Forty-year-old Mushtaq Ahmed Sheikh is a resident of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir. He started losing his eyesight gradually due to a condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa. Mushtaq completed his school education but afterward, he sat idle within the confines of his home. The sight loss made it difficult for him to pursue higher education and he was not confident of exploring any opportunities. 

His father who had a government job, died seven years ago, leaving the family financially restrained. Apart from his pension that continues to come, Mushtaq has a sighted brother who earns as well as another visually impaired sibling who also has a government job in the Group D category. Mushtaq felt increasingly hopeless and dependent on his family.
 He sought to bring a change in his situation and reached out to the Eyeway Helpdesk. The counselor understood his plight and slowly steered him towards self-reliance. Mushtaq was recommended to pursue a massage training course so he could work as a therapist. He was also advised to attend a sensitization session to understand the possibilities of living life with blindness. 

But for him to alter anything or travel to another state and take training, he needed his family’s approval. On repeatedly interacting with Mushtaq, the Eyeway counselor realized that he needed solutions closer to home, as the confidence to move out or try something new was missing in him and the elder brother who was sighted. 

Mushtaq was then advised to enroll in a one-month computer training which enabled him to read and write using screen reading software. It boosted his confidence. His brother then visited the Eyeway center in Srinagar and was surprised at the ease with which our counselor was performing his tasks. This left him inspired and certain of what Mushtaq could achieve with proper training. 

Currently, he is pursuing a six-month advanced computer training program in Srinagar, hopeful of improving his employability prospects.