Fifty-two-year-old Anil Kumar from Ernakulum, Kerala lost his vision at an early age of two. However, he stayed focused on his studies and completed an MA in Literature.

Soon after, he found a job as an English teacher at a tuition centre. Seeking better remuneration, he took up the job of translating books and articles from English to Malayalam.

But when regular assignments became a struggle, Anil reached out to the Eyeway Helpdesk for support. Our Kerala counsellor connected him to a publication house which offered him regular translating assignments. His economic condition slowly improved.

In March 2020, the coronavirus pandemic disrupted businesses and Anil was also out of work. Once more, the Eyeway team was quick to offer support.  We informed him about online options where he could register and procure work.

He tried but was unable to register due to an inaccessible ‘CAPTCHA– a visual image that is not read out by the screen reading software. Unlike sighted users who mostly navigate web content with a mouse, blind people use the keyboard to read out what’s displayed on the screen. For them to engage easily with digital content, websites and applications have to be compatible with screen readers.

Despite the Web Content Accessibility guidelines mandating developers to make all content accessible, continuous violations of these rules stemming from a lack of awareness, make it very challenging for blind people to access digital platforms.

Innovative and accessible technology can be a great leveller. In these unprecedented times, when the world is functioning productively from home, Anil struggles to earn a decent living despite his education, qualification and computer proficiency.

Visit our website to know more about our work and support us, http//scorefoundation.org.in