Imagine waking up one day to see nothing but darkness. That’s what happened to two girls from different parts of Maharashtra, who lost their eye sight late in life.
23-year-old Nisha Shaikh from Mumbai was in Class 9 when she was unable to write her exams due to sudden vision loss. Her family or school didn’t know how to help her. After a gap of two years, she managed to clear Class 10 with the help of a scribe. Nisha was forced to opt for Arts, assuming that blind people cannot study Commerce.
32-year-old Manisha Agrawal lives in Akola. She completed her Masters and B.Ed. in Mathematics, after which she lost her vision. Despite belonging to an affluent and educated family, Manisha was ignorant. She believed that blindness left her worthless and hopeless.
Both Nisha and Manisha connected to the Eyeway Helpdesk for guidance on possibilities of living life with blindness. Our counselor encouraged them to undergo rehabilitation training. This would include learning mobility skills, adapting to daily living as a person with vision impairment and using computers (and smartphone) with screen reading software.
The two girls seemed to be fairly dependent on their families to move around, and therefore lacked the confidence to face the outside world. The Eyeway counselor explained how reading, writing and navigating independently would open up their avenues of education and employment.
They were put in touch with organizations which impart training in English, Braille and computers.
Nisha was informed about scholarship and pension schemes, to financially aid her higher education dreams. Manisha felt motivated to once again pursue her teaching ambitions.  
People who acquire a disability later in life, find it harder to cope. Their family and surrounding community often doesn’t know how to support them. A service like Eyeway gives them a new lease of life, preparing and empowering them to lead dignified lives.
 
Team Eyeway
 
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