Neha (name changed) graduated from school with flying colors in 2010. Her good score helped her get admission into Lady Shri Ram College, one of the top institutions in Delhi University. Neha suffers from Retinitis Pigmentosa which results in gradual sight loss. Soon after she joined college as a student of Psychology (H), her eyesight began to worsen. This impacted her ability to cope with her studies and especially facing difficulty in comprehending visual elements of her course practicals. The college too did not seem to think that a visually impaired person could keep up with a subject like Psychology. Hopeless and unaware of accessible books and assistive technology, Neha dropped out of college within a year of admission.
Neha’s parents though supportive, seemed clueless as to how to help their daughter who was going blind. To ensure that she was actively engaged, they involved her in the family run baking business. Neha learnt how to bake cakes and got busy with the business. But she wanted to do more than that. She found out about National Association for Blind (NAB) and contacted them to see how they could help her. At NAB, she underwent basic computer training, where she learnt to use computers with the help of screen reader.
Neha wished to continue her education and was looking for adequate support and information to do so. She found out about Eyeway and contacted our Helpdesk. When she shared her desire to resume studies, Eyeway counselor apprised her of all kinds of aids and online resources available to assist visually impaired students with their studies. Since Neha expressed a desire to pursue English, our counselor suggested her to apply to the School of Open Learning (SOL) in Delhi University. We also put her in touch with a faculty member from the Department of English who could address Neha’s specific questions regarding the admission process. As a result of her engagement with the counselor, Neha has enrolled in BA (Honours) in English at SOL. Our counselor also encouraged her to get in touch with Eyeway if she hits any stumbling block on the path ahead.