Eyeway Conversations

In this episode of Eyeway Conversations, George Abraham speaks with Dr Priti Sharma, an Ayurveda medical practitioner and a trained Yoga therapist. Priti's interests in Ayurveda and Yoga started very early in life, as she was fascinated by the healing benefits of this ancient science. When she suddenly started losing her vision at the age of 30, due to Retinitis Pigmentosa, it came as a rude shock, but even that didn't stop her from practicing medicine. With support from her brother and husband, she slowly learned to accept her new way of life and started turning her energy towards helping those who were in pain. 

She focused more on yoga as it helped people improve their health and maintain a sense of overall well-being. Today she runs Prana Yoga Therapy Center (PYTC) which offers services including Yoga for Health and Healing, Yoga Teachers Training, Therapy Yoga Workshops for Diabetes, PCOD, Ante-natal care, Back pain, Hypertension, other life style disorders etc. 

As a visually impaired person, she developed her own specific ways of verbal and physical instructions. Priti also started sensitizing teachers on how to teach yoga blindfolded, so that blind people can easily practice asanas like their sighted counterparts. With around 50 visually impaired people signed up for their programs, PYTC has opened up a new professional opportunity in Yoga therapy.

Tune in to listen to this inspirational and novel account of blind yoga! 

To access the podcast transcript, click on link:

https://otter.ai/u/KaBpAV5ysGnaLys8xPVdcQTEoeY

This podcast is supported by BarrierBreak Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

In this episode of Eyeway Conversations, George Abraham speaks with Jonathan Mosen, a popular broadcaster, advocate and a teacher. With a passion for politics, Jonathan is also the first congenital blind person to stand for parliament in New Zealand in 1993.

Jonathan takes pride in his blindness, almost crediting his disability with a lot of fortune that came his way in around five decades of existence. He started his stint in the radio at an early age of four and since then has worked and set up popular mainstream radio stations. He has been instrumental in bringing about legislative changes that have impacted blind people across the world. He currently works as the Chief Executive of Workbridge, the largest employment agency for disabled people in New Zealand.

Tune in to know more about his popular show, Mosen Explosion, Mushroom FM, an internet based radio run by all blind people, and of course his personal journey.

To access the podcast transcript, click on link:

https://otter.ai/u/VZAvgkCZc6omDsdF5_MAXucb1e8

This podcast is supported by BarrierBreak Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

In this episode of Eyeway Conversations, George Abraham speaks with Dr Homiyar Mobedji who heads Bookshare in Asia and Africa. Bookshare is owned by a US based company, Benetech, which is a nonprofit social enterprise that empowers communities with software for social good. Bookshare is an online library of accessible ebooks for people with print disabilities, such as visual impairment, severe dyslexia, cerebral palsy, and so on. 

Born with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a degenerative eye condition, Dr Homiyar went about his life in all ways mainstream. He trained to become a clinical physiotherapist and went on to head the first ever Physiotherapy College for the Blind. An astute supporter of digital literacy for the blind, Dr Homiyar was one of the early users and promoters of assistive technology. 

Tune in to listen to his transition from therapy to NGO management and finally a digital literacy activist. 

To access the podcast transcript, click on link: https://otter.ai/u/VFoXTQH-qx7SpMMJZoSlwjNHyYY

This podcast is supported by BarrierBreak Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

In this episode of Eyeway Conversations, George Abraham speaks with Simon Mahoney, a former Royal Marines officer, social work team leader, freelance artist and author. Diagnosed with a condition called Uveitis, Simon lost his eye sight at the age of 64. But in the next ten years, he not only learnt to accept and live a life with blindness but accomplished a great deal. 

He has written three books, the fourth one is on its way, he learned to cook and then wrote a book about it! He also re-learned to sail a dinghy using all his other senses mindfully, and now he is trying his hands at mountaineering and skiing. 

What's kept him going is not just his love for adventure but a simple philosophy, one of challenging possibilities. Tune in to listen to this magnificent account of a 74-year-old who doesn't consider himself to be disabled at all.

To access the podcast transcript, click on link: https://otter.ai/u/XqcOyOI2WHqRC0IFVJunHK0noS4

This podcast is supported by BarrierBreak Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

In this episode of Eyeway Conversations, George Abraham and Shilpi Kapoor speak with the founders of the famous GAAD movement. Joe Devon and Jennison Asuncion teamed up in 2012 to initiate what's well known as the Global Accessibility Awareness Day. It was a blogpost written by Joe Devon that started it all. In it, Joe highlighted the need for accessibility know-how to become mainstream among developers. Jennison spotted the post on Twitter and the duo ended up pioneering a global campaign!

