Get a call on Thursday night at 9, from my super enthu Kiran
saying “Aare urgent requirement hain, mail bheja hai, event hai with VI
candidates and we need 10-15 volunteers and we will help them know about post
office and how to post letters” Letters... Writing letters has always been
close to my heart from my 1st standard where I started writing to my
Grandpa, My Aba, until 6 years back when I lost him...:( To my cousins, my
friends, infact few days back I found a bag full of old letters from aba,
cousins, family and friends...
I loved when my candidate Janaki who was writing letter to her Mum told me start letter with “Mathrushree” in the topJ and to write about her class that she has now learnt computers and is now also able to speak in English... Once done here started another unique experience of making her feel how a post box looked like. Her questions as to whether they keep it in while closing the post office or whether letters get wet when it rains made me make her feel the post box full on how it is covered and fixed with timings on it and a lock... Finally she posted the letter and was so happy about it that I for sure can’t express through words... She chatted with me told me she loved my name and ya also there is a school by name Prarthana School started by Mr. BelagereJ WowJ
Survey Link for Visually Challenged Candidates: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CNCY5BN
I read Kiran’s email got super excited, sent email to groups,
bccd few super active bunch of volunteers;) and before even any volunteers
confirming, mailed Kiran saying “I am In”:) There were 4 events running parallelly in Bangalore and I chose this... After a
long time was part of event with Visually Challenged, Low Vision and Blind...
We reached the Centre and saw that all Candidates were already all set and
ready for this unique experience... Trainer Varsha who was leading the show,
explained us all about the event, told candidates they need to write a letter about
their training and post it and left it to us “THE VOLUNTEERS (a mix of new ones
and experienced ones” on how we manage it... As always how could I miss the
energisers:)
But here the challenge was which is the energiser we could do with a mix crowd
of sighted, low vision and no vision... But we successfully managed to do 8421 and all were happily and loudly doing
the energiserJ With
9 Volunteers assisting 12 candidates, we all left for post office with no plan
in mind but with a hope to teach on how letters are posted and how post office
works and ya with a end result of we learning many things 1. as simple as a Low
vision candidate telling us what is full form of PIN Code... Ya right we write
that without fail at times without even knowing it’s full form:) Postal Index No.:) 2. So many savings schemes are available, so
many schemes available are no longer existing etc etc
We all walked for around a km and distance seemed so short
enjoying each other company... After reaching there with this build up habit of
commanding from volunteers for past 7 years, gave a task to all;) Visit each
counter (4) and explain to their candidates about functions taken place at each
counter and come near 5th counter where we had to buy stamps.
Meanwhile I bought a post card, an Inland Letter, a 5 rupee stamp and a post
cover with stamp on itJ
Once the candidates and volunteers were back we made each candidate feel all
these 4 and explained how much can be written on each of these and how much it
costed... Now it was up to them to chose which one they wanted to buy and use
to write letterJ:)They
stood in line assisted by volunteers and bought card or inland letter or cover
whatever they wished..
2 low vision candidates wrote their letters themselves,
others took volunteers help... We needed 2-3 volunteers to write letters in
Kannada, coincidentally my sister who visited post office for buying post
covers ended up being one of volunteers to write Kannada. We both were writing something
in Kannada after many years, atleast I had written 1 a while agoJ:)Di received candidate
who spoke very pure Kannada, proud that she managed to write it:) Candidates dictated
letters and we wrote. We got to hear some pure Kannada and Hindi too:) Just amazing!!!!
I loved when my candidate Janaki who was writing letter to her Mum told me start letter with “Mathrushree” in the topJ and to write about her class that she has now learnt computers and is now also able to speak in English... Once done here started another unique experience of making her feel how a post box looked like. Her questions as to whether they keep it in while closing the post office or whether letters get wet when it rains made me make her feel the post box full on how it is covered and fixed with timings on it and a lock... Finally she posted the letter and was so happy about it that I for sure can’t express through words... She chatted with me told me she loved my name and ya also there is a school by name Prarthana School started by Mr. BelagereJ WowJ
All candidates were made to feel the post box and posted
their own letters, in fact one candidate also took photocopy of it as a memory:)
We all came back to Enable India heard every candidates
experience how it was totally new to many to how a candidate compared his village one counter postoffice to this 5 counters:), started sharing our experiences and realised this was a event not
just for to help them and make them dependent
but it was an event of Inclusiveness, an event where we got hell lot of
information, an event where we added so many new friends and like minded people,
an event where we understood challenges faced by candidates and an event that
gave me courage to start my new initiative “GiftAbled, an inclusive Gift
store” ASAP:) Yes
at the end we did survey that we had created for GiftAbled and got views of
Candidates and volunteers on Ideal and Inclusive Gift store and I was so
motivated when 2 candidates came to me and said , Maam is this started, I been
waiting to see such a store since so long, I hardly get to buy gifts or options
of gifts when I visit big big shops or any shops... Yes this has motivated me a
lot, and have changed b negative thought of whether this unique initiative will
work or not to yes “it’s worth a try”:))
Thanks so so much to Enable India for doing excellent work in
Disability Sector and for giving us this super unique and inclusive opportunity:)
Pics/Memories of the event : https://plus.google.com/photos/112693445683078984329/albums/5848217003200990497
Survey Link for Sighted: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QWYDBKHSurvey Link for Visually Challenged Candidates: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CNCY5BN
