28-year-old Saurabh Kamble was born sighted in Vardha district of Maharashtra. He wanted to pursue a career in Information Technology, so he opted for science stream in Class XI. Little did he know that his enthusiasm and ambition would be curtailed by sudden vision loss.
Saurabh experienced gradual vision loss due to an eye condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa. He faced difficulty in reading the blackboard, and kept bumping into classroom furniture. This made him the butt of all jokes among his peers. Casual humour led to insensitive bullying, and Saurabh receded into a shell.
The teenager was unable to accept this sudden turn of events in his life, and as a natural defense mechanism, he started to hide his eye problem from everyone around him. Struggling to concentrate on his studies, he passed Class XII somehow. After that he sat at home, tucked away from the sighted world. Trying hopelessly to find a cure for his condition, he finally gave up and decided to pursue a Bachelors degree. In college too, he never mentioned his eye problem to his classmates or teachers, fearing that he would be singled out.
Looking for information online, he chanced upon the Eyeway Helpdesk number. He called, curious to learn about job opportunities. The helpline counselor being a late blind person herself, could well empathize with Saurabh. She guided him on the way forward, explaining the basic steps of acceptance, rehabilitation and reorientation of skills.
Citing examples of other blind people who reshaped their lives after late blindness, the counselor advised Saurabh to focus on the ‘haves’ rather than the ‘have nots’. She recommended a three-month training at National Association for Blind in Mumbai, to learn mobility, assistive technology, home science, a training program to perform all basic activities of daily living independently.
A lot of people who experience gradual blindness at a later stage due to Retinitis Pigmentosa find it very hard to forget their sighted ways and come to terms with the inability to see. The Eyeway Helpdesk counselors try to ease that discomfort and help the callers transition into their new reality, showing ways in which they can continue to thrive.
The teenager was unable to accept this sudden turn of events in his life, and as a natural defense mechanism, he started to hide his eye problem from everyone around him. Struggling to concentrate on his studies, he passed Class XII somehow. After that he sat at home, tucked away from the sighted world. Trying hopelessly to find a cure for his condition, he finally gave up and decided to pursue a Bachelors degree. In college too, he never mentioned his eye problem to his classmates or teachers, fearing that he would be singled out.
Looking for information online, he chanced upon the Eyeway Helpdesk number. He called, curious to learn about job opportunities. The helpline counselor being a late blind person herself, could well empathize with Saurabh. She guided him on the way forward, explaining the basic steps of acceptance, rehabilitation and reorientation of skills.
Citing examples of other blind people who reshaped their lives after late blindness, the counselor advised Saurabh to focus on the ‘haves’ rather than the ‘have nots’. She recommended a three-month training at National Association for Blind in Mumbai, to learn mobility, assistive technology, home science, a training program to perform all basic activities of daily living independently.
A lot of people who experience gradual blindness at a later stage due to Retinitis Pigmentosa find it very hard to forget their sighted ways and come to terms with the inability to see. The Eyeway Helpdesk counselors try to ease that discomfort and help the callers transition into their new reality, showing ways in which they can continue to thrive.
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