On the occasion of White Cane Day on October 15, we have to address a serious issue today in India. There are over 16 million blind people and around 28 million visually impaired people in India. However only a few of them have been able to accessany help that they deserve from the authorities. There might be a fortunate few who are rich enough to invest more on their treatment and ensure that they get equal opportunities but it is indeed sad that not many people have the resources or knowledge of the resources or accessibility. If it happens to be a financially weak family, travelling and staying in a strange city would be very difficult. Cities like Delhi have metros with tactile paths which helps blind people to travel. But it is a far dream when it comes to other cities and villages.
When a child is born in a cynical society often writes them off as a liability. Curriculum of blind schools across the country is degrading day by day. Most of the schools are there for a namesake and it is taken for granted that the blind children would eventually drop out. Even if they wish to study, there might be people who are unaware of the possibilities and might say “Padh ke bhi kya karega, andha hai?” For instance, there are very few centres for blind students to appear for CBSE Board exams. Moreover, it is even worse for the students who opt for science. They are discouraged from opting the subject, simply because teachers are not equipped to design parallel strategies for communicating scientific and mathematic concepts to the students who cannot see. There are very few people who manage to complete education and finding work becomes even more difficult for them.
5 years ago Miles Hilton Barber flew an aircraft from London to Sydney. He happened to be blind. Is that dream possible for a blind child in India?
In the current scenario, it is commendable to see dedicated organisations in India like Score Foundation, are striving towards changing the widely held perceptions of treating the blind as object of charity , by working towards empowering and enabling them. They do so, by providing information, for they believe that information can change lives. Score Foundationruns Project Eyeway which is a knowledge resource for life with blindness. They have changed lives of many who contacted them, by encouraging and guiding them with their legal and personal matters, education, career and meeting their personal counselling needs.
A visually challenged person can lead a life just like a sighted person. There are educational facilities, libraries and employment opportunities that awaits them. The nation needs them to lead, inspire and empower the society. They too are gifted and are certainly not a liability. In the cases of people gradually loosing eyesight with age, there are different possibilities. Medical research is making new advancement every day which can offer treatment to reduce or even cure blindness.
This White Cane Day let us pledge to make a difference in many blind people’s lives by letting them know of the opportunities available. Let us applaud those successful people who made it big in their lives. I am fortunate that I have a professor Dr. Anil Aneja at Delhi University English Department who teaches us and has completed his Ph.D despite his blindness. One of the good things I witness in Delhi University is that there are many blind students who pursue their education since there is a Braille Library and the Equal Opportunity Cell here. Let us not be blind to the injustice they face.
There are many other blind people whose story is inspiring for everybody. Pankaj Sinha, a graduate in History from University of Delhi, he went ahead and studied law. Today, he is a successful lawyer, practicing in Delhi High-court. Hari Raghavanis a business development executive working with IBM, Mumbai. Sanjay Dang is a successful entrepreneur and runs a travel agency. They achieved success despite their blindness and proved it that their blindness is not a disability or limitation.
Image Credits: Noah Seelam/AFP/Getty Images
