THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A disability cannot stop a person from pursuing their ambition. Husna Ameen, 27, who suffers from visual impairment, has just completed her post-graduation in English literature and is a computer trainer. Husna is currently running a YouTube Channel, ‘English Insights with Husna’, which has got nearly 608 subscribers and already touched 1,000 views.
Her younger sister, Huda, who works as a psychologist at the Aswas Counselling Centre helps Husna shoot the videos on a mobile phone, which is then edited and uploaded on YouTube. Videos are done in both English and Malayalam. These are for people preparing for competitive exams such as IAS and the IPS. The videos are made even for the visually-impaired. So far, Husna has made 29 videos.
It was after her interaction with one of her friends in ‘Koottu’ a support group that Husna was introduced to social media. “Many of my friends told me that social media can be an effective way to generate income as well as showcase my talent. That’s how I started the YouTube Channel,” said Husna. Husna is currently focusing on improving her the channel and making it more informative. She says, “I am trying to explore more possibilities in this field and also start earning from this venture. It is only possible when I get about 4,000 watch hours and 1,000 subscribers.”
Early life
Based in Nedumangad in Thiruvananthapuram, Husna lost her father at a young age. Her family comprises of her mother Bushara Beegum who is working as a computer assistant at the Secretariat and her two younger sisters, Huda and Hiba. Although Husna went to a regular school, she was unaware of the screen readers. “I did not know much about technology and had difficulties in using smartphones and computers,” she says. After completing a one-year B. Ed course, she joined the ‘Insight’ project run by the Social Justice department.
Through the project, Husna was able to learn more about computers. She also started conducting computer classes for her juniors which gave her more confidence. “I was getting paid and it enhanced my knowledge about computers,” she said. With the help of her trainers at ‘Insight’, Husna completed her post-graduation in English literature using screen readers and talk-back devices. In 2017, she even passed the National Eligibility Test and even got a Junior Research Fellowship.