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When it comes to archery, many At cambridge people assume that it’s a sport reserved solely for those with perfect vision. However, as a blind archer myself, I can attest that this couldn’t be further from the truth. While it’s … Continue reading
The inclusion of Blind chess in the 2018 Asian Paragames held in Jakarta, Indonesia, marked a major milestone for blind chess. For the first time, chess was featured as one of the sports in the Para Games, providing an opportunity … Continue reading
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I was among the 30 Army inmates under rehabilitation at the Army – managed wellness resorts that were flown to Jaffna recently on a picnic. Those gravely injured War veterans who are now receiving life-time care at Abhimansala I,II, III, … Continue reading
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I was recently invited to speak at Ranaviru Sevana in Ragama, organized by the volunteer organization “Ranaviru Meetup.” The topic of my speech was centered around my experience as a blind person at Ranaviru Sevana and how it helped me … Continue reading
Visitors at Abimansala are something I happen to come across from time to time. In some cases, people attempt to provide intriguing justifications for my blindness. Without a doubt, I should say they express their feelings from their heart thinking … Continue reading
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It took me some time to come up with an interesting topic to write about in my blog. Although it may seem like a small thing, engaging in new activities that bring me joy and satisfaction is always worth it. … Continue reading
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As I sat down to brainstorm ideas for my blog post, the Vesak Poya day had already arrived. With a long weekend ahead of us, my wife and I discussed our plans for the day. We decided to keep it … Continue reading
For more than a decade, I relied on voice-enabled old button phones, and they undeniably helped me overcome my disability to a significant extent. In one of a previous blog post, I detailed how a visually impaired person can use … Continue reading
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I recently went on a day trip to Kandy, which happened to be organized by Abimansala 3 for the first time. Abimansala 3 has been operational for just over 10 months, and I am pleased to see that it is … Continue reading
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It’s hard to believe that an entire month has passed since my daughter began attending nursery. I’m thrilled to see that she is enjoying her time there and has already picked up a number of nursery rhymes and valuable life … Continue reading
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My three-and-a-half-year-old daughter has a great attraction for elephants, even though she has not had many opportunities to see them up close, except for once in Kandy when she was very young. I believe that her fascination with these creatures … Continue reading
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It’s been exactly one month since my wife , Darshi, and I moved into our new home and started our independent journey. The experience has been entirely new and exciting for us, as we’ve never had a house to call … Continue reading
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Setting goals in life is a crucial step towards success. As someone who always approaches things with a plan, I have found that setting achievable goals and planning their execution has greatly contributed to my accomplishments. While taking new actions … Continue reading
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It was truly a delightful experience to receive regimental colors once more, at the Sinha Regiment Colors Night 2013, which took place on March 21, 2014, at the Sinha Regiment Headquarters in Ambepussa. The occasion was graced by Retired Major … Continue reading
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Soon, my lifestyle will undergo a complete transformation as I am preparing to relocate to a new residence, Abimansala-3, currently in the construction phase in Ibbagamuwa. This is the third installment of the Army Wellness Resorts, built specifically for soldiers … Continue reading
Last Saturday (8th) morning Major Suranga, one of my dearest friends informed me that the Abimansala team and he was going to visit a unique hotel in Anuradhapura and if I wished I could join them. That suggestion instantaneously made … Continue reading
As we know the 4th Jan. 2014 is 205th birth day of mr. Louis Braille, I wish you all the people who is using, teaching and trying to learn braille “happy Louis Braille day”. The place that had been given … Continue reading
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A few days ago I have got an opportunity to visit Mannar Island & its surrounding. The journey was organized by the Abimansala-Anuradhapura with the view of entertaining its residential war heroes as a part of their rehabilitation program. The … Continue reading
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රට දැය දිනා කෙළිබිම විස්කම් පාලා ලෝකය අතට ගෙන ජාලේ සැරිසරලා දිරිදෙයි අප හටත් නිති හසරැල් පාලා මේජර් යාපා ඇත අප ලොව රජ වීලා ඊයේ උදෑසන මෙම අපූර්ව කවිය කෙටි පනිවිඩයක් මගින් න්මට ලැබිණි. එම කවියේ පදවැල් ගොතා තිබුනේ මා … Continue reading
Following article was published in “The Island” newspaper on 12th October 2008 and it was written by Sujeeva Nivunhella. The writer interviewed me during my last visit to London in year 2008. Having published this article he introduced me to Mr. … Continue reading
In this article, I aim to demonstrate that sounds that are comforting to some individuals may be bothersome to others and how this affects the lives of visually impaired people. As we are aware, sound waves are a crucial aspect … Continue reading
