the vocational training at NAB. Our counselor also informed Arjun that he would need to complete his Class X from Jaipur, following which he can pursue further studies in Mumbai with the help of NAB. Arjun is now on the path of restoring his life back on track.