Pushing towards independent living 
Thirty-eight-year-old Sabzar is a resident of Kokernag, a small town in Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir. He is a person with low vision by birth, presently living with a disability of nearly 85%. Coming from a low income family in a remote village in Kashmir, Sabzar did not get a chance to study. He lost his mother early, and now his brother manages to earn some for the family. His younger sister is also blind.
Additionally, Sabzar’s deteriorating and progressive eye condition became a burden on the family, financially. Before he reached out to Eyeway for help, he had undergone an eye surgery hoping to retain some vision.
When he came in touch with our Helpdesk counselor, he was advised to acquire a skill which would eventually make him employable. This would reduce the family financial pressure and give him some hope rather than only relying on surgeries for a better future.
So far, he was not conscious about a career and entirely dependent on corrective surgeries. This led to losing out on opportunities of education and training. While the counselor helped Sabzar get in touch with some organisations that could help with the medical donations, he was asked to enroll for a vocational training program at the National Association for the Blind in Chitra Vihar.
The program would train him for packing jobs at different factories or shops. Once he is exposed to learning, the counselor intends to push him towards picking up newer skills which will open up possibilities of personal and professional independence.
Currently, Sabzar is seeking donations for his third eye operation, for a cornea replacement. He hopes to restore vision in one eye, which will make him capable of finding a job locally.
During the course of interaction, the Eyeway counselor realized that Sabzar’s sister who is also blind is kept hidden from the mainstream, ignorant of any opportunities. The counselor plans to sensitise the family in future calls so that even she can be pushed towards independent living.
Team Eyeway