Doramadalawa is a TV programme that I have been following for years, and recently they aired an episode on “orderliness”. It got me thinking about how important orderliness is for blind individuals, and how it can improve their independence. In … Continue reading
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Lieutenant General Daya Ratnayake, Commander of the Army, minutes after religious observances at Anuradhapura Jaya Sri Maha Bodhiya to coincide with the 64th Army Anniversary and Army Day (Oct 10), paid a visit to the ‘Abimansala – I’ (wellness resort) … Continue reading
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Before my injury at the age of 24, I led an active and healthy lifestyle, maintaining a slim physique and enjoying good health. As is typical for individuals in their 20s, I was agile and full of energy. However, everything … Continue reading
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Due to the nature of my disability, I’ve often been deprived from enjoying most of the games that I used to play when I was sited. In that back drop, I’ve usually been looking for newer or adaptive games that … Continue reading
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“Embarking on My Longest Train Journey: Teaching Computer Skills to Blind Soldiers at Abimansala Kamburupitiya” A few months ago, I received an invitation from Lt. Col Kumar Wannasingha, the commandant of Abimansala-Kamburupitiya, to conduct a training program for visually impaired … Continue reading
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By the time I was looking for a new place to take my wife and daughter during their last visit to Abimansala, I’ve got an exciting clue from our commandant. That was to visit a zoo managed by Gajaba Regiment … Continue reading
I’ve recently got an opportunity to attend a research symposium organized by KDU Rathmalana. I was invited to it by a friend of mine Mrs. Nirosha Wedisingha, a lecturer in KDU who presented a research paper at the symposium. The … Continue reading
Having red my previous article “Sighted friends –This is for you”, a friend of mine, Ms. Ruwani De Silva had sent me the following article to express her feelings on few dialogs that were used in a teledrama. The teledrama … Continue reading
Living with sight loss presents many challenges in navigating the sighted world. Blind and visually impaired individuals often rely on assistance from sighted individuals to overcome obstacles and live life to the fullest. However, many sighted individuals are unfamiliar with … Continue reading
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As posson poya is about to dawn in a few days time, I felt that posting an article about an ancient Buddhist site which I recently visited would be appropriate. It was a day outing and was organized by the … Continue reading
Due to no or limited eye sight, blind or visually impaired persons have always been deprived from fully enjoying visual events such as a movie, tell drama, documentary, stage drama and sports event. On the other hand one might think … Continue reading
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It is no doubt that getting around is the most challenging aspect of a newly blinded person, so Mobility and orientation module is included In almost all rehab programs for blinds. Hence I also had received the white cane training … Continue reading
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The playing of chess has become a favorite passion and hobby of many blind persons around the world. For me, it has helped to deal with not only with my blind friends but also with sighted companions on equal grounds. … Continue reading
One second is all it takes to know what time it is. That is, if you can see your watch or clock. On the other hand, if you are blind or have low vision, it would be a very different … Continue reading
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I am posting this article to my little daughter who is still 1 year and 9 months old, knowing the fact that she is still not able to read this or understand any of these. Yet I am certain one … Continue reading
In 2007, one of my fellow batch mates had an official visit and happened to stay overnight at Ranaviru Sevana. When I met him after some time, we had a lengthy conversation about our experiences in the academy, our lives, … Continue reading
Reading is a very important aspect in human life. Some do this as a hobby while others do this as a way to gain knowledge & information. It has always been a problem to a blind or visually impaired person … Continue reading
For many people, the mobile phone is an essential communication tool, but their complexity and requirement of visual interaction has often made them difficult for blind and partially sighted people to use. Therefore, several screen reader software’s and applications have … Continue reading
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Please click on the following YouTube link to view a summary of what Dushyantha, a blind athlete, has accomplished. I participated in a party arranged to celebrate the 2002 FESPIC Games (Far-East and South Pacific Games) that occurred in Busan, … Continue reading
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My first international meet was the FESPIC Games 2006 held in Malaysia. I was thrilled to have been selected for the Sri Lankan contingent and felt that I was at my peak by the time the games arrived. Prior to … Continue reading
Click following link to see a video of Dushyantha demonstrating how he uses his laptop.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IB6Bi5suplY-A&rel=0
More often than not, when I’ve been introduced to somebody who visits Abimansala-Anuradhapura, the following chunk of words is often used by the commandant- Lt. Col. Kanishka Bandara. “This is Major Dushyantha Yapa, our special education officer; he is totally blind but uses the computer very well”. Subsequent to that, a query is regularly raised by most of them asking how do I use computer and each time I have to explain it from the beginning too.
