Dipak’s love of learning
Dipak is 19, he lives with his mother in Nepal, a country famed for its mountains but with limited access to schools and healthcare. The long journeys to school can be especially daunting for students like Dipak.
Growing up, Dipak was a happy student and a top learner at his school for the deaf. However, he started to lose his sight when he was nine years old and soon withdrew into himself. Anxious and depressed, Dipak would stop eating for days. He became upset in crowded situations and gradually shut himself off from the world. His family was at a loss as to what to do.
Breaking down barriers with braille
Sense International, working with The National Federation of the Deaf Nepal, was there to offer support. Dipak was moved to a specialist resource class in a mainstream school where we taught him braille and tactile sign language. Soon, his love of reading and learning returned – this proved to be his lifeline back into the world.
With time and patience, Dipak gradually learned how to read, form words and express himself through braille. Discovering new words, and understanding sentences, his love of reading and learning returned.
Now each day he rises early, walks with his mother to the bus stop and sits happily on the bus alongside other students as he travels to school. His Head Teacher recognises how important this opportunity has been and how much Dipak has progressed.
“Dipak deserves to access the same learning environment as everyone else, enabling him to continue to thrive.” – Dipak’s teacher
Without the support to make this transition into the right school, his mother reflects, “he might not have survived until now.”
Dipak’s love of learning continues to drive him forward. Now age 19, he hopes to enter the mainstream classes in his school soon.
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