Andrews Vision Centre

22/02/2023

From a Mallakhamb tournament to a street play, we have left no stone unturned to give you an opportunity to showcase your talents. 🥊🎨
So go through the list of upcoming events and find your calling.
DM for registration and further details! Hope to experience the unseen with you all!
_______________________

22/02/2023

Andrews Vision Center is absolutely thrilled to announce that we are back with our 'Third Eye' Event on 25th February, 2023.
Introducing you to our objectives and organising committee, we hope you are as excited as we are. ✨
DM for registration and further details! Hope to experience the unseen with you all!

22/02/2023

We have some good news for you.
Our long awaited Third Eye is back!! And this time it's back with a bang!!

https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/campus-talk-a-festival-organised-by-visually-impaired-members-of-mumbais-wilson-college-8458604/

St Andrews Vision Centre, which caters to the visually challenged students of this college, is all set to hold its annual festival, The Third Eye.

25/05/2022

“Abled does not mean enabled. Disabled does not mean less abled” ― Khang Kijarro Nguyen
The incident that occurred at Ranchi airport on the 7th 2022

Indigo Airlines allegedly abused a disabled child by refusing to let the youngster and his parents to board the plane,
claiming that the child was a threat to the safety of other passengers and flight safety.
It is foolish and insensitive to compare a child with special needs with someone who might disrupt the general affairs of the flight

There are various forms of disabilities, including mental disabilities, physical disabilities, learning disabilities, and social disabilities.
These disabilities are treated as a weakness in our society, which contributes to the stereotype that leads to disability discrimination.
These issues are very prevalent in over society over centuries, but what that is disturbing in this incident is that this occurring in an airline
and the airline management has actually supported it and our society has accepted it and just took it as any other news.

It is important to push these issues into the notice of the public and talk about them and increase awareness. The government recognises
people with physical disability and provide legal protection to them and just as we see people who are with physical disability, we should
understand that the people with special needs are no different from them and also deserve equal respect and sensitivity.

Children with mental disability face social exclusion since childhood will be a traumatic experience for them, but, if they were denied
of their basic rights it is the job of society to fight for it and make sure they attest get their basic rights. It is a big red flag towards our ignorance towards mental health as it is never bad to start normalising sensitive mental health topics.

-Dax Greeshma
....................................................................

The incident that occurred at Ranchi Airport on the 7th 2022 reflects a very poor sense of sensitization towards humanity. I feel sorry for the manager who is unable to understand what it means to reach out. We talk about customer care, providing services, where is it seen here?
If he could visualize what the parent and the child were going thru, he would have stood up for them and seen that they would have boarded the flight. His lack of knowledge has made him insensitive to the needs of others specially the disabled. Indigo has taken initiatives like have a ramp instead of steps which is helpful to board the aircraft showing that they care, but where was this when they had a real example to prove it.
Teaching people to be human is what is lacking in our system, we need to start teaching the children in school to be sensitized towards disability, to have respect for the elders and senior citizens, to love and care for them understanding they daily needs and helping them overcome barriers, so that when they grow and go to college, they will carry these values with them and share and spread it wherever they go.
“If you could stand in someone’s shoes, here what they hear, see what they see, feel what they feel”, would you treat them differently? Of course, you would because you will understand them better.
We also need to be humble, putting our ego’s aside which is difficult but with the right support and will power doable. With everyone arguing with the manager, putting pressure his ego probably went up and he must have felt by stepping down he would lose face. The fact is that he would have been elated in the eyes of the parents and child that mattered the most and am sure everyone else would have praised him for his decision. Now that he decided not to allow them on the flight which he felt was the right decision, what would his bosses think and say?? Bravo?? Definitely not!! With all the negativity, and posts about being insensitive and the airline name at stake they would definitely tell him that he should have backed off and allowed them on the flight. He failed to be human.
The airlines should have some guidelines for travellers with disabilities / care givers and parents, so that they are clear with the do’s and don’ts’ even before they book their tickets. Both sides need to be crystal clear, which will give everyone the joy of travelling, from the pickup from their home to the drop at their destination.
Each of us in some way or the other have some insensitivity in our hearts but also have love in our hearts, and people need to know the way to touch that spot to make the change. I am not an expert at this, but I can say that interacting and dealing with people with various disabilities I have a learnt a lot, to value life and appreciate all that you have at the moment. We don’t know about tomorrow.

