Akash Yadav was born with low vision in a small village in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. His parents—his father a daily wage labourer and his mother a homemaker—had never come across blindness before and didn’t know how to support his needs.

With no awareness or guidance available, Akash started his education in a regular school. He studied up to Class 7, but as his vision continued to decline, learning became more difficult. He could no longer read the blackboard or clearly see the people around him. Slowly, he began to feel left behind and unsure of what to do next.

Things changed when a social worker helped him shift to a special school for blind students. There, he learned Braille and completed his Class 10. But by then, he had lost his vision completely. He also lost confidence and was unsure about what the future would hold.

Later, Akash came across Hamari Vaani, a social networking platform for people with disabilities. Through that, he found the Eyeway Helpdesk. When he called, the Eyeway counselor informed him about various government schemes, rehabilitation services, and training programs. With this new information and support, Akash slowly started to feel more hopeful.

He completed Class 12 and is now pursuing his graduation from Shakuntala Mishra University in Lucknow. Inspired by his journey, he now wants to become an IAS officer so he can help others and make systems more inclusive.

Team Eyeway