Therefore I am posting this article to give basic information about how we as blind people use computers, and how computers can dramatically improve our quality of life as well.
Several companies today market computer programs that allow a blind person to use a standard computer. These computer programs are called “screen readers”. The screen reader that I am now using is “Jaws” it is the most popular screen reader” among blind but I learned the computer basics by using “Hal”. Those are commercial software’s but there are few companies that developed free screen readers such as “Thunder” and “NVDA”. Microsoft Windows operating system itself has a basic built in screen reader it is “Narrator”.
A screen reader is itself a standard Windows computer application, but its job is to run alongside the other programs running on a computer and “tell” the blind person what is on the screen. Because a blind person cannot see what is on the screen, a screen reader typically has a built-in speech synthesiser which, although perhaps sounding a bit like a robot, speaks information to the user through the normal sound speakers of the computer itself.
After receiving medical treatment from Sri Lanka, India and exploring various other forms of therapy, including indigenous medicine and religious practices, from April 1999 to March 2000, I realized that the chances of regaining my Eye sight were extremely low … Continue reading
It’s difficult for me to believe that 15 years have passed since my injury, but surprisingly, it hasn’t felt that long because my life has been filled with lots of excitement. If you were to look at me now, you wouldn’t think that I had gone through such a challenging time, as it was undoubtedly the most difficult period of my life.
I have heard that our minds tend to automatically forget memories of dreadful events to prevent mental trauma. Therefore, I believe that this phenomenon has also applied to me because I can only recall a few
The extent of my injury was horrific, as it caused damage to both of my eyes, my right ear, nose, entire face, and most of my upper body. As a result, I lost my sight completely, experienced partial deafness in my right ear, lost seven teeth, had a few fingertips amputated, and now bear many scars on my face.
I cannot recall much about my time spent in the ICU (intensive care unit), except for a few incidents that occurred at the National Hospital in Colombo.
Due to the extensive damage to my upper body, I had to stay in the ICU (intensive care unit) for an extended period. Breathing through my nose or mouth was impossible, so a tracheostomy was necessary. This medical accessory is inserted through a cut in the neck to aid breathing, and the scar from the incision is still visible on my neck.
After a deep sleep, I have a vague memory of someone gently shaking me and quietly asking if I could remember a phone number. They mentioned that I was injured and currently at a hospital. I do not recall how I responded to their query, nor do I know how many times the nursing staff had asked me about it.
My mother later informed me that the nursing staff had tried multiple times to gather some form of contact information from me since no one had come to visit me in the initial days. Eventually, they were able to obtain a phone number from me, and they reached out to a nearby house. It was the same number I used to call my mother when I was serving in operational areas.
It took some time for me to regain consciousness and understand the severity of my injuries. When I finally came to, I found myself lying in a bed with my entire face covered in gauze packs. Both my shoulders and arms were completely immobilized with plaster, making it impossible for me to move my hands. To make matters worse, I was also suffering from a terrible toothache.
My parents rarely discuss the painful experiences they went through during my hospital stay, as it would only serve to reopen old wounds. However, I have overheard my mother mention a few times that I used to complain frequently about my toothache but never about anything else. She also sometimes mentions that I never cried or expressed any regret, even in such challenging circumstances.
After the life-threatening period was over, I was referred to different treatments. One day it was for my eyes, the next day for my ENT, then the dental, and every other day to the theater for wound dressing. I don’t remember much from that time, only being moved around from bed to trolley and taken to various places. At that point, I had been assigned a bystander by the unit, but my father was always there to ensure my safety and he often reassured me that everything was alright.
I cannot recall the exact wards I was transferred to during my treatment, but I spent a significant amount of time at the plastic surgery ward, which was led by Dr. Wijemanna. Due to the extensive damage to my face, including a large hole on the nasal bone near my right eye, I needed to visit the plastic surgery ward regularly, even while receiving treatment at the eye hospital.
During my hospital stay, my mother stayed in Colombo at a relative’s house in Maradana. She visited me every day during all three visiting hours and brought me everything possible to eat. However, eating was not easy due to my badly damaged mouth and prolonged toothache. For a long time, I was only able to consume a liquid diet because my mouth could barely open, and a little spoon was the only utensil that could fit inside.
