so very very good morning to everyone
present here and I thank you all for
inviting me to this distinguished school
children’s turn your pages to 121 and
look at the picture you see great
I had no book in Braille and I obviously
could not see the picture there were no
tactile diagrams even in the sighted
books so challenge number one was
staring me at the face great no one took
notice of me I had to sit with my head
down feeling dejected in that classroom
well everyone had turned their pages to
the designated page and everyone was
reading and looking at the pictures and
the teacher was rambling away with the
lesson and I understood half and I
didn’t understand the rest it was only
then but it struck them that I was not
like them I was blind I was different
not only that day but many days went by
where I had to sit at the back of the
class with my head down either
sharpening someone’s pencil playing with
plasticine or doing something or the
other with my hands just to keep myself
occupied when I was asked a question I
would either be told to sit down why
because I was blind and my blindness
hindered me from answering questions now
could you believe that that was the
challenge I faced in school I came home
and I told my parents I said this is a
challenge as I’m facing what am I
supposed to do and they didn’t take any
notice of me and they just said well
this happens to millions and millions of
blind people all over the world and this
is a band in that in that well I started
my schooling in England as my father was
posted there as the Indian liaison
officer and that was learning by doing
and learning with playing and a lot of
things and I came
back after two years and this is the
challenge I faced in India so then I was
shifted and shifted to different schools
and I faced more and more challenges and
then the next setback yeah in fact two
setbacks in a row my father had to go
and fight the Kargil war and defend the
country and a few months later I lost my
mum so this left me at a crossroad I did
not know what to do where to go who
would look after me what would happen
all these questions were in my mind but
then a small voice inside me told me
Tiffany don’t give up don’t give up it’s
not the end of the world
you’re only blind but according to the
society I was a girl I was blind I had
no mother my father was in his career
and what am I going to do poor blind
girl that was my challenge but then I
learned to overcome this challenge I
woke up and started to walk forward I
started to walk forward and I vowed and
never to stop this work I decided no one
is gonna break me down I had two choices
then as I stood at that crossroad of my
life I had two choices I could either
make my life or break it I could either
remain a liability to my parents and to
my society or I could become an asset so
it was all about becoming an asset it
was all about from a liability to an
asset and I chose the latter to become
an asset yes I chose to become an asset
and an asset that would never be
forgotten so I went on with my schooling
I passed my +2 with good grades but I
again faced many challenges we got no
Braille materials and even if we got
them we got them too late so I couldn’t
really study but then I still managed
and I managed with a reasonably good
percentage I then could not perform my
daily activities because I was not
really taught but then I was taught that
and I went ahead with life I went to
college and even in college I faced
challenges I was not allowed to go out
with my friends my friends would go for
a movie and I would be sitting at the
back of the class again with my head
down dejected my friends would say let’s
do this let’s do that but oh Tiffany
what will she do she’ll fall down you’re
blind this this that dad again the
isolation and the segregation hit me
like a bullet but I decided to overcome
that challenge too I soon started
working and then I learned mobility I
learned how to use a white cane and I
learned how to travel myself which would
prevent me from this isolation so what
if my friends didn’t take me I would go
I would still follow them I would go I
would go and I would make my mark I then
did my beard in special education and I
learned all the necessary skills that I
needed and then I decided I must do
something I must make that change but
how I visited many blind people and I
wanted to know whether there were any
more back benches like me there were any
more children
dejected in the classroom with their
heads down there were any more children
to turn pages and look at pictures which
did not exist in their books and they
were plenty there were plenty and I
seemed to relate to them I was the only
one who empathized with them because I
was that person too and when you are
that person when you have gone through
those challenges it really makes a
difference it really helps you to make a
difference in the world
but most people who have started blind
organizations or other kinds of
organizations are sighted or are not
challenged or not impaired they just say
oh we do this for the blind we do this
for the Deaf we do this we do that but
have you been deaf have you actually
experienced that have you actually been
isolated have you actually spoken in
sign language with your ears closed have
you actually walked blindfolded no but I
started a blind organization that’s what
they say and I
know everything but you don’t the truth
is that you have to really be that
person and that is what helps so I knew
the problems of my fellow blind
