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Submitted by PatientsEngage on 18 October 2019

Divya Sharma,26 is a young lady with 25 per cent vision due to acute glaucoma as a child. She is a successful professional and a karate blue belt, as well as an active disability advocate who conducts sensitization sessions. She is a winner on many counts. And she is raring to go.

Please tell us a bit about your condition

At the age of 3, my parents got a doubt about my eye-sight. Here it is worth mentioning that we are twin sisters. As we are twins, my parents noticed that I was not as active as my sister. Then one day, they took me to a nearby eye clinic. The doctors therein said nothing is wrong with my eyes and they look so beautiful. To sweep away their doubts, they rushed me to Chandigarh. Doctors told that I had been suffering from severe glaucoma but they expressed their inability to operate the eyes at that tender age. Doctors said about 60 % of vision was already gone and so, they just prescribed special eye drops to keep the pressure of eye within check. The drops had to be used several times a day. During those times, the prescribed imported eye drops were scarcely available even in Delhi.

After this whole scenario, finally, a ray of hope emerged. I was taken to a well known doctor who told my parents that I was suffering from acute glaucoma and the only way out to check the eye pressure was surgery. He operated both of my eyes and created drainage holes in the iris of both eyes to release the pressure build up. It was so severe that the natural lens in the right eye had to be extracted. Within a span of few weeks, I underwent another operation in order to provide drainage channel for the fluid to exit, thus, lowering the pressure build up.

After a few months, I got some infection in my eyes and had to undergo another operation. Unfortunately, the doctors could secure only 25 % of vision. Subsequently, we started going to Delhi for routine checkup initially twice a week and then once a week. Later, we were told to undergo routine checkup after every 3 months. Even today, I go for routine eye checkup after 3, 4 months to ensure whether everything is under control. The present status of my eyesight is 75% vision impairment. Doctors have told me to take extra precautions. I inform the doctor whenever I get any redness, water coming or stickiness in my eye etc. to avoid further vision loss. Presently I have 25% vision left in my eye.

Please describe your experience of managing with your disability?

I use screen readers to do all my tasks. Whether phone or computer, my screen readers assist me throughout. I know braille but currently I do my work with technology. My mobility at home is good as I am well-acquainted with the surroundings but whenever I go to a new place, I have started carrying my cane. It gets difficult for me to climb stairs because of my low vision and similarly, crowds make everything blurry for me.

How have you managed to get into so many extracurricular activities, like karate and other activities?

Till class 7th, I went to a mainstream school with my twin sister. My mother was a senior teacher in that school. I was permitted to sit in the classroom and pass in every class on the basis of oral test of some chapters. In class 8th, I was told to leave the school and was denied admission by all other schools in the area. No school had any idea about how to deal with a person with disability. However, my family stood by my side and encouraged me in my endeavours and decisions. Since I had to face discrimination during my schooling and no school gave me admission in my city and nearby areas; I made up my mind to make myself equipped and skilled in every possible way. I appeared in class 10th board exams as a private candidate and scored 80% marks. I appeared in all further exams on correspondence courses and finally did Masters in English from Panjab University. During my graduation and post-graduation, I worked hard on my technology skills without any formal training. I learnt about JAWS and screen readers on my own. From working effectively on laptop to managing websites, posting blogs and writing for magazines; everything I did in my small town, Naya Nangal.

I was invited by an NGO ‘Umang Foundation’ to address a press conference at Shimla in April 2014. They wanted to spread the word in the state about the possibilities in technology advancements taking place. I spoke about my life and how I perform my tasks with the help of screen readers (assistive technology). The event received prominent coverage both in print and electronic media. The impact of that conference was such that many visually challenged students in Himachal Pradesh enrolled themselves in educational institutions.

About Karate:

I always wanted to learn karate but never got a chance to do so. But two years ago, I got to know about a coach near my town. My purpose behind learning karate is to become physically strong. Moreover, so far, I have attained white, yellow, orange, green and blue belts in Karate. My aim is to attain a black belt. It would take some time to get it but I am adamant about it. I also want to teach visually challenged girls and boys karate for free once I myself become a professional at it. Though my eye doctor has shown a red flag to my Karate deeds, I can’t give up on Karate. But yes, I do take all the precautions I can. Of course, the path is quite hard and challenging but I know I will do it! Every New Kick makes my Day!