-Ferdinand Rodricks

(Original report on the Indigo Flight incident by Firstpost: https://www.firstpost.com/india/indigo-fiasco-how-flying-is-still-a-nightmare-for-specially-abled-people-in-india-10650721.html/amp)

25/05/2022

REFLECTIONS ON THE INDIGO FIASCO

No human being should have to go through any sort of prejudice, discrimination or antagonism directed against them based on how they look,talk,or behave let alone a teenage person with disability.
The incident that occurred this saturday at Ranchi airport on the 7th of may 2022 has not only been insensitive but also disappointing not just towards the family who had to face this unsettling circumstance but also humanity. It took place when the manager denied the differently abled child his right to travel pertaining to his fidgety behavior as he felt the child was at risk to the other traveling passengers even though the passengers including a doctor on board assured him there was no danger in regard with the child boarding the same flight as them.The situation escalated further when the specially abled child was compared to a drunk person and would be allowed to travel as and when his "normal" behavior was restored
The fact that the CEO of the company who is highly educated refuses to accept that ableism is directed towards the child and supports the decision of the manager under the account of abiding by the rules shows that our country lacks in teaching us about these areas and more importance should be given to educating people about such sensitive topics starting from school or home thus we have a long way ahead to ridden the discrimination people with disabilities face on a daily basis and make it a safe space for all of us to live in harmony
Every person is unique and has their own relative methods in how they think,feel,behave,etc
just because they differ to fit in common criterias which society has termed as "normal" doesn't make them any less normal or open to any kind discrimination
People with disabilities face enough constraints growing up be it in education,accessibility,employment or being treated with respect we as a society can do the least by being responsible and well educated allies
This incident being labeled as cognizable in nature shows how offensive and insensitive the violation of section 7 was and how important it was for action to be taken immediately

-Samara Dsouza
....................................................................

The incident of May7th 2021, harmed the basic human rights and dignity of two indifferent parents and a young child with special needs.

Starting from long rides to the airport following multiple security checks to finally taking off; the entire process in itself is exhausting and overwhelming, and a moment of weakness can be experienced by anyone, let alone a young child with special needs.

A show/misuse of power from the airline's end at times like these reminds us all, of our failures, our failures to see through the deep cracks filled in the projected strong foundations of inclusivity and integrity of our nation.

A show/ misuse of power from the airline’s end fails to see how much, how much in literal sense it might have affected the three individuals in their own respective ways. Individuals who might wake up to love and to protect and to fight for basic human rights of each other in all walks of life. Rising and falling a hundred thousand times but never giving up in the hopes of a decent dignified life promised to them as their basic right by the nation, by us, by each one of us. When will we ever fully fulfil our end of the bargain?

A grown adult working at a senior level of a respectable, sizable firm; addressing a CHILD as ‘not normal’, ‘not travel-worthy’ and ‘a risk to other passengers’ is something that hits so bad, so deep personally that it just clouds my emotions.

These feelings of helplessness and dejection at times like these, shouldn't clutch us forever; for we should pave a way for doing our righteous part in such stories - engaging in meaningful discussions, straightening out facts and practical propositions, spreading awareness in our little circles, circling circles of entire nations altogether.

With empathy, facts and if need be, strict regulations and/or amendments; sensitive steps should be taken for Indigo to breathe in a moment of realisation and apologise to the victims and the entire community of people with special needs. Otherwise, such incidents will keep repeating themselves, in the skins and the stories of our neighbourhoods for our futures

- Riya Dua

(Original report on the Indigo Flight incident by Firstpost: https://www.firstpost.com/india/indigo-fiasco-how-flying-is-still-a-nightmare-for-specially-abled-people-in-india-10650721.html/amp)

25/05/2022

The incident that took place at the Ranchi airport:

God has created all the humans with a bit of special touch but some of them lack in realizing this special feature. The person at the airport lacked in this gesture, so he didn't allow the special child to board the flight. All humans have emotions but every human has different way to express it. The special child was tired after a long journey. It is quite obvious that the child will express it's emotion of tiredness but it was visible to all around him. This came in notice to all at the airport.
This expression of the child became a hurdle for his travel and lack of awareness about the disabled people for the person working at the airport created such a situation. Inspite of people telling him to allow the child he didn't listen to them. He should have thought about a small child in place of the special child who may be would have reacted in similar manner and where he would have allowed the small child to board. Why? Just because the child was normal according to him. But why do we judge whether the person is 'Normal or Disabled'?
We call them 'Disabled' because they don't follow the so called norms of 'Normal' people but may be for the 'Disabled' people we are not 'Normal' and we don't do the things that disabled people do or react. It depends on every individual to behave or react to the situation but this doesn't mean that the person doesn't fit to do certain things.
After all the disabled people are humans they are also created by the Almighty the same way as we have been created. So we need to change our point of view towards the disabled people and start understanding and supporting them.

-Jerusha Walker
....................................................................

