Nineteen-year-old Adarsh Kumar lives in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. His father is a daily wage laborer and mother is a housewife. He has two younger siblings. Around five years ago when he finished Class 9, Adarsh developed a sudden headache followed by sight loss. The family rushed to consult a doctor and the boy was diagnosed with an eye condition called Glaucoma.
 
Adarsh was hit with something he was unprepared to handle. He was worried sick about how he could complete his education and become financially capable to support his father. A friend informed him about special schools for the blind. When Adarsh went to enroll in a nearby school he was told to start from nursery as all education would be imparted in Braille script.
 
Adarsh was determined to succeed. He not only learned braille but exceled in it, due to which he was promoted to Class 3. Looking at his potential, one of his teachers at the special school advised him not to waste time repeating all the classes, and instead appear for Class X exam through open schooling. With the help from YouTube tutorials, he cleared tenth grade and started looking for jobs.
 
He reached out to the Eyeway Helpdesk seeking a menial job like packaging or something similar. The helpline counselor encouraged Adarsh to aim higher. He was guided to pursue Class 12 and higher education afterwards. This would open job possibilities and interest areas for the boy. To enhance his current skillset, he was advised to pursue a massage therapy course in Delhi’s Blind Relief Association (BRA). The course would bring him away from the comforts of his home, and in close contact with other visually impaired learners.
 
Adarsh recently called back on the helpdesk to share that he is planning his travel to Delhi for enrolling in the course at BRA. He has also filed his application with National Institute of Open Schooling for Class 12.
 
Team Eyeway