Karachi:Though the world in front of her eyes is dark, she decided to, or perhaps, this is what convinced her to, enlighten the lives of other sightless people.

Shazia Hasan, 35, is a computer teacher at the Ida Rieu School and College for the Blind and the Deaf, who made life easier for the blind students of the college when she introduced a screen reading software in the school. The software, known as JAWS, gives oral instructions and information to its users, telling them all the details, such as the type and size of the font, and color of the text.

“I wanted to tell that whole world that people like me, no matter not having the eyesight, don’t have any limitations. We are independent, equally gifted, and can do anything that we want to,” a determined Shazia told The News.

She lost her eyesight at a tender age of eight years due to a disease, Glaucoma, in which the optic nerve is damaged, leading to blindness. “Initially, I was very confused and was disturbed, and did not know what to do. But then, slowly, I started living with blindness.” After that Shazia got admission at the Ida Rieu School, and did her bachelors.

During the time, she developed an interest towards computing as her father owned a shop and sold computers. Her interest grew when she attended a three-month workshop on the software JAWS given by a British trainer. So impressed was Shazia that she traveled to the UK, purchased the software, and introduced it in her school.

“I was very happy as the software opened a new dimension in my life, linking me with the world of the web. I felt that I had to do something for the others, and this was it, a gift from me to my students,” she added.

She calls this her life’s biggest achievement so far. She proudly said that 11 of her students have got jobs in the field of Tele-marketing in one private bank, two in another bank, and around 10 of them have got jobs in KESC. “I wanted to produce role models, and I am happy to say that my dream is coming true,” she said.

Where Shazia has reached today could not have been possible, had she not had the support and unconditional love of her family. “Apart from the family, the faith in the Almighty made me stronger and stronger as I always believed that Allah would never be unjust to His people.”

Meanwhile, Shazia said that there was a lack of awareness in the society regarding the issues faced by the blind people, which is why they were neglected and not paid attention to.

“For this purpose, I also became the program manager for the school’s Teachers Resource Center, which organises workshops, and trains parents, teachers and other people regarding treatment of the blind,” Shazia added.

She loves traveling, and has been to many countries across the world, such as the US, Iran, Iraq, Syria and others. “The learning process never ends for an individual, even for a blind person. I have done a number of courses, including courses in html, networking, and MS-office and recently in business English.”

Women like Shazia are surely a paradigm of excellence. She seemed very satisfied and proud for where she is standing today. “I just want to convey a message that the society should change its mindset towards the disabled and try to support and rehabilitate them,” she said.The news