Reflections on indigo airlines incident on 7th may, 2022

The question in our mind after reading this incident shouldn’t be why was he barred from boarding; but rather why do we as a society see people with mental or physical disabilities as unfit to be in public spaces? The airline authority deemed a child ‘unsafe’ to travel with other passengers, a child! Then what do we call a mind-set that thinks a child is dangerous and treats him inhumanely? It is not that some ‘bad people’ in world treat others badly. It is those who think they’re ‘doing the right’ thing and are unwilling to admit their lack of understanding, or awareness of other’s experiences that makes people’s lives more difficult. It is time we put down our flag of ‘I am a good person and I can do no wrong’ and admit we are fallible and learn to work on it.
I remember an incident from when I had gone to a college in virar for my exams. I had to reach my classroom and since I didn’t know the campus well, I decided to ask around. I approached someone and asked them if they could tell me where a particular class was. They said they couldn’t hear me. It was the time of college fest and there was loud music playing from the speakers. I assumed it was due to the speakers, I asked again, with greater emphasis this time so they could hear me over the speakers. After my failed attempts, the person called someone from the crowd to help me with my query and then I realized that it wasn’t due to the loud music but due to a hearing impairment that they couldn’t hear me. It makes me think of the assumptions I might have long held of people around me. An assumption that disability is rare and a stranger I encounter may not have a disability instead of thinking they might. I remember a facilitator on a gender and sexuality workshop mentioning something along the lines that why do we assume a person’s is a cis-gender-heterosexual person? We might have learned to believe its rude to assume otherwise, but fail to recognise that this assumption in fact harms the marginalized, a person who is not considered ‘normal’. I think the same applies here, an assumption that disability is uncommon and behaving accordingly only adds to the daily struggles of a person living with disabilities. Why not instead try to be more inclusive in our actions and communication, it doesn’t harm anyone! It sure is easier said than done, but I would like to be more cognisant the next time.
Indigo airlines incident, is an example of how people see the world as meant to be for an able bodied person and anyone who doesn’t fit the definition may be ‘unusual’ and hence, ‘dangerous’ or ‘unfit’ to be around. As mentioned before, it’s not just a so-called evil person’s mind-set, it is also the mind-set of those of us who call ourselves ‘good people’. Not all of us go to great lengths to discriminate, but neither do we take efforts to be inclusive or understand. As a professor once told mentioned, there are no good or bad people; there are just humans, who are prone to make mistakes. It is the rigidity to not accept this fact that limits us.

-Reena

(Original report on the Indigo Flight incident by Firstpost: https://www.firstpost.com/india/indigo-fiasco-how-flying-is-still-a-nightmare-for-specially-abled-people-in-india-10650721.html/amp)

25/05/2022

Horrifying incident at Ranchi Airport where IndiGo barred a disabled adolescent to fly as he seemed abnormal. Despite the passengers protesting against it, the attendants kept saying that the child posed a threat to co-passengers. It is unbelievable the amount of ignorance that can be masked behind the lens of power and authority. So disheartening to think about what the child, like many other disabled people in India, have to go through everyday. You either invisible the unique struggles of disabled people, or you completely dehumanize or disorder them. How is there so much conviction in ignorance? This is just one story of a visible disability and staff members decision, there are many more struggles that fail to be accommodated in the systems that have been made specifically keeping temporarily abled bodies in mind. We need to do and demand for better.
- Siddhi
....................................................................

This kind of incidence is truly an eye opener for every one of us. Because it shows that although we live in the 21st century our mindset is still very conservative. According to our constitution freedom of movement is a fundamental right. If someone is denying a person's fundamental right they can fight in the court for justice. But the officers of the airlines don't consider it as an unlawful activity. I don't know why they think they can escape the law just because the person is specially-abled. Nobody has the right to deny the rights of another. In this society we focus more on differences than similarities. We focus on disabilities but not on abilities. Special needs do not make a person inferior. There is no such thing as inferior or superior in our society, we all are human beings and we should remember that we should be treated equally.
According to our constitution as well as Human rights this right of freedom of movement is an unalienable right. If someone is denying this right, they not only deny the right to enjoy life but also restrict future opportunities. It may not seem like a big deal but if this right is denied imagine the situation enterprises, players and people who wish to travel would be in. There are people who can stand up for themselves but imagine those who can't or don't have the resources to do so.
For our society to flourish there is a need for inclusivity. Focus on the ability. We should unite, come together and fight against such unfair practices.

- Shravani Pawar

(Original report on the Indigo Flight incident by Firstpost: https://www.firstpost.com/india/indigo-fiasco-how-flying-is-still-a-nightmare-for-specially-abled-people-in-india-10650721.html/amp)

25/05/2022

On the 7th of May, 2022 an incident took place at the Ranchi Airport when IndiGo Airlines refused to let a disabled boy board the flight on the pretext of being a danger to the passengers. To the extent where the boy was compared to a drunk passenger to explain the “ reasoning behind their decisions”. There was also a recurrent mention of the words “when he becomes normal,he would be deemed travel-worthy” by the manager.
It is not the first time a PwD has been disrespected and denied the bare minimum of things by “ normal people” in our society. The fact that PwD have to constantly fight for respect and a place in this society on a daily basis makes me angry and sad. Our society loves shoving words like normal in our face and if you do not stick to their standards of normalcy, you will be deemed unusual/ abnormal/weird in mere seconds.
Shouldn’t normalcy be considered subjective because who are we to even decide what’s normal and abnormal?