No matter how blurry the surroundings are, Karate always makes me come alive with passion and zeal. Maybe I cannot recognize faces, maybe I cannot measure the gap but what I can do right is, I can practice my skill to perfection. I do karate with sheer enthusiasm and it is something that supports me through the dark days too. It gets difficult to tell that you cannot make out how far the person is standing or from where someone is attacking, but if you have the confidence and skills, you get that spirit from within. I am glad that I have the will to go on and on and stretch my boundaries beyond what I initially expected.

Was it a challenge?

Since I belonged to a small city, there was no awareness. Nobody had any idea what to do. Where my siblings (twin sister and elder brother) and friends used to go to school and coaching classes; I used to be at home. It was a tough time. But gradually I got used to it and I decided to become the best version of myself no matter what. I developed a feeling that I had to do something or I would be doomed. Whether it was school, exams in the graduation or post-graduation; there were challenges throughout. There were even times when I didn’t used to get writer before my exam and rather than focusing on my preparation, I used to be concerned about getting the scribe. I appeared for many exams with the writers whom I got the previous day or sometimes even the same day. I learnt everything that I could to ensure that I become better every passing day. And today, I am a Karate enthusiast, guitarist, singer, motivational speaker, writer, blogger, RJ and disability activist!

How did you choose your profession of a content writer?

Well, since I have done MA in English, I wanted to explore possibilities of the English language.. Everybody was after me to do PHD or go for banking. I personally never had an interest in either of them. I wanted to do something different. I started searching for things that I could do and one day my sister told me about this line. I ventured into this and after trying for months, I got the job.

Since I was hunting for a corporate job, I had my own doubts. I thought if the employers would get to know about my vision impairment, they might not consider me for the job because of their lack of awareness. I sent some samples of my work to a private company in Chandigarh and they liked my work. They took my interview on phone and they appointed me. I work from home for them and I go to office rarely. The office is in Chandigarh and I live in Naya Nangal.

Initially, for six to seven months I did work with them and provided them all the content they needed. Then in August 2016, I had to go to Delhi for receiving NCPEDP Mphasis Universal Design Award 2016. I asked my seniors to give me leave for three days. They asked for a reason and that was the first time that I told them about my vision impairment. By this time, they were so convinced with my quality of work and efficiency that they had no doubt about my capabilities. In fact, they showed interest in my ways of working and screen readers.

Did you face challenges there?

Yes, sometimes I face challenges because of accessibility issues. Many websites are not screen reader friendly. As I have to provide plenty of write-ups within deadlines every day and research work is involved, I visit hundreds of sites regularly. Inaccessibility issue has always been there but things are getting better with time and more awareness.

How do you handle the challenges?

I always keep myself motivated and happy. I keep myself engaged in many activities to polish my skills and expand my knowledge. Challenges are a part of life and I work on them every day. I feel, disability is a part of me and not my whole life!

What would be your advice to people in similar situations?

I feel my peers should work on their skills, knowledge and thoughts. If you are determined and have optimistic mindset, you can deal with everything. Remember, nobody is going to fight for you, you have to be your own hero. The more you work on yourself, the better you would become.

You have written about the use of white cane. What is your take on it?

I am a proud White Cane user. I feel the white cane has turned out to be a sign of independence, freedom, and confidence. The usage of this cane allows a visually challenged person to move about freely in his or her environment. In case an individual knows how to use a white cane, they can attain their daily tasks with ease.

Like every year, on 15th October we have ‘White Cane Day’. The mission of White Cane Day is to make the world aware about blindness and how the visually challenged can live and work independently at the same time giving back to their communities. The day is to celebrate the capabilities and successes accomplished by visually challenged people in a sighted world.

Indeed, white cane has actually made me more confident and my self-esteem is twofold now! I have only one message for my peers, if you really accept your vision impairment, you should not hesitate to use white cane. It is our most powerful tool while we travel! And if you think what others will say about you, what your friends would think or how people would take you; come on, that is not your headache!

Are there myths regarding people without sight that need to be busted?

