Education Easy
A New Chapter for Visually Impaired Learners
Source Freepik
In 2021, as the world battled the COVID-19 pandemic, I found myself reflecting on how much the world had changed. One evening, as I was reminiscing about the stories my grandmother used to tell me—stories that filled my childhood with warmth and wonder—I realized how much those stories had shaped me. But then, a thought struck me: What about the children who didn’t have the same access to books or stories, especially those who couldn’t read because of visual impairments? The idea planted itself, and soon Education Easy was born.
The Journey of Education Easy
Education Easy started as a small initiative, co-founded with a peer from school, with the simple goal of creating audiobooks for visually impaired children. But like any dream, the path was not straightforward. In the beginning, it felt nearly impossible. Recording stories seemed like the easy part, but organizing the logistics—coordinating with volunteers, ensuring quality, and distributing the audiobooks to schools—presented obstacles that at times made us question if it was even feasible. We were just two students trying to make a difference, and at times, the sheer weight of the task seemed too much.
However, every time I thought about giving up, I remembered why we started in the first place. I wanted to share the gift of stories, much like my grandmother had shared with me. The knowledge that we were creating new memories for children kept me going.
Slowly, things began to change. We recruited more volunteers—200 by the time we reached our second year—and through trial and error, we figured out ways to manage tasks more effectively. Each volunteer brought something unique to the project, and together we produced over 500 audiobooks in Hindi, English, and other regional languages. The feedback we received from the schools we partnered with fueled our determination. Stories that we created were being shared in classrooms, libraries, and homes, reaching more than 15,000 students across India.
Source Freepik
It wasn’t always smooth sailing. There were days when the project seemed to stagnate. Schools we approached were hesitant at first. But we learned the value of persistence and teamwork. When one door closed, another opened. The project grew beyond our initial scope, expanding to more than 40 blind schools across India. We even garnered media attention, being featured in Mumbai Live, which helped push the initiative forward.
Source Freepik
Looking back, the journey of Education Easy has been as much about personal growth as it has been about social impact. We learned to trust our process, lean on our team, and most importantly, never give up. Today, knowing that these audiobooks are helping children experience the magic of stories brings me immense fulfillment, just as my grandmother’s stories did for me.
And through it all, the most important lesson I’ve learned is that no matter how tough the journey gets, the impact we create makes it all worthwhile.
© 2024 Aaryan Choksi.
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Education Easy
A New Chapter for Visually Impaired Learners
Source Freepik
In 2021, as the world battled the COVID-19 pandemic, I found myself reflecting on how much the world had changed. One evening, as I was reminiscing about the stories my grandmother used to tell me—stories that filled my childhood with warmth and wonder—I realized how much those stories had shaped me. But then, a thought struck me: What about the children who didn’t have the same access to books or stories, especially those who couldn’t read because of visual impairments? The idea planted itself, and soon Education Easy was born.
The Journey of Education Easy
Education Easy started as a small initiative, co-founded with a peer from school, with the simple goal of creating audiobooks for visually impaired children. But like any dream, the path was not straightforward. In the beginning, it felt nearly impossible. Recording stories seemed like the easy part, but organizing the logistics—coordinating with volunteers, ensuring quality, and distributing the audiobooks to schools—presented obstacles that at times made us question if it was even feasible. We were just two students trying to make a difference, and at times, the sheer weight of the task seemed too much.
However, every time I thought about giving up, I remembered why we started in the first place. I wanted to share the gift of stories, much like my grandmother had shared with me. The knowledge that we were creating new memories for children kept me going.
Slowly, things began to change. We recruited more volunteers—200 by the time we reached our second year—and through trial and error, we figured out ways to manage tasks more effectively. Each volunteer brought something unique to the project, and together we produced over 500 audiobooks in Hindi, English, and other regional languages. The feedback we received from the schools we partnered with fueled our determination. Stories that we created were being shared in classrooms, libraries, and homes, reaching more than 15,000 students across India.
Source Freepik
It wasn’t always smooth sailing. There were days when the project seemed to stagnate. Schools we approached were hesitant at first. But we learned the value of persistence and teamwork. When one door closed, another opened. The project grew beyond our initial scope, expanding to more than 40 blind schools across India. We even garnered media attention, being featured in Mumbai Live, which helped push the initiative forward.
Source Freepik
Looking back, the journey of Education Easy has been as much about personal growth as it has been about social impact. We learned to trust our process, lean on our team, and most importantly, never give up. Today, knowing that these audiobooks are helping children experience the magic of stories brings me immense fulfillment, just as my grandmother’s stories did for me.
And through it all, the most important lesson I’ve learned is that no matter how tough the journey gets, the impact we create makes it all worthwhile.
© 2024 Aaryan Choksi.
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Education Easy
A New Chapter for Visually Impaired Learners
In 2021, as the world battled the COVID-19 pandemic, I found myself reflecting on how much the world had changed. One evening, as I was reminiscing about the stories my grandmother used to tell me—stories that filled my childhood with warmth and wonder—I realized how much those stories had shaped me. But then, a thought struck me: What about the children who didn’t have the same access to books or stories, especially those who couldn’t read because of visual impairments? The idea planted itself, and soon Education Easy was born.
The Journey of Education Easy
Education Easy started as a small initiative, co-founded with a peer from school, with the simple goal of creating audiobooks for visually impaired children. But like any dream, the path was not straightforward. In the beginning, it felt nearly impossible. Recording stories seemed like the easy part, but organizing the logistics—coordinating with volunteers, ensuring quality, and distributing the audiobooks to schools—presented obstacles that at times made us question if it was even feasible. We were just two students trying to make a difference, and at times, the sheer weight of the task seemed too much.
However, every time I thought about giving up, I remembered why we started in the first place. I wanted to share the gift of stories, much like my grandmother had shared with me. The knowledge that we were creating new memories for children kept me going.
Slowly, things began to change. We recruited more volunteers—200 by the time we reached our second year—and through trial and error, we figured out ways to manage tasks more effectively. Each volunteer brought something unique to the project, and together we produced over 500 audiobooks in Hindi, English, and other regional languages. The feedback we received from the schools we partnered with fueled our determination. Stories that we created were being shared in classrooms, libraries, and homes, reaching more than 15,000 students across India.
Source Freepik
It wasn’t always smooth sailing. There were days when the project seemed to stagnate. Schools we approached were hesitant at first. But we learned the value of persistence and teamwork. When one door closed, another opened. The project grew beyond our initial scope, expanding to more than 40 blind schools across India. We even garnered media attention, being featured in Mumbai Live, which helped push the initiative forward.
Source Freepik
Looking back, the journey of Education Easy has been as much about personal growth as it has been about social impact. We learned to trust our process, lean on our team, and most importantly, never give up. Today, knowing that these audiobooks are helping children experience the magic of stories brings me immense fulfillment, just as my grandmother’s stories did for me.
And through it all, the most important lesson I’ve learned is that no matter how tough the journey gets, the impact we create makes it all worthwhile.
© 2024 Aaryan Choksi.