A famous proverb, ‘fortune favours the bold’ holds absolutely true for Rangaswamy, a visually impaired person from Devanagere district of Karnataka. After losing his job as a computer trainer to the Covid pandemic last year, the 27-year-old contacted Eyeway in a desperate attempt to find an alternate source of income. 

After a detailed conversation with the Eyeway Helpdesk counsellor, Rangaswamy was encouraged to set up his own computer classes via online mode from the comfort of his home. To give it an impetus, a message was sent via Eyeway WhatsApp service about the newfound online training classes for visually impaired people across India. Thanks to the wide circulation, he began receiving calls from interested candidates about learning computers using screen reading software, for educational and professional purposes.

In three months the venture picked up pace. Rangaswamy currently teaches a batch of 30 students for a reasonable monthly sum, thus allowing him to remain financially independent. He has also launched a YouTube channel where he uploads prerecorded video tutorials. And now with the Covid scare receding, he’s started taking offline sessions that involve travelling to Bangalore every alternate week, fetching him extra income.

The massive positive response to his online lessons has instilled confidence and Rangaswamy is able to support his family financially, especially after his older brother also lost his job to the pandemic. 

His story is special because of Rangaswamy’s background. Born blind to poor parents, he was enrolled into a blind school at the age of 8. His family had little expectations of him, not knowing that he would be their sole provider one day. Due to health and financial conditions, he had to drop out of college mid-way. But he was determined to overcome every challenge, resulting in him completing his Bachelor’s degree, computer course and bagging a full-time job.

His story is a reminder that with sheer grit and determination, nothing is impossible to achieve.

Warm regards,
Team Eyeway