colleagues I knew what they face if they
said oh we don’t have Braille books I
knew they don’t have Braille books
because I didn’t get any Braille books
so why are you gonna get them from we
have to get them we have to do it
together that’s what I told them and
that was the strength that I got but
some people didn’t give me that strength
some people just wanted the old system
to continue some people just did not
want that change that was also another
challenge some stood with me for this
and some was like oh let the government
do this and let others do that and I we
don’t care I mean you know so that was
also a challenge discouragement lack of
support but I took no notice and I
started the show there the mayor
Foundation I first started as a mobile
blind school where I used to travel to
houses and houses in rural areas and in
public transport which would take me an
hour or two hours to travel from one
place to another in two or three busses
with my white cane sometimes I would get
off the bus and walk long distances to
people’s houses I would talk to their
parents I would counsel them some
parents thought I was talking rubbish
and this meant nothing and their
children were the only suffering people
in the world would you don’t know what
you’re talking about I said hello I have
a white cane in my hand too I’m blind
too can’t you see I know what I’m
talking about
and then they saw what I was talking
about they saw that I was just like
their children and if I could do that
their children could there were even
middle aged people who became blind
later in life and who had no hope there
was my student 28 year old Vinod who had
no hope he was sitting in his house
waiting for some magical prince to come
and I went as a magical prince I
wouldn’t say that but here I went and I
took him out I said come on come out and
he attended one of my camps two of my
camps and then he came to learn he
learned computers he learned how to use
a phone he learnt and then he went
further to learn sound editing and now
he’s not even been to school and he’s
written his exams and now he earns
10,000 rupees a month he’s a computer
trainer he has a permanent job
and that’s great that’s something to be
proud of that’s changed that’s change
staring me in the eyes the change that I
was able to make I have a similar
student to who’s not been to school and
who now uses a phone and a computer and
who travels all over Kerala yeah and
there are many such more examples there
are many of my students who have got
jobs so what we do is we go to these
houses we talk to them and we talk to
their parents and then we bring them
back to our training centre and in our
training centre we give them some
intense training intense
confidence-building blind people need
that we teach them access technology
language soft skills how to move around
how to use this white cane and how to be
recognised how to integrate how to shine
their lamps because we do have a lamp to
shine we have our inner lamps it doesn’t
matter that we can’t see but that
darkness and that’s what I mean when I
say Jota Lamia yesterday
mr. Kouri was asking me what do you mean
by Jota gamma and I said your gamma
means leading to light but not leading
to light like giving them their sight
I’m not a miracle worker but I can make
that inner light burn I often go to
churches and I often go to many other
places and people say pray for your
eyesight God will give it to you I don’t
want to pray for my eyesight God does
not want to give it to me how do you
know what God wants God wants something
else he wants me to do something else in
life he wants me to be a purpose to be a
living example for some other blind
person that’s why he made me blind to
show the way to another blind person in
our organization and we don’t know only
promote learning learning learning study
study study we also want enjoyment
entertainment equal adventure have you
seen a blind person enjoy themselves I
mean this morning I was asking the
principal how about playing basketball I
have yes I want to do such things have
you seen a blind person to paragliding
or skydiving or tandem cycling well see
for yourself
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
well that is I think we should change
our definition of disability being the
inability and I think disability is
possibility right does anyone agree
disability is possibility disability
yeah it’s not inability it’s not
challenged its opening the way to a lot
and a lot of new opportunities it does a
lot and our blind students have also
done a few of these activities like rope
climbing and rope riding tandem cycling
too when we are small we often told you
can’t you can’t you can and when I
wanted to do sports and when I wanted to
run with my friends I was not allowed to
do that they said you can’t run you
can’t do this you fall you can’t catch a
ball you can’t do that and I was often
isolated and so are so many other
disabled children I mean they can be
physically challenged they can be
visually challenged we’re often told
that oh you can’t do this
you’ve you’ll fall I mean I’m sure if I
was small and I did this and my mother
would probably have said oh no no no no
no you can’t you’ll fall down better you
something will happen this and that but
no nothing will happen we have all these
laws and legislations like the UN CRPD
like the are PWD act so on and so forth
which say equal participation in
everything sports recreation adventure
equal access to all public and private
services is this happening is this
