She shows light to the blind, Visually impaired Tanya Balara Runs Computer institute fot those like
| Source – The Times Of India – Meenakshi Shinha |
| She shows light to the blind
V The Tanya Computer Training Institute at Jogeshwari runs only thrice a week for five-and-ahalf hours. But for the visually-impaired students and their visually-impaired 26-year-old teacher, Tanya Balsara, it is a window to another world. When Balsara —challenged visually since birth — thought about opening a computer training institute for those like herself three months ago, she was determined about not charging them any fee.
“I’m happy imparting this knowledge because it gives me tremendous satisfaction to see my labour yield results. I am determined not to charge any money,’’ Tanya says. It all started when a neighbour approached Tanya for computer lessons. Having just acquired computer skills from the Centre of Indian Association for the Visually Handicapped, Tanya was too happy to help out. She found herself teaching computer skills to the boy with no communication problems. But soon her first student had to leave the city and Tanya was left wondering how to put her knowledge to good use. That was when her father stepped in to make an investment of Rs 5 lakh and bought five computers for her institute. “I realised the full meaning of the word window after seeing her sit on the computer, which opened a new world for her,’’ ad guru Sam Balsara, Tanya’s father, says. Housed in the M N Banaji Home for the Deaf and Blind in Jogeshwari, the 10-feet-by-12-feet computer institute holds classes thrice a week between 2.30 pm and 7 pm. “The basic course is for six months and students learn how to use the keyboard, Windows 98, MS Word, Excel, internet, Outlook Express and other applications,’’ says Tanya. Students are put through rigorous tests whenever a topic gets over. Hindi is a problem though. “I run out of words because my Hindi is not great. But I try my best,’’ she says. Tanya started teaching the first batch of students in January this year. A second batch joined in February. Now she’s looking forward to taking on a third batch. Most of her students are inmates of the M N Banaji Home and are working. “I want my centre to help more visually-challenged students so that they can get a job,’’ she adds. Tanya and her students make good use of a software called JAWS, which reads out words on the screen and also what is typed. “The software also speaks out options like ‘start’ and ‘menu’ as it talks,’’ says Tanya. A beginner has to completely memorise the keyboard and know which alphabet lies where. What Tanya finds challenging is the need to keep abreast of the latest software versions. “Jaws also reads out my mails to me. The problem arises only when there are pictures involved as there’s no software to describe them for us to understand,’’ says Tanya. The software works both on the computer or the phone. “I even have a talking software called TALKS on my mobile,’’ she adds. The 26-year-old likes to call herself a tough kid in her email ID and signs off all her e-mails with a phrase that underlines her perseverance: “Disabilities create barriers but determination breaks them.’’ Tanya draws her inspiration from the students of Helen Keller Institute for the Deaf and Blind, especially from deaf-blind students Pradeep and Zameer, who have merged into the mainstream despite their handicap. Her family, too, provides her with the much-needed support and encouragement. TRAILBLAZER: Tanya Balsara who is visually challenged since birth has been teaching students for the last three months |