Breaking Barriers for the Visually Impaired

A NOTE FROM GLOBALGIVING:

This is the second in a series of snapshots about project leader Ann Moideen and her organization the Ann Foundation.

Thank you for your continued support of Ann and her tireless dedication to training visually impaired children in computer education, Braille and English language. We ask you to contribute again today! Feel free to tell your friends about Ann and her incredible work!

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“The dignity of all human beings should be respected”

Ann Moideen begins her day at 6 a.m. by checking emails over a big cup of coffee. “Making connections and meeting with people plays a huge part of my everyday routine,” says Ann, founder of the Ann Foundation. The Ann Foundation works in India to help train visually impaired children in computer education, Braille and English language skills.

“The work that I do is extremely gratifying to me,” Ann continues. “At the end of the day I know I am helping the physically challenged; in some way I am touching people's lives. A physically challenged person is just like any other person however, they are not awarded the same opportunities in life and so they may never realize their full potential. I feel that young boys and girls have great aspirations and an abundance of energy, but they often lack the support and resources to channel that energy into meaningful work this is where the Ann Foundation plays a huge role.”

The Ann Foundation also provides job-training services for adults, and one of Ann’s most memorable moments was working with a visually impaired English professor who, because of his disability, knew very little about computers. When the Ann Foundation started conducting computer workshops he was reluctant to participate as he was afraid to learn. Begrudgingly, he eventually attended and was inspired by one of the volunteer’s presentations. Afterward he committed himself to developing his computer skills, and within 3 or 4 months wrote a thesis for his exams using a word processing package on his computer!

“The dignity of all human beings should be respected,” says Ann. “Often people with disabilities are deprived of basic Human Rights. These beliefs motivate me daily in the work that I do.”

A NOTE FROM GLOBALGIVING:

Please welcome Ann Moideen. She is a new project leader here at GlobalGiving and over the past few weeks we have had the opportunity to get to know Ann and the great work she does for her organization the Ann Foundation.

Periodically over the next two months we will be sending you snapshots about Ann’s life and work. We encourage your feedback about this new form of progress update so that we can provide you with the most interesting and relevant information possible about the projects and causes you support.

We thank you for your contributions and ask you to consider donating again to Ann and the Ann Foundation. Feel free to tell your friends about Ann and her incredible work!

Meet Ann Foundation Founder Ann Moideen

Ann Moideen grew up in Bangalore, India, surrounded by a family of doctors, nurses, and teachers. When she was 16-years-old and a student in college, she moved in with her aunt, a doctor who lived on a hospital campus. Although Ann valued the educational opportunities offered on the campus, she was more interested in the world beyond the hospital confines. “I felt that beyond compounds of the hospital walls there was nothing but misery,” says Ann. “I saw pain and suffering of children. This made a huge impact in my life.”

After completing her college degree, Ann married a surgeon and migrated to the United States. Between raising a family and pursuing a career, Ann found time in her busy schedule to volunteer at the Helen Keller National Center for the Deaf and Blind. Ann enjoyed her experience at the center so much that she decided to form her own foundation, the Ann Foundation. “The Ann Foundation was born out of two things: firstly, my firm belief that getting an education and taking control of life opens up opportunities and is therefore the key to breaking the cycle of poverty, and secondly I feel that disabled children in developing countries are at a severe disadvantage in terms of social development,” says Ann. “A foundation like mine I thought could help foster the values of commitment, personal excellence and achievement.”

The Ann Foundation is currently working on opening a Resource Center to provide training in computer literacy through software for the visually-impaired, Braille and English language training to the visually-impaired, and career skills to enhance employability.