The New Sunday Magazine
The workers at Café Beyond Eyes in Delhi’s Sector 11 share Agarwal’s belief. Run by servers and cooks who are visually impaired, the cafe was started as a collaboration between the National Association for the Blind and the NGO Beyond Eyes Foundation. “We’ve been working with people with visual impairment for almost 45 years now. We’ve provided school education and have taught them skills like cooking and customer care,” says Prashant Ranjan Verma, Managing Director of the Foundation. Anjali Vimal has been a chef in Café Beyond Eyes since it opened on April 15. Despite being visually impaired, her Maggie noodles, burgers, cold coffee and shakes are a hit with patrons. “Initially, it was challenging work. After receiving training from the Blind Relief Association, I found it doable. My sense of touch, smell, and taste are very sharp which help me in cooking and serving,” she reveals. The struggle of people who fight societal biases to make space for themselves is truly commendable. And then there are people behind these initiatives to normalise and make the world more empathetic for the differently abled. They deserve loud cheers as well. An increase in the number of people who visit these cafes gives much-needed hope, making the world a little more liveable, a little less biased. As a vibrant group of individuals, passionately turning their dreams into reality despite physical, mental, and intellectual challenges, inclusivity is not just a goal; it is the vital key to unleashing the incredible potential of people and projects.
NAB-SAROJINI TRILOK NATH
HOME FOR THE BLIND
A modern, state-of-the-art resource centre for blind and visually impaired children, youth, and senior citizens, NAB Trilok Nath Home for the Blind was started recently. This project is run by NAB Delhi, situated in Sector 5 RK Puram, a leading NGO that has transformed the lives of over 100,000 persons with disabilities since its inception in 1979. Dwarka Centre is situated at Pocket A, Sector 11. NAB Dwarka Centre provides the following services for visually impaired persons: early intervention services for young visually impaired children, offering guidance to mothers and caregivers in taking care of visually impaired children, including those who are multi-disabled; school preparedness and mainstreaming of visually impaired children; inclusive schooling and a resource centre that provides support to visually impaired students studying in mainstream schools; first-time services for visually impaired persons, especially late beginners and those who became blind later in life. Customized computer training is offered to blind persons of all ages including preschoolers, school students, adults, and job seekers. Senior citizen services include an old age home providing long-term residential care along with training in orientation and mobility, therapeutic intervention, independent living skills, and digital training where necessary. The centre also features Café Beyond Eyes, operated by blind youth on campus. The centre aims to expand its services and reach more visually impaired individuals, especially those residing in the surrounding area.