HYDERABAD: “Even charity has become a rat race today. We have many NGOs which claim to do good work for the visually impaired, but there are very few which actually empower them.

There are, however, a few institutes like LV Prasad Eye Institute and ‘youth4jobs’ who are putting in phenomenal efforts to help them. Our organisation wants to be the bridge connecting these institutes with the visually impaired,” says Uma Shankar Veeravalli from the ‘Voice of VIP’.
 

Voice of VIP, a student group of visually impaired people, recently organised ‘BLOOM 2019 - Educational and Cultural Fest for Visually Impaired’ in the city to bring together all stakeholders for skill development among the visually impaired. The programme consisted of a series of lectures on how the visually impaired can understand and use the laws on disabilities in the country.
 

Anil Kumar, general secretary of the Blind Federation of India and a visually impaired lawyer, made the participants aware about the nuances of the Rights of Persons of Disabilities Act 2016. Advising them on career choices, he said: “Try to choose a career where you can perform to your fullest. Everyone’s performance is evaluated.” He also explained the definition of disability from legal, constitutional and practical perspectives.

Visually impaired IAS officer Katta Simhachalam gave tips to on how to prepare for each subject to ace the exam. Sudheer, a visually impaired Mathematics teacher, elaborated on how the participants can ace the subject which is considered a nightmare for many. Besides this, Dr Jayaprakash Narayan from the Lok Satta Party talked on Disability and Politics and Aishwarya Pillai from LV Prasad Eye Institute delivered a talk on tactile painting. Gayatri and Sri Mohan from Youth4jobs, a platform which assists and trains people living with developmental and intellectual restrictions, talked about the services provided by the portal.
Source: http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/hyderabad/2019/jul/16/visually-impaired-get-tips-on-skill-development-in-hyderabad-2004568.html