Being Albino - A first person account by Prashant Naik Yes, I have low vision and am very nearsighted because of oculocutaneous albinism, which is the name given to a group of conditions that affect the colouring of the hair, skin and eyes.
I look different, with white skin, swinging eyeballs and blond hair. I have many challenges like low vision, social attitudes and a skin that is sensitive to the sun and more vulnerable to skin cancer. However, I take my albinism as a positive. It makes me look different and sets me apart from others as I look European. I remember that during my primary school days, classmates would yell at me, saying 'Simon, go back!', echoing a slogan from the history books that was used by the Indian freedom fighters against the British. That would make me feel low and I would withdraw from others. As a teenager, that changed to 'Boris Becker', the German tennis champion whom I resemble. That felt so nice. I realized then that am different and I should take it as a blessing. This brought in a significant shift and gave me an advantage. I am able to deal with low vision problems by making sure I use large fonts, zoomed in screens and bold text. I always ensure the lighting conditions are good. Many a time I get special treatment as I always stand out in a crowd. People from school, college and my past workplaces remember me and my albinism has given me the personality of a foreigner. My experience is that there is much to gain from being different. For me, being albino is a gift. About the Writer Prashant Naik, who has albinism, works for a government bank. He was honoured by a National award in 2013 by the President of India as the Role Model of the year. Source: http://newzhook.com/newzhook_read_details.php?id=2636 Download the NewzHook app for more news on disability and the happenings around. NewzHook: India's first inclusive mobile app. Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
