Meet Tarun Kumar Vashisth, The First Visually Impaired To Get A Ph.D. From IIM Ahmedabad
Tarun Kumar Vashisth has become the first visually impaired scholar to be awarded a Ph.D. by the Indian Institute of Management. The 42-year-old was blind since birth and battled against all odds to complete his doctoral thesis.
Tarun Kumar Vashisth has become the first visually impaired scholar to be awarded a Ph.D. by the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad.
Vashisth was awarded a Ph.D. in Human Resources Management for his study 'Ableism and employment of persons with disabilities: Organizational socialization of employees with blindness'.
IIM AHMEDABAD
After PhD, set to become professor at IIM Bodh Gaya
The 42-year-old from Uttarakhand was blind since birth and battled against all odds to complete his doctoral thesis.
Vashisth, who is set to become an assistant professor at IIM Bodh Gaya soon, admitted that it was not an easy journey.
'Normal schooling' against odds
"I was lucky to have a supportive family and environment that never made me realise that I had any deficiency - I studied at 'normal' school and even studied subjects such as mathematics, which are not generally opted by visually impaired students," Vashisth told The Times of India.
After graduation, Vashisth cleared the entrance exam in the general quota for IIT Roorkee.
But the authorities there discouraged Vashisth and denied him admission stating that he won't be able to cope with study requirements at one of the top B-schools in the country.
How IIM Ahmedabad stood by Vashisht
An undeterred Vashisth refused to give up on his academic dream and in 2018 got admission at the IIM Ahmedabad for the institute's doctoral program under the general category.
IIM AHMEDABD
Unlike IIT Roorkee, the faculty at IIM Ahmedabad including professors Rajesh Chandwani, Rajat Sharma, and Sushil Nifadkar stood with Vashisth throughout his pursuit.
They even tweaked the presentation-based teaching for doctoral students so that Vashisth could refer to it again.
¡°Vashisth¡¯s success proves that with the right support system, a student with a disability can excel academically,¡± Professor Chandwani said.
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