Visually-impaired man earns PhD for first time at IIM Ahmedabad, set to teach at IIM Bodh Gaya

Tarun Kumar Vashishth hails from Uttarakhand.

In a first, a visually-impaired man, earned his PhD from Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad. Tarun Kumar Vashishth, 42, who hails from Uttarakhand, was the first blind doctoral student at the premiere B-school, Times of India reported. Vashishth studied the experience of blind employees in corporates in India.

Vashishth, who was born blind, is all set to teach as an assistant professor at IIM Bodh Gaya this month. According to experts, he could be the first full-time blind professor at an IIM. “I was lucky to have a very supportive family and environment that never made me realise that I had any deficiency. I studied at a ‘normal’ school and even studied subjects such as mathematics which are not generally opted by students with blindness,” he told Times of India.

“After my BSc degree, I cleared the entrance exam in general quota for IIT Roorkee. When I was called for an interview, the administration realised I was blind and refused admission citing I would not be able to cope with the study requirements,” he recalled. However, he got admission in IIM Ahmedabad for the doctoral programme under general category in 2018.

"The programme started in 1971 but I became the first candidate with a disability to get admission. It was a new experience for me and the Institute. PhD is an individualistic journey where I need to explore documents daily," Vashishth said.

According to Times of India, the presentation-based teaching for doctoral students was tweaked so that he could refer to it again. “The Institute provides a scribe to write exams, but one needs to refer to the case repeatedly to answer questions related to case study method. After my request, I was allowed a tablet for the purpose,” he added. “A person like me needs a text-to-speech and optical character recognition system. The system was there in the library, but in a noisy area. The administration shifted it to a quiet spot. The place gave me motivation to overcome all odds.

His advisory committee comprised of three professors – Rajesh Chandwani, Rajat Sharma and Sushil Nifadkar. “Vashishth successfully completed the rigorous work for a doctoral student despite all odds. It proves that with the right environment, a student with a disability can achieve academic heights,” Chandwani said.