Jamila Haaziq with her husband Taha Haaziq and son Burhanuddin.
Employees at Manohar International Airport, Mopa, recently underwent training to ensure a hassle-free experience for Persons with Disabilities (PwD). The initiative, conducted jointly by the Goa State Commission for Persons with Disabilities, GMR, and the Directorate of Civil Aviation, focused on sensitising staff to the needs of PwD travellers. The mandatory sessions were attended by personnel from various departments and airlines operating at the airport.
The training emphasised the right approach and attitude towards PwDs, helping staff become more empathetic and better equipped to assist passengers with disabilities. Among the trainers were Jamila Haaziq, who has Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP); Vishant Nagvekar (orthopaedic disability); Mahadev Sawant (low vision); and Prasad Joshi (hearing impairment). Josephina D’Souza provided sign language interpretation to help bridge communication gaps during the sessions.
Jamila’s condition, RP, is a rare eye disorder that causes progressive vision loss. In people like her, the retina’s photoreceptor cells don’t function correctly, leading to gradual blindness. The disorder, often hereditary, can begin in childhood and progress at different rates. Despite these challenges, Jamila voluntarily joined the team of trainers, conducting workshops across Goa to promote inclusion and accessibility.
“Air travelling can be stressful because of the numerous procedures to be followed,” Jamila explained. “As we understand what challenges we face as persons with disabilities, acquainting the staff about these difficulties helped them get trained in handling a PwD passenger. Our efforts aimed at reducing their burden and to understand better, how they can provide assistance to PwDs, and facilitate easy air travel for them.”
A strong advocate of inclusion and respect, Jamila is also an expert in etiquette. She was recently a resource person at a workshop on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Accessibility, and Inclusion, held at the Farmagudi Government Industrial Training Institute. Muskan Shaik served as the sign language interpreter during the session. The workshop was conducted by the Directorate of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in collaboration with the State Commissioner’s Office. “Such workshops are conducted in accordance with Section 39 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016,” she explained.
Jamila is married to Taha Haaziq, Secretary at the Goa State Commissioner’s Office, who has been 100% visually impaired since birth. Recalling how their arranged marriage came to be, Jamila said, “Taha’s parents had visited my city in Pakistan for a marriage, and upon knowing about me, they brought the marriage proposal for their son Taha to my parents. Taha was in India, and we had not met or spoken before. Next day we spoke on Skype, and after our conversation, Taha said ‘yes’ to this proposal.”
Jamila admitted she had initial doubts. “I wondered how two persons both of who do not have vision, can marry and lead a life together,” she said. “When I expressed my concern to Taha, he assured me that despite his visual impairment, he is independent, and can travel alone, do a job and earn his living.” At the time, Taha worked as a teacher at the National Association for Blind (NAB), Goa. “He convinced me that all will be alright. So we got engaged in May. It was an online engagement. And the marriage ceremony was conducted in Mumbai the following December.”
Her visa initially restricted travel beyond Mumbai, but within a month of the wedding, she moved to Goa, which she now calls home. A computer science-trained graduate in Arts, Jamila adapted to her new life quickly. “After coming to Goa, I learnt cooking, and except for rolling rotis I can cook anything now, even baking,” she said.
Married life brought significant changes. “I had never travelled independently before marriage. I was short tempered too, but Taha taught me to have patience, and think positively. With Taha’s motivation and support I also mastered mobility. I can travel alone.”
Now a mother to nine-year-old Burhanuddin, who also has low vision due to RP, Jamila faced new parenting challenges. “I had challenges while answering his innocent questions about why he is not like other kids. I told him to focus on things he can do, studies, swimming, playing guitar or keyboard. It worked. As he turned eight, he learnt to accept his illness and is now prepared to live with it.”
Having built a new life in Goa, Jamila says her friend circle is growing steadily. “Indeed life is different from what I lived back home; I am more mature.” Her story reflects how resilience, support, and a positive attitude can empower individuals to create change and foster a more inclusive society.
