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Blind Indian student Kartik Sawhney beats the system, is heading to Stanford

Blind Indian student Kartik Sawhney beats the system, is heading to Stanford

New Delhi student Kartik Sawhney, 18, is visually impaired. India's Central Board of Secondary Education failed to cater to his condition, exempting him from math and science course because of their visual aspects.

This didn't stop the science-loving teen from fighting for his right to an education. With the help of his school and an NGO campaign, Kartik was able to negotiate his way into science classes.

This Monday, he received a final mark of 95 per cent in his science class.

"It was very difficult to convince the authorities to let me study science," Kartik told the Times of India. "For practicals, the teacher explained the apparatus and in the test, I got multiple choice questions based on the practical curriculum."

Kartik was even allowed to perform experiments, providing that they were non-hazardous.

George Abraham, CEO of Delhi-based Score Foundation, said that Kartik's case is an exceptional one:

"After class VIII, most blind were exempted from studying maths and science. They would be offered subjects like music. Now, some schools allow science but the number is low."

Kartik's fight for accessible learning is going to impact many students who follow him.

"Delhi University's Academic Council, which met on Monday, cleared the recommendations of the empowered committee constituted to examine the foundation courses to ensure all parts are accessible to students with disabilities, especially the visually impaired," the Times of India reported, adding that the committee considered suggestions made my Kartik.

Because blind students are unable to take the Indian Institute of Technology joint entrance exam (IIT-JEE) — as of last year, visually impaired were barred from using assistive technology — Kartik will be studying computer science at Stanford University in the fall.

He'll be receiving almost $66,000 a year in scholarship money.

"We need to embrace change and the examination body was simply not willing to change the guidelines," Kartik told IANS. "They said they would not allow a scribe with a science background, saying that he would help me cheat. I said I would pay for the invigilator or an IIT professor to be my scribe, but they did not agree."

"The journey was discouraging at times," he told the Hindustan Times. "But it’s satisfying to have gotten into Stanford, which has a support system for visually-challenged students. The IITs don’t have such a facility."

Kartik hopes to become a software developer, producing accessible applications for people with disabilities.