Using their mouth and the tongue effectively is the only way for the blind to make their mark on the society. One should be able to communicate effectively to survive in the world today,'' says Abraham, who is conducting communication workshops for the blind across the country. He has already held workshops for audiences of 25-35 with NGOs working for the blind in Ahmedabad, New Delhi, Rewari, Mumbai and Bangalore. His next stop is Thiruvananthapuram, to be followed by Ernakulam, Calcutta, Tirucharrapali and Goa, in the first phase.

It is critical to recognise the person in a disabled person -- a person who has self esteem, pride andability. ``I try to empower blind students ( about to join college or young graduates) by making them understand the value of effective communication. This is followed by learning the various components of good expression, followed by practical tips to hone these components,'' says Abraham, explaining his teaching methodology.

A lot of participants have low motivation levels and for them, Abraham throws in a bit of motivational techniques as well. ``One has to be ambitious and one should not stop dreaming in the name of reality. In my Ahmedabad workshop, Hitesh, one of the participants, was not speaking clearly. To rid him of his inhibition I asked him who his favourite actor was. He turned out to be an Amitabh fan and I asked him to deliver some of his dialogues. He was still tongue tied but I taught him to speak one word at a time. We discovered that Hitesh had a deep , sonorous voice.

He repeated his dialogues this time to a thunderous applause,'' recalls Abraham. Abraham motivates students throughdemonstration, interactive games and activities. ``Lectures are kept to a minimum. We don't just look at content but also try and improve pronunciation, accent, style of talking,'' he says. He tells participants to adopt phrases and words they like. ``If you like an expression make it your own. One should go ahead and copy it. I have been doing it since childhood. Since most of us use Braille, we also need tape recorders to study. The best way to gain confidence is to spend half an hour every morning, reading aloud and recording it. Then compare your style of reading with what you have heard on radio and television,'' he tells them.

With his experience of corporate workshops, Abraham knows that people correct themselves once they see or hear themselves on tape. He has been running communication workshops for corporate houses since leaving Ogilvy, Benson and Mather. ``Self assessment is the first step toward self improvement. When you listen to yourself speaking, you will have a better understanding of thelevel of my pronunciation, diction and clarity of voice,'' he adds.

Owing to discrimination since childhood and no institutional support, blind students stop dreaming big. ``They can't think beyond becoming telephone receptionists or stenographers, for instance. There is nothing wrong with these jobs. Only, the job potential for the visually impaired is much more. Human possibility cannot be determined by man made laws,'' says Abraham.

Abraham's mantra to break out of this mental block is five Ds, ``Besides a dream which everybody has, they should have the desire to make that dream come true, the discipline needed for it, dedication and determination. Life is tough for everybody. Only, the disabled may have to do things differently,'' according to Abraham. This penchant for defying conventional thinking helped him organise the first World Cup for the blind in 1998.

This led to recognition and a joint project with British Airways to hold these workshops. ``Once they accept their disability, theydevise their own ways of reaching their goals. The blind American athlete who participated in the recent World Championship or Rajeev Bagga, our very own national badminton champ, are examples of this,'' he says.

Enabling tips