Deepa V. Nayak secured 92% in her SSLC exam. For a student with visual-impairment this is a big feat. A student of Ambubai Residential School for Blind Girls, Ms. Deepa spent a considerable amount of time after school at Mitra Jothi, a foundation in HSR Layout that assists the visually impaired. She would prepare for the exam with the help of the audio and Braille books available at the centre.

Established in 1990, Mithra Jothi has been behind many such success stories. Madhu Singhal, the founder and managing trustee of Mithra Jothi, is visually impaired herself. “The visually impaired should be respected and should be looked at as equals. We want to bring in this equality. The real challenge starts once they go for higher education. There aren’t much resources available. We are working towards providing them with study material and other resources,” she says.

The trust runs a digital talking book library with over 2,654 books that are recorded and edited by volunteers. The students can access them by paying Rs. 15 per CD. They also have a monthly audio magazine called Sanchaya . Librarian Lakshmi Narayana Reddy says that they have all kinds of books and adds that they have recorded books even for civil service aspirants.

Further, training is imparted to the students in activities such as cooking, computer, and life skills. Many students have even got placed in reputed companies through their placement cell. Megana K.I. for instance is working with Cisco. “Until I was told about about Mitra Jothi, I felt I would never get a job. I was groomed for the interview here,” she says.
Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/trust-shows-the-visually-impaired-the-path-to-success/article19078807.ece