Twenty-four-year-old Muskan Bhut hails from Odisha. She and her elder sister are visually impaired by birth. Despite their low vision, the siblings managed to study in mainstream school and college. But this involved straining their eyes to read and write. This had an adverse effect on the remaining eyesight, and left the parents worried for the future of their daughters.
And that’s why when Muskan expressed her desire to pursue a master’s degree, her family discouraged her. But she was determined to follow her dreams, especially after topping Class 12^th and graduation among all sighted peers. A girl with exceptional talent had a right to be ambitious.
Muskan not only secured admission in an MBA program but topped her batch with a specialization in Finance. She was offered a job through campus placement, with a reputed company. However, her tasks at work involved spending a lot of time on the screen, crunching data. This was uncomfortable and unsustainable for her, and she decided to resign. But the company was so impressed with her skills and sincerity that they wanted to include more persons with disabilities into their workforce.
They introduced some relaxations in her work routine to help her perform better. Muskan was also in touch with Eyeway through this, and the counselor suggested her to slowly start adapting to assistive technology solutions for her professional tasks. So, instead of straining her eyesight, she was advised to learn using computers with the aid of screen reading software.
Muskan started her training with screen reader but also wanted to explore other options simultaneously. She wanted to search jobs opportunities in the government banking sector. To clear the competitive exams for banking jobs, she was advised to join preparation classes with a non-profit organisation which specialized in delivering such lessons in an accessible mode to persons with vision impairment.
Whether she keeps her private job or secures a new employment option in banking, Muskan is determined to work hard and thrive in the mainstream environment.