22-year-old Akash Dhar is a visually impaired person from Jammu, India. Akash who was blind from birth, did not study Braille and wasn’t aware of assistive technology. Therefore, most of his formative years, he was home tutored by his family members and friends. He went on to complete his Bachelor’s degree in History from Jammu University and is now pursuing his Masters in the same subject from Indira Gandhi National Open University. His father is an electrician by profession and his mother is a homemaker. He also has a sister who is visually impaired and is studying in Class 11.
Akash had heard that the National Association for the Blind (NAB), Delhi conducts computer courses and other training programs for people like him. So he decided to travel to Delhi and enrol in a 15-day computer training program. Later, he met with the NAB Eyeway counselors who then guided him to enrol in a four-month diploma course in computer training. Alongside the counselor insisted Akash to join mobility training, English speaking classes and a course in personality development. The Eyeway counselors felt that this would help him become independent and improve his overall communication skills, boosting his confidence. Now, he is able to read books, surf the internet, access social media platforms and navigate independently. After completing his course, he decided to become an Accessibility Tester. Considering his interest, the counselor advised him to take up an online Digital Accessibility Training Program which would guarantee Akash a placement once he completed the course.
In addition, the counselor also suggested that Akash prepare and apply for other government jobs so that his options remain open. But in order to apply for government jobs related to this field, he had to clear and certify the NIELIT CCC exam. He contacted the counselor when he faced an issue with the prescribed scribe guidelines for the exam. The Eyeway team spoke with the NIELIT exam authorities and expressed their concern regarding the guidelines. Akash told us that he did not face any difficulty when he appeared for the exam and is thankful to NAB-Eyeway counselors for the constant support.