Monu Gupta, a resident of Uttam Nagar, Delhi, comes from a modest background. Born in Rewari, Haryana, he moved to Delhi with his family in 1995. After his father’s health declined and financial pressures mounted, Monu left school after 8th grade to support the family business.

In 2017, he was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a degenerative eye condition. By 2020, he had lost his vision completely, and with his father’s worsening kidney condition, the family’s only income source—his father’s business—was on the verge of collapse.

In search of support, Monu reached out to Eyeway in 2024 after hearing about the helpline from Hamari Vani, a community radio platform by Enable India. While he initially sought help with railway and bus concessions, the counselor encouraged him to consider resuming his education through the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS).

To support his studies, he connected with the National Association for the Blind (NAB) and accessed the Shravan Audio Talking Library. However, he soon faced a new hurdle—his keypad phone couldn’t support audio books, making it difficult to study. 

When he called Eyeway again with this concern, we stepped in to help. Eyeway guided him to apply for a smartphone through the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Institute. Monu followed the process, submitted the documents, and was provided with a smartphone free of cost, despite financial constraints. With the new device, he was able to access his syllabus through audio books and confidently use apps like WhatsApp, YouTube, and email.

Empowered by this progress, Monu was further encouraged to learn computer skills. Eyeway connected him with Netra Charitable Foundation for training and also helped him purchase a second-hand laptop at an affordable price. This step has allowed him to begin learning essential computer skills to expand his career options.

Monu expressed deep gratitude to Eyeway, sharing that the support he received—from counseling to enabling tools—has brought him closer to self-reliance and hope for a better future.

Team Eyeway