Evolving with exposure

In 2011, a timid young girl called the Eyeway Helpdesk from Kashmir. She asked several questions pertaining to vision impairment but was wary of giving out any personal details. Only several calls later did we figure that Qurat Khan suffered from gradual vision loss due to Retinitis Pigmentosa. Studying in Class 12, she explained her struggles in the classroom with the printed syllabus.
Qurat is one of the many visually impaired girls, who find themselves at the receiving end of societal stigma towards disability. She thought of herself as someone lesser than her ‘normal’ peers.
But the Eyeway counselors slowly helped her realise what all she could accomplish by learning new techniques. She was introduced to technology that would help her with studies and her mobility.
After undergoing the recommended computer training course at Enable India in Bangalore, she started to regain her confidence. With assistive technology, education became easier.
28 years old now, Qurat has secured a job as a primary school teacher. She called us recently to get first-hand insights into teaching sighted students.
Eyeway put her in touch with a blind teacher in Rajasthan, who is experienced in instructing a mainstream classroom. This interaction would prove informative and helpful for Qurat who is set to start her career. She would learn of tips and tools to aid her in imparting lessons seamlessly.
Apart from disseminating information and counseling, Eyeway often refers callers to other visually impaired people who may have more experience in a particular field.
This helps us build a network of visually impaired people who can help each other resolve various issues and reduce their dependence on sighted people or even a service like ours.