Girl overcomes visual impairment to win 2 gold medals in MA

Mysuru: Visual impairment and several other odds did not come in the way of Kavya securing two gold medals in MA (Political Science) at the centenary convocation of the University of Mysuru (UoM) on Monday. She is the only second student in the university to take her exam through computer screen reading software called NVDA (non visual desktop access).

For Kavya, who lost her father T Srinivas Bhat, an employee of L & T, less than a month ago, it was a defining moment. With voice filled with a sense of satisfaction and pride, she said, "I dedicate these medals to my father Srinivas Bhat and mother Ravikala Bhat, who have been Gods to me and my inspiration all through."

Kavya was a healthy child like her elder brother Karthik S Bhat, who is an engineer, when she was born in Karkala in 1997. But she was afflicted with retinoblastoma, a rare cancer, when she was one year and two months old. It affected her right eye and by the time she was three years of age she was cured of cancer, but she lost sight in both her eyes.

A resident of Kodigehalli in Bengaluru, Kavya studied in Mathru Educational Trust for the Blind at Yalahanka, till class 10th and she secured 91 percent marks. Later she continued her education in colleges meant for normal students at Yelahanka. She did her PUC in Government Junior College and secured 83 percent marks, and she did her degree in government first grade college and secured 75 percent marks. She joined UoM in Mysuru to pursue her MA in political science.

Her mother had come across an article in a newspaper about a visually challenged student of UoM, Nagaraj P V taking the aide of computer screen reading software to write the final semester of MA in 2012. Kavya approached Mr Nagaraj and took his guidance. She also used to read books with the help of NVDA. She later approached UoM authorities with a request that she be allowed to use NVDA to write her exams. With the support of her role model and chairperson of post-graduate department of studies in political science at UoM Krishna Hombal, a visually challenged himself, she finally took the exam using the computer screen reading software. And she has scored 82.89 in MA political science and bagged two gold medals.

Kavya said, "government should provide opportunity for computerized education for visually challenged, as it makes them more self-dependent," she said.

She has passed her Carnatic music senior and two grade exams in keyboard too. She pens poems using NVDA.

She wants to take up teaching as her profession and preparing to do her PHD.

Kavya travelled all the way from Bengaluru along with her mother, to collect her medals at the convocation in Mysuru on Monday. Her mother who was heartbroken to see her child lose sight in both eyes due to rare cancer, is today proud to see Kavya receive gold medals.