Thirty-five-year-old Zainab Arif was born with an eye condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa. In her early years, she had partial vision, but gradually she experienced further sight loss. At present, she only has some light perception left. Growing up in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, Zainab went to a regular school. But due to deteriorating eyesight, she couldn’t study after Class 8. Her family lacked awareness about life with blindness and ways of educating a person with vision impairment.

As a result, she remained dependent on her family, with no skills to be financially or physically independent. Her parents thought it best to marry her off to an able-bodied person who would be able to support her. But the man she married was interested only in the money that her family had to offer as part of this arrangement.
 
He harassed and abused her, making it difficult for her to remain in the marriage. She also has a five year old son who is on the autism spectrum. Unable to bear the insults in her marriage, Zainab divorced her husband and came home to live with her parents. She was financially dependent on her father, who was also helping raise her child.

Unfortunately, her father died in an accident, leaving Zainab uncertain of her future. She reached out to Eyeway seeking advice on financial sustenance. During the interactions, the Eyeway counselor realized the need for her to go through some basic rehabilitation. She lacked the skills to navigate spaces independently, and she lacked proper education or skills to be ready for any form of employment.
 
This lack of skills was steering her towards marrying for a second time to someone who could simply provide for her and the child. A short-sighted solution that could leave her high and dry yet again with an unexpected adverse turn of events. The counselor advised her against it.

Zainab shared that she couldn’t physically go to a training center as her child was dependent on her and no one in the family could take care of him in her absence. The counselor arranged for online computer training classes in which Zainab has successfully enrolled. She is also taking spoken English lessons online. The counselor encouraged her to use a smartphone with TalkBack feature, in order to navigate digital spaces on her own.
 
As for employment, she has been recommended to first complete Class X and XII education through distance learning. This is a basic requirement for any government or private sector job. None of this is easy for Zainab to implement before she can stand up on her own feet, because she is a visually impaired single mother of a disabled child.
 
It is imperative for parents and caregivers to ensure that persons with vision impairment receive proper training and education in order to battle with life on their own. Had she completed her education and learned to use assistive technology and devices, Zainab would be able to earn her own living.