IBB 02: Stories of a visually impaired blogger from Bhutan

We shall never be in short of inspiration. Amrith, a visually impaired person who blogs at Amrith Bdr Subba's Diary is here to share his stories of his blogging journey with us. In spite of having such disability, how far he has come and how he treats his life is something we must really learn from him.
   

  
To give his brief introduction, Amrith Bdr Subba currently works as a Counsellor at Youth Center Division under Ministry of Education, Thimphu. He is a married with two sons. 

  

1. Welcome to my interview Amrith. Hope many of my readers will be inspired by your stories and blogging experiences.
Thank you so much, Sherab. I feel really honored to have this opportunity to share my blogging experiences with your readers. I am not sure if my stories would really inspire your readers. So, once again, thank you.
 

2. You are one and only one visually impaired blogger from Bhutan. Yet you maintain your blog professionally better than many bloggers, what is your secret?
Yes, as of now, you can say that although there are many others who have more IT knowledge and skills than me. I don’t want to call my blog a professional one because basically I have not invested anything in it. I have just tried to incorporate whatever I have learned through explorations and consultations with other friends, and, I know I have a long way to go to really make it professional. Whenever I make some changes in the layout, I just seek feedback from my friends to confirm that it looks presentable. 

3. People say that blogging at WordPress requires quite a great deal of PHP and CSS knowledge. However, it seems you’re comfortable with WordPress. Did you receive any special training on web designing?
I have not received any training on web designing but I have had the opportunity to learn about blogging on Wordpress during the two-week intermediate ICT workshop for the blind conducted by Japan Braille Library in Penang, Malaysia in 2010. I have learned basic programming, HTML codes and CSS. But I use only HTML frequently on my blog. I have chosen wordpress to create my blog simply because it has been found to be very accessible with the screen-reading software which we use, the JAWS. Moreover, Wordpress comes with a great number of accessible in-built features which in fact do not require you to know anything about PHP or CSS scripts. 

4. If you have everything needed for making your blog better, what will be the first thing that you’ll change in your blog?
I am quite satisfied with the way I have organized my blog contents as of now because it gives me enough space to put up whatever I like. But if I really have to change anything, I would love to have a blog logo in the header. At the moment, I have not been able to have a logo for my blog. That’s what I feel. Other than that, I can’t think of anything significant I would love to change at the moment. May be as I go on exploring further, I might discover some new features I might like to have.

5. You have created your own presence in internet world out of maintaining a blog. Does it in any way helps your life?
Blogging has definitely provided me with a safe virtual world where I can interact with so many people. It’s a fact that as a visually impaired person, I don’t have much fun going out to socialize with people, but my blog always opens my door to the virtual world where I don’t feel lonely and isolated. Moreover, I primarily write to create my own memories for future references also may be for my children. Moreover, blogging is my passion and it has been a great pastime for me. I usually write when I don’t have anything to do. So, it has become a great source of engagement for me.

6. If you were not a visually-impaired person, how your blog would be by now? (Sorry if I sounded so insensitive)
I don’t mind being asked anything about my disability. I have learned to accept it fully now. To answer your question right away, I don’t think I would be blogging if I had not lost my sight. I would have been rather driving a truck today because I had always wanted to become a truck driver when I had sight. I was 9 when I lost my vision and yet I had not gone to school. So it is apparent that if I had not become blind, I would not have got the opportunity to go to school. That’s why I don’t regret for losing sight because I still consider it a blessing in disguise. 

7. I remember reading quite a number of posts from your blog that actually emphasized on rights and supports visually impaired people must be given by our society. Does it help?
I feel public must be educated about the needs and rights of persons with disabilities. However I don’t mean that persons with disabilities are currently being deprived of their rights in Bhutan. But I know the level of public understanding of disability issues is low. So as a blogger with disability, I am trying to contribute, in my own small way, to the creation of an inclusive society where all of us can live in harmony. It’s not the sole purpose of my blog though. I just write on such issues only when I feel the need and whenever I go through similar experiences. I feel at least some of my readers are able to understand what I write. This itself gives me a great sense of satisfaction.

8. We know that you have got a very supportive wife. But we don’t know whether she also supports you in blogging too. Does she know your blog’s user ID and password?  
I am really sorry to tell you that my wife is illiterate and hence, she does not have access to the dashboard of my blog. But she definitely supports me in this journey. Moreover, I share with her anything I write about her and other interesting subjects. She just smiles and warns me not to write about anything sensitive that can land me up in jail. In fact, she often helps me in selecting nice pictures for my blog posts as well as takes pictures for me. 

9. If I can remember right you have shared your hope of writing a book during the first CBB conference. Do you have any update on this? 
Well, that is still a hope only. I have not yet been able to decide to write any book although the thought of compiling the folktales narrated to me by my late father is still there. I am still wondering when I should start writing and how to go about it. My colleague Riku Dhan Subba has been encouraging me to publish the selected articles from my blog but as of now, I have no concrete plan to publish a book. I think I will be able to write one at least in the next five years or so. Till then, I would continue writing my experiences piece by piece on my blog.

10. In Bhutan many people open blogs, write few posts and then leave their blogs permanently unattended. Do you have any word (s) for such bloggers?
I know blogging requires a lot of sacrifices, commitment and dedication. I first opened my blog in 2010 but after a few posts, I could not update it, and as a result, I gradually lost interest in blogging. Then after being inspired by a number of bloggers, I rededicated myself to blogging in April 2014. Only then I got the real taste of blogging experience. So to those who have created blogs and left unattended, I just would like to say that if you can continue for at least a few months, it becomes much easier for you to write new posts. Blogging is a really beautiful journey. You don’t even have to be a web-designer or an IT person to manage a blog. Once you know how to create a blog and post articles, you will have ample rooms to explore and learn more. So to all the upcoming bloggers, all the best of luck. Together, we all can make a difference in the society.

   
Final Words
On behalf of all the readers, I would like to thank Amrith for sharing your inspiring experiences. Hope many will be inspired. And readers, if you like to learn more being with Amrith, you may follow him in Facebook or in his blog - Amrith Bdr Subba's Diary.