Shahista Bano is a young girl who lives with her family in Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir. Her father works as a daily wage labourer, and mother is a homemaker. Shahista and her siblings were born with low vision, making it difficult to independently study or carry out activities of daily living.
But Shahista always wanted to study and follow the normal course of life. On an ordinary day, she tuned into a show on radio where the Eyeway counselor stationed in Kashmir was talking about the possibilities of living life with blindness. Shahista and her family learned about the several opportunities and solutions that exist to help children with vision impairment like her.
Curious, she reached out to find out about Eyeway’s support services and the counselor guided her with training options alongside her school. As soon as she finished her Class XI exams, she enrolled in a basic computer training course where she would learn to digitally read and write, making her easily co-exist with sighted peers.
Given her financial condition, the training institute also provided her with accommodation and meals as she acquired new skills. Her younger brother and sister also benefitted from this information and opportunity.
The Eyeway counselor also helped Shahista get a smartphone under a Digital Literacy program run by a local NGO. She is excited with the new learnings where she has switched to using a computer and a mobile phone on her own. Currently pursuing Class XII, Shahista wants to eagerly explore job opportunities so she can help her father provide for their family.
Team Eyeway