Access to appropriate information at the right time can be empowering. Especially for persons with vision impairment who often lose out on opportunities of independent living due to a lack of awareness.
Annamma is a visually impaired person from Gulbarga in Karnataka. Living in a hostel in Bangalore, she is currently pursuing final year of her graduation. To meet her education expenses, she applied for a state sponsored scholarship.
When her fellow visually impaired hostlers encountered problems in applying for a similar scholarship scheme for their higher studies, they approached Annamma for assistance. Understanding their financial need and eager to help, Annamma explored individuals or organizations that could offer some guidance.
She learned about Eyeway and spoke to the Helpdesk Counselor in Bangalore, explaining the issue in detail. The visually impaired candidates who tried to apply for the prize money offered by the Social Welfare Department of the Karnataka Government, faced some technical issues in the online process. The counselor advised Annamma that the girls should directly connect with the District Disability Welfare Office and apply offline.
Annamma guided and helped her hostel inmates with this information. They approached the Welfare Officer and were apprised of all the details and documents necessary for the offline application. Three girls have successfully submitted their requests to the state department and are hopeful of receiving the scholarship money to aid their educational needs.
Eyeway applauds the efforts of visually impaired people like Annamma who are not only working towards their own independence but also enabling others to live with dignity.