They say, ‘ignorance is bliss’ but that’s not true for everyone. Lack of awareness often deprives blind and visually impaired people from reaching their full potential.

Take the case of Zainab Madarwala, a visually impaired girl from Patna, Bihar. A first year law student, this wasn’t Zainab’s preferred choice of subject. She had happily enrolled for a degree in Commerce but vision loss due to Retinitis Pigmentosa, mid-way into the course changed everything. Barely managing to complete graduation, she was discouraged by her teachers to pursue technical subjects like mathematics and accounting in her Masters. She reluctantly enrolled for an MA in English from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).

Sight loss meant that she was now entirely dependent on friends and family to read out study material to her. Despite a helpful support system, Zainab felt burdened and yearned to function independently. Luckily, she heard about Eyeway while listening to a YouTube video. This rekindled her hopes and she called the helpline to seek advice. Our Helpdesk counsellor connected Zainab with trainers who could help her learn computers using screen reading software. Eyeway also apprised her of various assistive apps like Kibo, that can read and translate printed/handwritten/digital text across 100+ languages in real-time via audio. The counsellor will also introduce her to blind academicians for guidance on potential career choices.

While Zainab felt trapped in darkness all this while, Eyeway has suddenly opened the door to exciting opportunities in life. She is on her way to rediscover the confident person that she was.

Warm regards,
Team Eyeway