I am Munnalal Bharti from Mirzapur district, Uttar Pradesh, speaking to you. I am 100 percent blind, and our listeners want to know whether there are any employment opportunities for people who become blind later in life. Especially for those who are not educated or are illiterate—are there any jobs available for them or not? Our brothers, companions, and friends want to know this kind of information. So, first of all, the most important thing is that age is also considered—at what age a person became blind, meaning when they were able to see and after that when they lost their sight. This is one major factor. You see, any kind of disability—whatever it may be—is a very big challenge for a person. Living life under such circumstances and spending one’s life that way is not easy. Overall, there are organizations that work for all persons with disabilities, and they also work for people who become blind later in life. It is not that there are completely separate organizations only for them. Sometimes you may have heard announcements in our vehicles or elsewhere about training programs from NAB (National Association for the Blind) Delhi, or from AICB and similar organizations—about certain trainings for those who have become blind later, that is, late-onset visually impaired persons. These same systems and supports are working for them as well, just as they work for all of us. It is not different for them. As far as employment is concerned, the jobs that are available for all of us are also available for them. The only difference is that they need to continue with training—such as orientation and mobility training, training for walking and moving independently, recognizing objects, and similar skills. They need to undergo such training. What often happens is that when people go to doctors for treatment, they are told, “It can be cured,” or “It may be cured.” Hearing this brings happiness—“Alright, I may be able to see the world again.” But if they hear that it cannot be cured, life can become very discouraging and full of challenges for them. Because not being able to see, not being able to move independently, not being able to function as before—these are very big challenges for all of us. We are disabled, yes, but the inner courage within us awakens and directly answers this question by saying that we are not “disabled,” we are “enabled.” That is why an app called Enable Vani was also launched, though it has now been shut down. Still, we are enabled through Hamari Vani. There are many such organizations through which we can live our lives with dignity. Friends, I hope that the thoughts or information I have shared will be beneficial to all of you—especially to those who are sitting in despair after becoming blind later in life.