Yes, most of the people have myths about people with vision impairment. People feel that we are visually challenged and we are nothing more than a burden. It is really painful that even in this 21st century people think visually impaired people cannot contribute in the economy or in tasks because they lack eyesight. It is high time we made our society aware or these myths would do no good to our community.

Here, an anecdote comes to mind. Once I was in a conference on skype with some visually impaired friends and a few sighted people. One young man amidst the group talk said: “Don’t you feel being a visually impaired women is a double disability; first female and then disabled too?”People in that group started whispering and giggling hearing the comment, which upset me no end. Later that day I discussed the incident with a few of my visually impaired, independent female friends. They were also upset. Maybe I should have responded to that person that day in the call. But I kept quiet, because silence sometimes is louder than words. But the incident revealed the biased and crude mindset of our society towards Persons with Disabilities.

Have you had to make some changes to your lifestyle because of your condition?

Yes, I learnt professional typing, learnt screen readers, basic braille and most importantly worked on my mindset. Very early in my life, I understood that if I would not fight for myself, nobody would. I also put all my efforts to accept my vision impairment with open arms so that I can progress in life. We can progress in life only if we have acceptance of our condition. Being twins, I had the advantage to learn from my sister Kavya. Her presence made me learn things in a positive manner.

As I mentioned before, two years back, I even started learning martial Arts to ensure that I become stronger not just by mind but physically too. I would admit that martial arts have always not just been my requirement but it has been my fascination. The journey of Karate has not been rosy because of lack of Coaches in my city but, even then I managed to learn Karate, cleared tests and so far, I have attained five belts, blue being the last one.

Have you tried complementary medicine or therapies, like homeopathy or yoga?

Since I have undergone more than five operations, my doctors have strictly told me not to try anything that might turn out to be risky. My case has been under proper check and I do follow what my doctors tell.

Tell us about your project on sensitization sessions

With the vision to sensitize the society, in 2015 I took a personal initiative and started visiting different mainstream schools to create awareness among students and faculty members about PWDs. During my visits, I give a demo about assistive technology/screen readers, talk about how visually challenged people work and interact with the students & faculty members in the assembly. After my visits, these schools have started giving admission to students with disabilities without any hesitation. The latest being, one of the schools has given admission to visually challenged and maimed students. I get calls from parents/relatives/friends of students in regard to disabilities. About vision impairment, I myself guide them and for other disabilities I associate them with the concerned professionals. So far, I have covered more than 10 mainstream educational institutions. I do not want anyone to suffer because of lack of awareness and so I started my pet project of visiting as many educational institutions as I can. I visit all these institutions alone and you can find detailed information about all my sessions on my personal blog link

How has your family supported you?

My family has always been my biggest support. My parents, my twin sister, my elder brother and my pet dogs; they have always kept me going. I am blessed to have a family that understands me and supports me. My parents have always made me feel stronger. My mom is my idol.

Is there any personal anecdote that you would like to share with us?

A few years ago, my mom told me about how a lady made an inhuman comment about me. When I was a toddler, my parents took me to a lady who held a high official post at the time. Mummy and papa wanted to take some guidance but she was really harsh in response because of her lack of awareness. When my parents asked her, what could they do for me, she simply answered such people with disabilities work as domestic help only.

Naturally, I was hurt to hear this. But you know, the day when my mom told me this, it was special. I was in a wedding and there I sang a song with my guitar. That lady was also there. She was weeping seeing me singing and playing guitar with so much confidence. After this incident only, my mom told me about this insensitive comment that the lady made about me.

Contribution as a disability activist

  • Conducts sensitization sessions in mainstream educational institutions
  • A motivational speaker
  • An RJ and Content Manager in an online radio station ‘Radio Udaan’. It is run by visually challenged people.
  • A blogger and a contributor to newspapers and magazines

Main Awards

  • On 12th December 2016, I received Punjab State Award from Sh. Surjit Kumar Jyani, Cabinet Minister, Social Security and Women & Children Welfare
  • I have also been given the 7th NCPEDP – Mphasis Universal Award by Hon’ble Central Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Sh. K P Gurjar, at New Delhi on 14th August 2016. I have been awarded for doing exemplary work to ensure a life of dignity for the people with disabilities.
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