actually running in our country it’s
only in theory it’s only on paper when
you see our roads are they accessible
today when you see our disabled people
are they allowed to do all these
adventures even our currency our Indian
currency notes are they accessible no
they are not accessible they have two
similar sizes if there’s a size
difference there would be more
accessible I’m taking up this issue with
the government right now
and I plan to do that there are so many
challenges which we are facing and
nobody knows we are too scared to come
up and to shout and say these are the
challenges we face why because we think
that we will not be accepted people will
I mean not listen to us but whether
people listen or not it’s our duty to
make our voices heard to embrace these
challenges to take them up and to change
them to change ourselves to change our
environment and make it disabled
friendly Oh only then can we become
assets otherwise we remain liabilities
it’s our choice that’s what I keep
telling my students and my blind
colleagues don’t wait for the government
don’t wait for people to solve your
problems get down there and try and
solve them yourself yes I don’t want to
see why don’t I want to see because I
want to still continue being that
example if I was able to see does anyone
think I would still be here talking
about disability I’m sure I wouldn’t I
would maybe be married to some handsome
sturdy army officer or I would have been
or I would have probably been abroad in
the best College squandering my father’s
money or squandering my boyfriend’s
money I don’t know but I would not be
here I would not be standing here I
would not be with my blind colleagues
who need me today so it is these
challenges it is these challenges that I
face it is because I became blind
because I faced these challenges in
childhood that I am able to relate to
the challenges of other blind people
today and it is because of that that I’m
able to start my own organization to
help other blind people not to face
these challenges to help other schools
not to make these blind people be
backbenches but to make them be front
benchers and to make them be top of the
class and not bottom of the class and in
the future to have books in India with
Braille and tactile to make people write
their exams on computers this is already
happening yes but if only we faced these
challenges do we know what they are so
yes I am in support of this theme that
challenge is a great catalyst to making
change to making that difference to
making that lamp burn and I would like
to leave you guys with one thought all
your students from different parts of
the world with a global soul can make
that difference irrespective of the fact
that you have not faced the challenges
that I have you have not faced the
challenges of a differently abled person
but there are more challenges in
different ways and you can solve more
problems make a difference in a
different way but and always enable your
target group the people who are facing
adversity and problems don’t treat them
with sympathy like that poor woman who I
meet every day when I cross the road and
says isn’t there anyone to help you oh
you poor thing No treat me with empathy
and say hey do you want a resort
yes that is what every person needs love
and empathy and courage to overcome
their challenges keep your light burning
and burn someone else’s lamp if you can
so from a liability to an asset thank
you thank you all
[Applause]
present here and I thank you all for
inviting me to this distinguished school
children’s turn your pages to 121 and
look at the picture you see great
I had no book in Braille and I obviously
could not see the picture there were no
tactile diagrams even in the sighted
books so challenge number one was
staring me at the face great no one took
notice of me I had to sit with my head
down feeling dejected in that classroom
well everyone had turned their pages to
the designated page and everyone was
reading and looking at the pictures and
the teacher was rambling away with the
lesson and I understood half and I
didn’t understand the rest it was only
then but it struck them that I was not
like them I was blind I was different
not only that day but many days went by
where I had to sit at the back of the
class with my head down either
sharpening someone’s pencil playing with
plasticine or doing something or the
other with my hands just to keep myself
occupied when I was asked a question I
would either be told to sit down why
because I was blind and my blindness
hindered me from answering questions now
could you believe that that was the
challenge I faced in school I came home
and I told my parents I said this is a
challenge as I’m facing what am I
supposed to do and they didn’t take any
notice of me and they just said well
this happens to millions and millions of
blind people all over the world and this
is a band in that in that well I started
my schooling in England as my father was
posted there as the Indian liaison
officer and that was learning by doing
and learning with playing and a lot of
things and I came
back after two years and this is the
challenge I faced in India so then I was
shifted and shifted to different schools
and I faced more and more challenges and
then the next setback yeah in fact two
setbacks in a row my father had to go
and fight the Kargil war and defend the
country and a few months later I lost my
mum so this left me at a crossroad I did
not know what to do where to go who
would look after me what would happen
