VISION OVER VISIBILITY

The village lacked adequate resources and facilities, and worse still harboured deep-seated stigma towards those living with blindness. From birth, Vidhya encountered formidable challenges stemming from the compounded marginalization of being both a girl and being blind. In her early years, Vidhya was deprived of the opportunity to receive foundational learning experiences that most children take for granted. Instead, her days were consumed by attempts to restore her eyesight. Despite being enrolled in a formal school only in Grade 2, she worked relentlessly to catch up with fellow students, emerging as a topper throughout. Math and Science were her favourite subjects. However, the visual nature of these disciplines posed significant challenges for her. While her classmates absorbed the lessons written on the board, she could only hear the distant sound of the chalk. The teacher's instructions, like "multiply these two numbers to get 20," left Vidhya questioning whether they had multiplied 4 and 5 or 10 and 2. Science classes proved to be even more daunting, as she could only hear fragments such as "look at this, this is mitochondria," or "these are the parts of a flower, and this is how it looks like. “It was during her 12th grade that she realized the standard three-hour exam time was insufficient to comprehend questions, solve them orally, dictate answers to a scribe, and review her work. Undeterred, Vidhya persistently advocated for an extension of an extra hour for blind students, a pursuit that eventually convinced the Board and the Education Ministry. As a result, the Karnataka education board revised its examination policies to grant this extension to all visually impaired students. Furthermore, Vidhya boldly advocated for the use of a computer to write her exams while pursuing her undergraduate studies, becoming a trailblazer in her pursuit of accessibility.

Vidhya's extraordinary achievements did not end there. She became the first visually impaired student to pursue Mathematics at the Higher Secondary School level in Karnataka, despite facing discouragements at every turn. Undaunted by the highly visual content and inaccessible software of the Computer Science curriculum, she chose to pursue this field in her undergraduate studies. Even the most basic educational resources, such as textbooks, proved to be inaccessible to her, forcing her to rely on volunteers for assistance. While many visually impaired students tend to veer away from STEM subjects beyond high school, Vidhya defied the odds and excelled in these disciplines, persisting all the way through post-graduation.

In 2015, Vidhya's brilliance shone through as she topped the entrance test to join the first batch of the Master's in Digital Society program at IIIT Bangalore. Her thirst for knowledge led her to intern with Microsoft Research, where she delved into the realm of accessible technologies. Her dedication and hard work culminated in her becoming the top student and gold medalist in the Master's in Digital Society program in 2017.

However, Vidhya faced yet another obstacle on her path to success. Despite her impeccable academic track record, she found herself facing a disheartening reality after her post-graduation. No company was willing to hire her due to her blindness. Rather than succumbing to despair, Vidhya viewed this setback as an opportunity to expand her mission beyond personal triumph.

Instead of seeking employment, she made the bold decision to venture as an entrepreneur, driven by a mission to make STEM education accessible to visually-impaired students, to ensure that every child with dreams of studying these subjects could do so without enduring the very challenges she had faced.

In 2017, Vidhya founded Vision Empower (VE). VE is a nonprofit dedicated to bringing Science and Mathematics education to visually impaired students. The current VE portfolio encompasses a comprehensive range of subjects, including Science, Mathematics, Computational Thinking, Digital Literacy, and Early Childhood Care and Education, tailored specifically for children with visual impairment. In 2020, Vidhya also co-founded "Vembi Technologies," a groundbreaking endeavor that develops assistive technologies for visually impaired students. Vembi has revolutionized the accessibility of braille content for blind children by developing Hexis-Antara, the world's most affordable electronic braille book reading solution. Hexis-Antara seamlessly converts digital print to braille, addressing the pressing issue of limited access to braille materials. Together, these initiatives have impacted the lives of over 5,000 children and 2,500 teachers across 13 states of India. At Vision Empower, Vidhya has collaborated with Microsoft Research to conduct research aimed at enhancing foundational numeracy skills among children with visual impairment using an engaging play-based approach. Amidst the pandemic, while schools for the blind struggled to transition to digital platforms unlike regular schools, Vidhya recognized the challenges that they faced and took the lead in developing digital literacy tutorials. This crucial resource not only made a significant impact on teachers in the state but has also been translated into multiple Indian languages and is currently utilized by blind schools across various regions.

In addition to her professional endeavors, Vidhya has played a pivotal role in providing guidance and support to individuals with blindness and their families during critical life stages. Her counseling services encompass valuable assistance in accessing educational resources, employment opportunities, daily living guidance, as well as addressing mental health concerns that may arise due to disabilities. She has been instrumental in helping individuals with blindness secure employment, guiding students in choosing suitable educational institutions, facilitating access to audio resources, scholarships, and advocating for inclusive practices within schools and universities. Her efforts have inspired numerous educational institutions to actively enroll blind students.

Furthermore, Vidhya's contributions extend to the realm of media, where she served as a radio show host, presenting 35 episodes on science and technology tailored for visually impaired listeners. Her efforts have reached thousands of individuals, empowering them with knowledge and providing access to information. Additionally, Vidhya has imparted training in assistive technologies and programming to visually impaired individuals, equipping them with invaluable skills for personal and professional growth.

Through her determination and indomitable spirit, Vidhya has not only paved the way for herself, but is working tirelessly to make life easier for millions like her.