Hello, my name is Tula Maya Magar. I was born in Bhutan. Over 30 years ago I fled my home country and went to Nepal, following the mass exodus of fellow southern Bhutanese, who are mainly Nepali speakers. While living in a refugee camp in Nepal, I lost my vision and subsequently, I came to Australia as a visually impaired person. I have had a huge shift in life, moving from a refugee camp to the beautiful country of Australia. After relocation, things became relaxed to some extent. But my visual impairment could not be reversed. I always had to rely on my husband for community access and attending important appointments. My sons and daughters must work and thus cannot be with me. My husband, who is also my carer, is unable to speak English, not being able to drive, I had a limited movement because I had to mostly rely on him. He would hold my hand and take me to places that were within walking distance. But the circumstances have changed now since I started availing support through NDIS. I have my support worker. My support worker takes me to places, takes me to attend medical appointments. With the help of my support worker, the community and shopping centres have become accessible to me. Not only that, but my support worker also translates important information for me. Every second Tuesday, when I get to meet other community members, I enjoy speaking to them and singing songs. I became a rejuvenated person. I feel as if my vision has come back. I may never see things again, but I feel my inner eye, like a divine eye, has become open through which I can see things not only just that are around but those that are subtle, too.
Tula Magar