I lost my eyesight when I was 5 years old. A severe fever turned into meningitis, and because we lived in a small village in Latur, there was no treatment. Overnight, everything changed. For the next 12 years, I stayed home, cut off from the world outside. Eventually, I was admitted to a blind school in Mumbai. That hostel became my turning point. It gave me independence and taught me how to live without relying on anyone.
After my 10th, I moved to a regular college. Suddenly, I was alone again. Nobody spoke to me, I couldn’t study properly, and I had to constantly depend on others to read or write for me. It was humiliating. But in 12th, I heard about a course in social work. The thought of helping others clicked something inside me. I decided that this was my path. It took five years of hard work and struggle, but I completed my Master’s in Social Work from TISS. That dream I had back then? I’m living it today.
For the last 12 years, I’ve been working as a Social Service Superintendent at J.J. Hospital. I set up the Disability Information Board there, where patients get guidance about rehabilitation, government schemes, NGOs, financial help, and assistive devices. My cabin opens at 9 AM, and every day, people walk in looking for help. Sometimes, they doubt me, “Can you help us? Is there anyone else here?” They can’t comprehend that a blind person could guide them. But when they walk out with answers and hope, that’s my favourite part of the job.
Outside of work, I fought another battle. I filed a PIL against the Railways. That case changed travel for the visually impaired across India. Today, we have guiding paths, beepers at compartments, warning tiles, lifts, and escalators. However, it still hurts when able-bodied people occupy handicap compartments, but it’s a start.
Over the last 20 years, I’ve received 18 awards at state and national levels for my work in Human Rights under disability, but the real reward is when a person with a disability walks up to me and says, ‘Because of you, my life is easier.’ That feeling is unmatched.
I also started my own NGO, the Blinds Unity for Self Sufficiency. We work across Maharashtra for education, employment, rehabilitation, and medical support. We even run a WhatsApp helpline, ‘Be With Me,’ where volunteers help people with disabilities according to their needs.
Sometimes, when I listen to music or make handicrafts, I think of the 5-year-old boy who lost his vision and spent 12 years confined at home. I want to tell him: ‘Don’t worry. You will find your way. And one day, you’ll help thousands find theirs too.
Raju Waghmare,
Social Service Superintendent at J. J. Hospital