As our car pulls up by the building, young Karthik welcomes us with a big smile and a firm handshake. As a boy with visual impairment, he was fortunate to get the gift of inclusive education and has grown into a poised, confident young man. Karthik takes us through his childhood and his initial days of struggle in school.
Once his parents heard of the concept of inclusive education, initiated by CBM and its partners, it changed Karthik’s life dramatically. It also helped his parents guide him better— one of the key goals CBM strives to achieve. He gives much of the credit to the resource people who trained them and the resource material that was so thoughtfully conceptualised. Being able to type on a Braille machine was the biggest high, says Karthik with an innocent smile.
“Braille changed my life,” he says. “I could read and write and it was a fantastic feeling.” Soon, he was reading essays and poetry. While his academics improved, the orientation programmes gave equal emphasis on life skills too. He was taught to stand steady and correct his posture. By the time he completed his schooling, Karthik had learned to manage the restrictions caused by his impairment. The CBM resource centre remained a strong support for him until his college days. He has now completed his MPhil, is self-trained in computer, lives by himself and dreams big. Karthik wants to pursue his PhD and aims to work for the disability sector. He has a good circle of friends, enjoys music and books and works with charity foundations.
