Despite December 3 being celebrated as the International Day for Persons with Disabilities, this section of the population continues to be the most neglected in society. They do not always appear on the radar screen of any government scheme and are overlooked even by the public. The Society of Urban and Rural Empowerment (SURE), taking advantage of the Meghalaya State Skill Development Society training programme, planned training for the visually impaired section of society. While planning the training, we thought it would be a typical training, and we never expected that we would learn so much from them. The training was a great learning experience for me personally and for the staff of the organization in general.
"The
Blind Lead the Blind"
It was a significant
milestone in the annals of the NGO SURE as it embarked on a month-long special
training programme catering to the visually impaired segment of our society.
There is a saying that goes, “The blind cannot lead the blind,” but what makes this
initiative truly remarkable is that Kelvin Suting of the District Commerce
Industries Centre (DCIC), a Jowai award-winning master trainer, is himself a
visually impaired person.
The one-month training
for seven visually impaired trainees from the district covers trades such as
making broomsticks, mat or bamboo brooms. The training was an innovation in
itself, specially designed with the visually impaired person in mind. Kelvin
Suting, the master trainer, recalled his past experiences with training and highlighted
the struggles that he had to overcome when trained by instructors who were not
visually impaired. The trainers could not understand the challenges faced by
blind trainees. Based on this observation, the training was designed by
Ialsiewdor Gashnga, Programme Coordinator Skill, SURE, in collaboration with
Kelvin Suting, the master trainer, and Lamobormi Suchen, Skill Development
Officer, to create course content specifically meant for differently-abled
individuals. The training was conducted using only the sense of touch, and the
training module has been tailored to meet the needs of the visually challenged.
They
Also Have Their Own Dreams and Aspirations
Krishna Phawa, one of
the trainees, expressed his aspiration to follow in Kelvin's footsteps and
hoped that the training would not only enable him to earn a livelihood and find
success in life but, more importantly, to be able to train others. Initially,
when we planned this training, we were a little uncertain; we were not sure if
this would work, but deep in our hearts, we knew that it would in some way or
another help our visually impaired friends. And we realized that it has somehow
helped them gain at least one skill to help them earn their livelihood.
The most important
lesson that I learned from spending time with them is that all of them yearn to
be independent. The training had helped them, in some way, break out of the
monotonous life that has confined them to their homes. After being together for
one month, it has also helped build camaraderie among them.
They don’t want to live
on the sympathy of their parents and their loved ones. They don’t want to
continue depending on their parents or relatives, even for small things; they
want to live an independent life as much as they can. In some way, we have been
able to help enable them to achieve their goal. Hopefully, society will also
listen to their wishes and provide an enabling system and an environment that
will help them live an independent life. One also hopes that the government
will also make roads, footpaths, and even government institutions much more
accessible for the differently-abled citizens of this state.
Learning
from a Day out with the Visually Impaired
A few days before the
training ends, the visually impaired master trainer asked me if we could
arrange a picnic or an outing for them to Loomkyntoor Resort. Although no funds
are allocated from the scheme for the excursion, we still decided to give them
the opportunity with our own funds. But the question is, what does an outing really
mean for a group of visually impaired people? What does a trip really mean when
one can’t see anything? The organization’s staff never thought that the outing
would make them happier than the visually impaired. It is said that there is no
bigger reward than seeing the people you care for happy. Going for a picnic is
one thing, but for them, going together as a group of visually impaired people
is something that cannot be explained. One can see the camaraderie that they
have built among them. It was a joy to see them happy and to help explain to
them about the place, and for some of them, it was the first time in their
lives that they ate out or in a restaurant.
Visually
Impaired Taking Photographs
One would wonder why
they would want to take a photograph of themselves or with their friends when
they cannot even see. What will they do with the photographs anyway? All
visually impaired trainees, except one, have a smartphone and at least a
WhatsApp account. The moment the photograph is taken, it is immediately
uploaded to their status. Even if they are blind, the app on the device also
helps them take photographs. It tells them if the photo is in frame or not. You
can see the joy in their faces when they upload their status on WhatsApp.
Thanks to the smartphone device, they can also make the best use of technology.
Smartphones, in some way, become extensions of their being and help them access
other services, a feat that would have been impossible to achieve had it not
been for the device. Their eyes are closed, but their hearts are open, and they
long for independence to live the life they wish to live.
How They Made the Best
Use of the Smartphone
Among the visually
impaired people we had close interaction with, Krishna Phawa stood out as one
of the most experienced in making the best use of the smartphone device.
Krishna not only uses WhatsApp and email but also uses G-Pay to send and
receive money. Although he is 100 percent blind, because he also lives in
Shillong, he can also book a Rapido ride to travel in the city. He even has a
YouTube channel of his own. Krishna, who has somehow mastered the use of a
special app on his smartphone, wishes he could be of help to his fellow
visually impaired people and help them make the best use of smartphones. Apps that
are commonly used by visually impaired people are ‘Be my eyes' and ‘Lookout',
which help them read books, medicines, prescriptions, and even scan documents
for them. There are also apps for the visually impaired, like ‘Kybo, 4 percent,
and Keep Note', which help them text, and they can use it as a reminder.
Demonetization
or Note Ban
The National Democratic
Alliance government note ban, or demonetization, has had a huge impact on
visually impaired people. The note ban has affected them greatly, but the general
public was not aware of it because their stories were never told. How does the
Modi note ban affect the visually impaired citizens of this country? One would
remember that the old notes have different sizes according to their value; for
example, the size of a one hundred rupee note varies from the size of a fifty,
twenty, ten, or one rupee note. The notes are easily distinguishable by people,
even if they cannot see them. Because of the different sizes of the notes,
visually impaired people can easily identify the currency by merely touching
it. After demonetization, almost all the currency notes are of the same shape
and size, which makes it difficult for people who cannot see to differentiate
one from the other. Now they have to use an app like 'Mani' to help them
identify currency notes.
International
Day for Persons with Disabilities
December 3, which is
yesterday, is celebrated the world over as a special day for persons with
disabilities, but let us ask ourselves: have we been able to provide them with
an environment and a space in which they can live as independently as we all
are? Isn’t it true that we only look at with sympathy or even look down at
them? Has the government been able to make even government buildings easily
accessible to differently-able people? This is a million dollar question.
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