Do we really want to live in a society that holds itself on such high grounds where they refuse to adjust and understand people who do not match their criteria of “normal”? We should ask ourselves if we really want to live in such a biased and judgmental world? A bias that lead to isolation and discrimination of an already marginalized group pf people. Why is the absence or lack of an ability automatically leads to being termed as an inconvenience and subjected to hatred and prejudice?

It shows that it's not them who needs to be fixed or cured or made normal but we who need to be educated , sensitized and empathetic about things that are bigger than us. So take a moment to step away and think about the type of person you want to be and the world you want to be part of. Because prejudice brings nothing but hatred and damage.
-Shruti
....................................................................

It is a sad reality in our country what specially abled people have to go through. The mere act of transporting from one place to the other has become a nightmare for them. They are denied the basic help in airlines as was seen in the recent headlines.
Recently, a specially abled kid was denied boarding on the airplane because he was in a “state of panic” in Ranchi. Is this how this situation should have been tackled?
In conclusion, we talk about inclusivity but it is not there in the places where it requires the most. We should not become blind to the norms and use our minds. These people require our help and our comfort. Areas such as transport should put their best foot forward to ensure their safety.

-Arshia

(Original report on the Indigo Flight incident by Firstpost: https://www.firstpost.com/india/indigo-fiasco-how-flying-is-still-a-nightmare-for-specially-abled-people-in-india-10650721.html/amp)

25/05/2022

The following posts are the reflections on the Indigo Flight incident by the participants of the Certificate Course in Disability Studies

𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗚𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁

A child with disability was reportedly mistreated by IndiGo airlines on Saturday, 7th May 2022, with the staff disallowing the child and his parents to board the plane, allegedly stating that the child was a threat to other passengers' safety. This incident is extremely disheartening and inhumane. Discrimination among people with disabilities keeps happening. In our society. Ableism refers to bias, prejudice and discrimination against people with disabilities. It hinges on the idea that people with disabilities are less valuable than non-disabled people., which is absolutely absurd. People with disabilities represent the largest marginalized group despite that abelsim is one of the most common forms of prejudice. People who easily name racism and sexism do not seem to see the human rights issues that underscore abelsim. Abelsim may not be intentional (in the same way that racism and sexism may not be intentional) but that doesn’t mean it's not harmful. For example, think of all the buildings, spaces, places, events (and so on) that are often designed without consideration of the needs of people with disabilities. Often PwD are the afterthought- or not thought of at all. Instead of naming abelsim for what it is, instances of discrimination are often shrugged off, swept under the rug or laughed off, with no or few apologies. We need to name and recognize how pervasive and unchecked abelsim is in our community and try to eliminate it.
- Deandra Ferrao

(Original report on the Indigo Flight incident by Firstpost: https://www.firstpost.com/india/indigo-fiasco-how-flying-is-still-a-nightmare-for-specially-abled-people-in-india-10650721.html/amp)

12/05/2022

𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 '𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥' 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐲?

Read this article by Firstpost where a passenger was barred from boarding a flight cited as being be a 'risk' to others since he wasn't 'normal'

https://www.firstpost.com/india/indigo-fiasco-how-flying-is-still-a-nightmare-for-specially-abled-people-in-india-10650721.html/amp

Following posts are the reflections by the participants of the Certificate Course in DISABILITY STUDIES on this article regarding the ordeals faced by passengers who are Specially Abled and guidelines in place for them.

IndiGo airline received much flak after it denied boarding to a specially abled child on a Hyderabad-bound flight at the Ranchi airport. The incident once again raises questions over the handling of air travellers with disabilities

29/04/2022

*Certificate Course in Disability Studies*

*John Wilson Education Society's Wilson College, Mumbai* in Collaboraton with *Youth4jobs Foundation* organises Online Certificate course in Disability Studies.

*Date*: 9th May 2022 - 10th June 2022 (15 sessions)
*Days*: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
*Time*: 4pm - 6pm

*Course Fees: 3000/-*

*Registration Link:* https://forms.gle/f9iC6cksgBU6AdkH6

Registration link available in the bio

*Minimum Qualification*: HSC

The course will be conducted *ONLINE on Zoom Platform*

*‼️LIMTED SEATS ONLY‼️*

*Last date of registration -* May 5th 2022

For more details:
Ms Ansa Antony,
AVC, Wilson College
Whatsapp/call: +91 9702906743
Email: [email protected]

05/09/2021

“A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instil a love of learning.” – Brad Henry