all these questions were in my mind but
then a small voice inside me told me
Tiffany don’t give up don’t give up it’s
not the end of the world
you’re only blind but according to the
society I was a girl I was blind I had
no mother my father was in his career
and what am I going to do poor blind
girl that was my challenge but then I
learned to overcome this challenge I
woke up and started to walk forward I
started to walk forward and I vowed and
never to stop this work I decided no one
is gonna break me down I had two choices
then as I stood at that crossroad of my
life I had two choices I could either
make my life or break it I could either
remain a liability to my parents and to
my society or I could become an asset so
it was all about becoming an asset it
was all about from a liability to an
asset and I chose the latter to become
an asset yes I chose to become an asset
and an asset that would never be
forgotten so I went on with my schooling
I passed my +2 with good grades but I
again faced many challenges we got no
Braille materials and even if we got
them we got them too late so I couldn’t
really study but then I still managed
and I managed with a reasonably good
percentage I then could not perform my
daily activities because I was not
really taught but then I was taught that
and I went ahead with life I went to
college and even in college I faced
challenges I was not allowed to go out
with my friends my friends would go for
a movie and I would be sitting at the
back of the class again with my head
down dejected my friends would say let’s
do this let’s do that but oh Tiffany
what will she do she’ll fall down you’re
blind this this that dad again the
isolation and the segregation hit me
like a bullet but I decided to overcome
that challenge too I soon started
working and then I learned mobility I
learned how to use a white cane and I
learned how to travel myself which would
prevent me from this isolation so what
if my friends didn’t take me I would go
I would still follow them I would go I
would go and I would make my mark I then
did my beard in special education and I
learned all the necessary skills that I
needed and then I decided I must do
something I must make that change but
how I visited many blind people and I
wanted to know whether there were any
more back benches like me there were any
more children
dejected in the classroom with their
heads down there were any more children
to turn pages and look at pictures which
did not exist in their books and they
were plenty there were plenty and I
seemed to relate to them I was the only
one who empathized with them because I
was that person too and when you are
that person when you have gone through
those challenges it really makes a
difference it really helps you to make a
difference in the world
but most people who have started blind
organizations or other kinds of
organizations are sighted or are not
challenged or not impaired they just say
oh we do this for the blind we do this
for the Deaf we do this we do that but
have you been deaf have you actually
experienced that have you actually been
isolated have you actually spoken in
sign language with your ears closed have
you actually walked blindfolded no but I
started a blind organization that’s what
they say and I
know everything but you don’t the truth
is that you have to really be that
person and that is what helps so I knew
the problems of my fellow blind
colleagues I knew what they face if they
said oh we don’t have Braille books I
knew they don’t have Braille books
because I didn’t get any Braille books
so why are you gonna get them from we
have to get them we have to do it
together that’s what I told them and
that was the strength that I got but
some people didn’t give me that strength
some people just wanted the old system
to continue some people just did not
want that change that was also another
challenge some stood with me for this
and some was like oh let the government
do this and let others do that and I we
don’t care I mean you know so that was
also a challenge discouragement lack of
support but I took no notice and I
started the show there the mayor
Foundation I first started as a mobile
blind school where I used to travel to
houses and houses in rural areas and in
public transport which would take me an
hour or two hours to travel from one
place to another in two or three busses
with my white cane sometimes I would get
off the bus and walk long distances to
people’s houses I would talk to their
parents I would counsel them some
parents thought I was talking rubbish
and this meant nothing and their
children were the only suffering people
in the world would you don’t know what
you’re talking about I said hello I have
a white cane in my hand too I’m blind
too can’t you see I know what I’m
talking about
and then they saw what I was talking
about they saw that I was just like
their children and if I could do that
their children could there were even
middle aged people who became blind
later in life and who had no hope there
was my student 28 year old Vinod who had
no hope he was sitting in his house
waiting for some magical prince to come
and I went as a magical prince I
wouldn’t say that but here I went and I
took him out I said come on come out and
he attended one of my camps two of my
camps and then he came to learn he
learned computers he learned how to use
a phone he learnt and then he went
further to learn sound editing and now
he’s not even been to school and he’s
written his exams and now he earns