Tune in to listen to their initial brush with accessibility, individual stories and how they reached out to their respective networks to create an impact in the tech community in the US and abroad. Almost ten years later, they are delighted to see the accessibility conversations go mainstream thanks to big tech companies embracing inclusion. Joe and Jennison have also started the GAAD Foundation with the mission to disrupt the culture of technology and digital product development to include accessibility as a core requirement.

To access the podcast transcript, click on link: https://otter.ai/u/EfhoRv0CL7oTSu1iv1LZQbjiHZ4

This podcast is supported by BarrierBreak Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

In this episode of Eyeway Conversations, George Abraham speaks with Professor M Balakrishnan who is a scientist working with IIT Delhi. Founder of ASSISTECH, a laboratory and a research group, Prof Bala is involved in developing a number of assistive devices targeted towards mobility and education of the visually impaired. One such popular device is the famous SmartCane which was developed by his group and is used by more than 80000 people in India and abroad. 

Professor Bala shares his experience of working on three pet projects including products like the SmartCane, OnBoard and DotBook. He has been well recognized for his humanitarian contributions within Computer Science and Informatics. Tune in to know more about these innovations and his contributions to the empowerment of persons with disabilities.

To access the podcast transcript, click on link: https://otter.ai/u/SlwEkKKH5QcvI34uAk_dZImYGVA

This podcast is supported by BarrierBreak Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

In this episode of Eyeway Conversations, George Abraham speaks with Manushree Singh who works as Lead- Diversity and Inclusion in India for Capgemini. A multinational information technology services and consulting company, Capgemini is extremely inclusive in terms of offering persons with disabilities an equal opportunity of employment. In this interaction, Manushree shares the company's inclusive policies, their work culture that promotes and motivates PwDs to grow at the same pace like other employees. She also shares some of the challenges encountered over the years, and how the company and its leadership has devised programs to address the same. 

Capgemini not only actively hires PwDs but also invests a fair bit in upskilling and their overall career development. Listen to this enriching story of a company that is out to embrace diversity and make it their biggest advantage. 

To access the podcast transcript, click on link: https://otter.ai/u/mSz--SUBtNpWdNq_Vej0bJd0Vis

This podcast is supported by BarrierBreak Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

In this episode of Eyeway Conversations, George Abraham speaks with Rahul Gupta, a wholesale banker working with a leading private bank. Rahul is a transformational leader, with over 15 years of experience across segments, in India and the UK. His extreme low vision didn't come in the way of securing his BA and Master's degree from prestigious schools in the country, St. Stephen's and Delhi School of Economics. 

Rahul wants to lead by example, and leave behind a legacy of courage and optimism. He believes one can achieve anything, once determined towards it. Apart from his interest in Economics, he enjoys writing blogs, sharing his stories and experiences with individuals and organizations. Rahul is also conscious of his health and follows a strict workout regime daily.

Tune in to listen to his inspiring journey.

To access the podcast transcript, click on link: https://otter.ai/u/yv_ePwf3xkWxDuf0q233kSB6i1c

This podcast is supported by BarrierBreak Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

In this episode of Eyeway Conversations, George Abraham speaks with L. Subramani, a journalist and author of the memoir “Lights Out: The True Story Of A Man’s Descent Into Blindness”. After being diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa at the age of 15, Subramani, two years later lost his vision completely, a difficult phase as he recalls in his memoir. 

Subramani is a postgraduate who currently works with The Deccan Herald, a renowned English daily. He considers his disability as a strong identity and not a limitation. Tune in to know how he embraced his new life with a strong resolve.

To access the podcast transcript, click on link: https://otter.ai/u/dEGBY6S9O3FyDDosH8mPIdQ46Vo

This podcast is supported by BarrierBreak Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

In this episode of Eyeway Conversations, George Abraham speaks with Ketan Kothari who works as Technical Specialist- Disability at Sightsavers India. Ketan has had an impressive career spanning over thirty years. A post-graduate in Political Science, he started off as a part-time lecturer and then joined National Association for the Blind, Mumbai. In his short stint with BarrierBreak, he learnt a great deal about advocacy and was instrumental in two very important campaigns, Banking rights and Copyright law amendments, ensuring access to the larger visually impaired population of the country.

Apart from his work as a disability activist, Ketan loves reading, especially biographies and autobiographies. He enjoys sports like cricket and tennis, in fact, he confesses to have brushed up his spoken English, following sports commentary on the radio. 

To access the podcast transcript, click on link: https://otter.ai/u/-R7u4c2xzrc72pfNIeZPlulfKVg

This podcast is supported by BarrierBreak Solutions Pvt. Ltd.