Treatment at eye hospital
I cannot recall precisely when I was permanently moved to the Eye Hospital, but it might have been around three months after my initial admission. I was first admitted to a regular ward, but I was eventually transferred to a room in the paying wards. At that point, there were no significant injuries to my face aside from the large wound on my nose. While my right eye had been completely removed, treatment had been administered to protect my left eye.
Initially, I was unable to walk, so I had to be transported to clinics on a trolley. However, after some time, I was able to sit in a wheelchair and move around. During this period, I realized the full extent of my condition and felt very sad about it. Despite this, I remained optimistic about the possibility of an eye transplant, and everyone who visited me assured me that my eyesight could be partially restored through this procedure.
At that stage, I had been under the care of several ophthalmologists including Dr. Samarasingha, Dr. Saliya Pathirana, and Dr. Banagala. They had performed several surgeries to reattach the retina. Almost every morning, I was taken into a dark room where they would check the condition of my eye and advise me to rest in my room. Whenever I asked about the condition of my eye, the doctors would respond with “It’s difficult to say now, we’ll have to wait and see.”
As days and weeks passed, countless relatives and friends visited me, offering their opinions and suggestions ranging from eye transplant to traditional medicine, Bodhi Pujas, and Devala Pujas, among other things, all in an effort to keep me motivated.
On yet another day, I was taken into the darkroom and asked the usual question about the condition of my eye. The doctor’s response was devastating. “I regret to inform you that there is no way we can restore your eyesight. We have tried everything we could to restore at least some of it, but all efforts have failed.” Upon hearing this, I was overwhelmed with sadness, as if the world had ended. My head became heavy, and my brain activity ceased. Tears began to stream down my face before I could even say thank you to the doctor.
I can’t recall how I arrived in the room, but what stands out in my memory is that both my father and I had been crying all day. He was present when the doctor delivered the news, and while I was relieved that my mother wasn’t there, I later found out that the doctors had informed that to my father a few days prior. After shedding tears for countless hours, I eventually realized that crying wouldn’t change anything. However, it did provide some temporary relief by helping me release some of the built-up pressure, and I felt somewhat better by the end of the day.
Numerous negative thoughts flooded my mind, including several suicidal ideas. However, the memory of my parents kept interrupting those pessimistic thoughts. Despite the internal struggle, I ultimately chose not to pursue those harmful options and instead decided to join the regiment until my parents’ passing. After a few days, I left the Eye Hospital and was admitted to the Army Hospital.
Upon my arrival at the army hospital, I was assigned bed number 50 in Ward 9. Due to the severity of my disability, it was situated nearest to the nursing staff among all the beds in the officers’ ward. While there, I had the opportunity to meet several officers, many of whom had sustained injuries similar to mine, though their conditions were not as severe. Additionally, there was a Buddha statue located within the hospital premises, and often in the evenings, other officers would accompany me to visit it. I would offer flowers, spend some time in quiet contemplation, and then return to the ward.
Meanwhile, my parents were occupied with coordinating my visit to Sankara Nethralaya, a renowned eye hospital located in Chennai, India. They enlisted the help of Dr. Abesingha, an ophthalmologist based in Kandy, to facilitate the arrangements. Additionally, my father’s first cousin assisted us in organizing the treatments.
In April 1999, just days before Sinhala New Year, I was granted my first medical leave, marking nearly seven months since the injury occurred. Upon arriving home, I was overcome with sadness as I reflected on my situation. Just a few months prior, I had left that same house on my own, able to see everything around me. But now, returning home while holding someone’s hand, in total darkness.
At that time, I held the position of Acting Officer Commanding (OC) for Bravo (B) Company as a Second Lieutenant. Despite the challenging weather, intense training, and pressure from seniors, it was a highly enjoyable and exciting period of my … Continue reading
In the third quarter of year 2012 I was able to step in to another important chapter of my life, it is to work in Abimansala � Anuradhapura as its Special Education officer. The Abimansala has been built in close … Continue reading
It’s often said that life challenges aren’t meant to paralyze us, but rather to reveal our true selves. Reflecting on my own experiences, I wholeheartedly agree with this statement. When I became blind at the age of 24 due to … Continue reading
It appears that I will be able to achieve one of my New Year’s resolutions, as I have registered with WordPress to start my own blog. About a year ago, my friend Mr. Nanda Wanninayaka suggested that I start a … Continue reading
Dushyantha Yapa 