Renuka Warrier turns blind eye to handicap

KOZHIKODE: Being visually challenged doesn't stop Renuka Warrier from doing what she wants in life. After a 25-year stint at the Calicut University as an enquiry and section officer in the Information and Communication department, she teaches computer and converts study materials and Malayalam books into audio books for the visually challenged. With two years to go for retirement, Renuka works efficiently without giving people a hint about her disability.

Renuka lost her sight due to retinal detachment when she got shortlisted in the University Assistant exam. She was not among those who took advantage of her disability. Unhappy with being a receptionist, she herself searched and sought a job in which she could excel. “What makes her different from others is that she showed exceptional memory in those days by memorising all the university updates and kept pace with time by studying computer from Chennai,” recalled M.V. Zakaria,  Calicut University Public Relations Officer.

After she lost sight, she realised that there are only rare situations in life were sight becomes inevitable. “With experience and common sense we can do many things without vision,” said Renuka. Even though she studied Braille, she still writes normally. “I used to write by sticking threads horizontally in a cardboard and placing a tactile paper above to feel the line. In these days I use computer,” she added.

She has converted around 75 distance education study materials and 45 Malayalam books into audio format which is immensely helping the visually challenged students. With no plans to sit idle after retirement, she feels that the visually challenged are in still unrecognised in the society.