Blind IT pros make life easier for a million others

Only a month back, all three were overjoyed with just getting their first jobs. Now, they can hardly believe their work is helping millions of blind the world over use devices that everyone else takes for granted.

‘‘Nothing is easy for people like us. Very few devices are made specially for us, and most of what exists needs to be customised, which is what I help do,’’ explains Suman, a telecom engineering graduate.

Suman has been partially blind for more than a year now, but Madhu could never see. ‘‘Everyone has to struggle — even those who can see — but after graduating in English from Lady Sriram College, I am happy my work involves converting books into formats that machines can read aloud. My favourite is Shakespeare,’’ says Madhu, currently testing an Othello package.

Even the low profile Mukesh, rated as an excellent programmer by FCS, says he has finally found an outlet for his skills. ‘‘I am partially blind, so I test magnification software to see if others like me will be comfortable reading a computer screen using it,’’ says he.

Later, Mikesh says, he will work on a mobile phone project. ‘‘I will test software that customises mobile phones to speak to the blind. Millions of blind people need such software,’’ he says.

‘‘After all, we want to be able to see our SMS too,’’ says Madhu.

But for FCS, with a turnover of Rs 64.15 crore in 2003-04, the threesome is more than lending a helping hand. They are its most valued assets, creating a new surge of productivity that is also bringing in new business they couldn’t have hoped for earlier.

‘‘This is no charity,’’ says Dalip Kumar, the managing director. ‘‘Earlier, our software developers also did the testing which we couldn’t do properly since we did not have Madhu, Suman or Mukesh – the end user’s perspective. With people like these, we could more than double,’’ he adds.

The company plans to hire 12 more visually impaired people this year and will pay them on the same scale as the rest – Rs. 10,000 a month to begin with.

Though the small team competes with at least other 4,000 software testers in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Russia and China, FCS says it gives best results. ‘‘We ourselves were amazed with their skills,’’ says Anoop Srivastava, head of the testing team, who spent a month finding the right candidates.

Ten people were shortlisted from around 70 suggested by the National Association for the Blind (NAB), after a series of intervies. ‘‘We went to an institution in Dehradun first, but NAB suggested some candidates from whom we picked these three for their computer skills, education and specialisation in each field,’’ says Srivastava.