The Eyeway helpline was set up in response to a flurry of calls from people across the country, sharing their respective challenges due to vision impairment. Callers asked us about ways to restart their education, how to secure a job, what provisions were available for their social security, ways of operating a phone or a computer and so on.

Sharing information and guiding them to lead independent lives despite blindness, established a credibility for the Eyeway team among the community. Often beneficiaries would spread the word, channeling new clients to us.

Recently an old client, Kundan Kumar contacted Eyeway for his friend. Gaurav Hotheli was born sighted but lost his vision in 2016 due to an eye injury. This 20-year-old boy was confined to the four walls of his home ever since. He didn’t know about special schools for the blind, and so his education stopped after Class VIII.

Eyeway believes that access to good education can open doors to several opportunities for persons with vision impairment. Our counselor immediately put herself to the task of finding a special school for Gaurav. Most schools had closed their admission process but luckily we found a school in Punjab which was willing to take him in. 

The school also arranged for a hostel accommodation for Gaurav who hails from Uttarakhand. This way he can easily pursue studies in the campus along with the necessary additional support. 

We are glad that Kundan brought the case to us and believed that Eyeway would be able to offer a solution to Gaurav who would have otherwise continued living in ignorance. In the special school, he will also acquire skills for everyday living. He will learn how to navigate places, read and write on his own, and pick up useful tips on living life with blindness. 

From sitting idle at home, today Gaurav is already dreaming of a potential career. 

Team Eyeway