Eighteen-year-old Khubab Muzafar was born with low vision into a well-off family in Shopian district of Jammu & Kashmir. His parents were left disheartened and clueless about raising a blind child.

Owing to the lack of blind schools/ resources for blind children in the district, his parents enrolled him in a nearby government primary school where everyone pitied him. After class 5, Muzafar’s vision deteriorated rapidly and his parents thought it best for him to stay home. Muzafar spent time listening to radio, music and sometimes gardening, with his parents, who often hesitated in involving him in household chores, despite his keenness to contribute.

Muzafar’s life took a positive turn when he met another blind person from his district who encouraged him to resume his studies and helped him enroll for grade 10 through CBSE open learning. He appeared for class ten examinations from Delhi and met other students his age in the blind boy’s hostel. His new friends encouraged him to enroll into a central university in Uttar Pradesh for his grade 11.

Muzafar made it to the University with flying colors. His only challenge was to convince his parents. Worried about their blind son, the parents refused to send him to a new state far away, fearing that he would not cope due to his lack of mobility skills and introverted personality. Luckily, Muzafar met Eyeway Helpdesk counselor in an Android Mobile training and career awareness workshop for visually impaired persons organized by a local NGO in Srinagar.

Through a face to face meeting and over series of calls, the Eyeway Helpdesk counselor convinced Muzafar’s parents to support their child in his future aspirations. Aside from boosting his confidence and convincing his parents, the counselor also connected him to other students studying in the same university.

Muzafar’s parents agreed to travel along with him to complete the admission process formalities. To ensure Muzafar is able to study independently, the counselor also taught Muzafar to use a DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System) player.

Muzafar is now all set to embark on a new journey of an independent life.