It’s the first floor of a nondescript building at Ambalamukku here. A woman in the small reception speaks about her visually challenged son who is pursuing his postgraduation through distance mode. A couple of minutes into the account, tears well up in her eyes. But reassurance is close at hand. Tiffany Brar, 29, who is visually challenged, runs the Jyothirgamaya Foundation, a non-profit organisation that motivates and trains the visually challenged in various aspects, thus bringing them into the mainstream.
Ms. Brar, through her foundation provides the visually challenged training in computers, including use of the Internet and social media, English communication, and importantly mobility training. This involves learning how to use a stick or a white cane, how to find one’s way on the road, cross roads, travel in public transport, the indoor environment, and so on. Confidence building sessions too equip them to venture out alone and get things done, Ms. Brar says.
The course, which is free, may go up to two months, but there is no fixed duration, she says. Only seven or eight trainees are accepted in a batch to provide individual attention. In 2012, Ms. Brar had led an initiative of Braille without Borders where she volunteered to take learning to blind children by setting up a mobile blind school. But she soon realised that she could cover only a certain area in a day and train not more than two children if she was to spend at least a couple of hours with them, especially if it involved travelling to places such as Parassala and Neyyattinkara.
The lack of continuity led her to decide to visit the houses of only those who had no avenues to come to a centre started by her. For others, there is the residential course. A new batch will kick off in the first week of January.
Accommodation and food are provided, she says. The centre was started nine months ago, and Ms. Brar hopes to receive more enquiries with time. Ms. Brar is currently working on bringing out the foundation’s newsletter. Website: www.jyothirgamayaindia.org. Ph: 0471 6546548, 9497642680
A foundation, led by Tiffany Brar, is launching a training programme for the visually challenged
