By Shruti Pushkarna | Project Leader
Pooja M was born blind to her parents living in Nanjangud city of Karnataka. But lack of sight didn’t stop her from envisioning a happy life. As a child she simply wanted to study like her sighted peers. She learnt to read and write in Braille and went on to score exceedingly well in her Class X and XII exams. Next she pursued a BA in Commerce. She had come this far with little difficulty in studying with the help of Braille. But now with subjects like accounting, she found it hard to acquire Braille books for the same.
This was discouraging for an otherwise diligent student. She called the Eyeway Helpdesk seeking assistance for Braille books. Talking to the counselor, for the first time she realized that there were other accessible formats in which notes and books could be read by visually impaired people. She learnt about DAISY (Digital Access Information System) an audio substitute for print material that converts it into multiple accessible outputs like e-text, audio recording etc. The counselor told Pooja how she could access such material on a DAISY player, a screen-reader enabled computer or phone. She also found out about online accessible libraries like Bookshare and Sugamya Pustakalaya, stocked with lakhs of books available for free to blind people.
All this information liberated Pooja in an instant. It was almost as if a new world had opened up for her. She shared with the counselor that there was always an ‘if’ in her head when it came to choosing a profession as a person with vision impairment. But now with access to most of her study material, she inquired if it were possible for her to become a Chartered Accountant (CA). When she shared the same with Eyeway, our counselor apprised her of other visually impaired people who are successful practicing CAs today. This encouraged Pooja to set her ambitions high and aspire for a brighter future.
Technology has evolved by leaps and bounds over the years, creating resources in addition to Braille. But a majority of visually impaired people lack information regarding such options and are therefore restricted in their efforts to become independent. Eyeway aims to inform and inspire students like Pooja to become self-reliant and active contributors to the fast-growing Indian economy.
Please donate towards our Project Eyeway if you would like to support persons with vision impairment like Pooja. Score Foundation has been working tirelessly towards making independence and inclusion a reality for blind and visually impaired.
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By Shruti Pushkarna | Project Leader
By Shruti Pushkarna | Project Leader
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