People of Value

Mumbai: No vision - no problem, I still have plans..

Ashish Goyal looks like any other 25-year-old in loose T-shirts, with 'whacky' slogans and jeans. He parties regularly; pubs and discos being his favorite hangouts and he loves watching movies with friends. The only difference is that he is one of the few Indians who have made it to Wharton, USA, for an MBA.

He is visually impaired. He wasn't born blind, but gradually began losing his vision after the age of 15 due to Retinitis pigmentosa. By 18, he could not see at all. It was during those painful years that he realized that he has an important choice to make.

He could either sit around being miserable and give up hope or move on and do something with his life and he chose the latter. Instead of giving up his studies and joining his father's business, Ashish completed an MBA from Narsee Monji Institute of Management, coming second in his batch. He recalls how his family and friends helped him through those years.

His family taught him to look at the brighter side of life and kept the atmosphere at home positive. His friends made sure he had no trouble in college. He also has a spiritual guru who helps him in times of need. Though his teachers were helpful, he feels that the education system in India does not provided adequate support to the visually impaired.

He spend a lot of time running around getting his textbooks scanned and getting the screen reading software in place as none of the textbooks were in Braille or in the screen reading software. The University rules for readers during exams are complicated and unclear which is in stark contrast to the simple, clear rules that he needed to follow for his GMAT examinations.

Like any other 20-something, he is thrilled that he made it to Wharton. He said that it took two days for the news to sink in. Technology has proved to be a boon for Ashish. He uses software called JAWS, which converts a text document on the computer into speech, so the computer reads his study material to him.

He has installed similar software called Talx on his mobile phone. Some of the things he still needs to learn are Braille and cooking, both of which he hopes to pick up in the next six months before he leaves for the US.

Source: When handicap is no deterrent for talent. The Times of India, Mumbai, 5th January 2006.