News taken from Times of India:
BELGAUM: Channamma Marihal lost her vision at eight and suddenly her colourful life turned dark. The girl, who would play happily with other children, started withdrawing into a shell. Many started giving up on her and thought she'd end up in a corner of the house.
However, Channamma never gave up fighting the odds to be independent. This girl from Kittur village in Bailhongal taluk recently passed the CET examination conducted by the KPSC and has been selected for a gram panchayat (GP) as a second division assistant. During counselling, she chose Kittur village for
her posting and will report for duty in two weeks. She'll be working in the accounts department.
Channamma has completed her degree course along with three-year computer diploma course in Mysore.
Channamma is one of 129 visually impaired candidates selected as SDAs to different GPs across the state. Seven have been selected to the GPs in Belgaum district. Like Channamma, most of these candidates lost their vision but never gave up. Six years ago, the Karnataka high court directed the government to recruit visually impaired persons. But, this is the first time so many of them have been selected for government jobs.
Most of these candidates have taken computer training with job access with speech (JAWS) software. In 2010-11, visually impaired persons were recruited in courts for clerical work. They had been given computers but without JAWS software as it was reportedly costly. Due to that, the visually impaired remained jobless. The software was provided to them only after a long fight and they submitted a memorandum to the government.
"I don't want to face the same problem after joining work in the GP. I am not aware what kind of job the government will give us. But it should create a disabled-friendly atmosphere at the workplace, especially in rural areas", says Channamma.
Basappa Waddagol of Manoli in Belgaum taluk, who selected the nearby Santi-Bastwad GP, said this job has given him hope for the future. "I come from a poor background and a small village and almost lost all hopes of making a living. But this job has brought a ray of light into my life. My family, relatives
and neighbours are very happy for me," he told TOI.
Source: Times of India.
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