10,000 rupees a month he’s a computer
trainer he has a permanent job
and that’s great that’s something to be
proud of that’s changed that’s change
staring me in the eyes the change that I
was able to make I have a similar
student to who’s not been to school and
who now uses a phone and a computer and
who travels all over Kerala yeah and
there are many such more examples there
are many of my students who have got
jobs so what we do is we go to these
houses we talk to them and we talk to
their parents and then we bring them
back to our training centre and in our
training centre we give them some
intense training intense
confidence-building blind people need
that we teach them access technology
language soft skills how to move around
how to use this white cane and how to be
recognised how to integrate how to shine
their lamps because we do have a lamp to
shine we have our inner lamps it doesn’t
matter that we can’t see but that
darkness and that’s what I mean when I
say Jota Lamia yesterday
mr. Kouri was asking me what do you mean
by Jota gamma and I said your gamma
means leading to light but not leading
to light like giving them their sight
I’m not a miracle worker but I can make
that inner light burn I often go to
churches and I often go to many other
places and people say pray for your
eyesight God will give it to you I don’t
want to pray for my eyesight God does
not want to give it to me how do you
know what God wants God wants something
else he wants me to do something else in
life he wants me to be a purpose to be a
living example for some other blind
person that’s why he made me blind to
show the way to another blind person in
our organization and we don’t know only
promote learning learning learning study
study study we also want enjoyment
entertainment equal adventure have you
seen a blind person enjoy themselves I
mean this morning I was asking the
principal how about playing basketball I
have yes I want to do such things have
you seen a blind person to paragliding
or skydiving or tandem cycling well see
for yourself
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
well that is I think we should change
our definition of disability being the
inability and I think disability is
possibility right does anyone agree
disability is possibility disability
yeah it’s not inability it’s not
challenged its opening the way to a lot
and a lot of new opportunities it does a
lot and our blind students have also
done a few of these activities like rope
climbing and rope riding tandem cycling
too when we are small we often told you
can’t you can’t you can and when I
wanted to do sports and when I wanted to
run with my friends I was not allowed to
do that they said you can’t run you
can’t do this you fall you can’t catch a
ball you can’t do that and I was often
isolated and so are so many other
disabled children I mean they can be
physically challenged they can be
visually challenged we’re often told
that oh you can’t do this
you’ve you’ll fall I mean I’m sure if I
was small and I did this and my mother
would probably have said oh no no no no
no you can’t you’ll fall down better you
something will happen this and that but
no nothing will happen we have all these
laws and legislations like the UN CRPD
like the are PWD act so on and so forth
which say equal participation in
everything sports recreation adventure
equal access to all public and private
services is this happening is this
actually running in our country it’s
only in theory it’s only on paper when
you see our roads are they accessible
today when you see our disabled people
are they allowed to do all these
adventures even our currency our Indian
currency notes are they accessible no
they are not accessible they have two
similar sizes if there’s a size
difference there would be more
accessible I’m taking up this issue with
the government right now
and I plan to do that there are so many
challenges which we are facing and
nobody knows we are too scared to come
up and to shout and say these are the
challenges we face why because we think
that we will not be accepted people will
I mean not listen to us but whether
people listen or not it’s our duty to
make our voices heard to embrace these
challenges to take them up and to change
them to change ourselves to change our
environment and make it disabled
friendly Oh only then can we become
assets otherwise we remain liabilities
it’s our choice that’s what I keep
telling my students and my blind
colleagues don’t wait for the government
don’t wait for people to solve your
problems get down there and try and
solve them yourself yes I don’t want to
see why don’t I want to see because I
want to still continue being that
example if I was able to see does anyone
think I would still be here talking
about disability I’m sure I wouldn’t I
would maybe be married to some handsome
sturdy army officer or I would have been
or I would have probably been abroad in
the best College squandering my father’s
money or squandering my boyfriend’s
money I don’t know but I would not be
here I would not be standing here I
would not be with my blind colleagues
who need me today so it is these
challenges it is these challenges that I
face it is because I became blind
because I faced these challenges in
childhood that I am able to relate to
the challenges of other blind people
today and it is because of that that I’m
able to start my own organization to
help other blind people not to face
these challenges to help other schools
not to make these blind people be
backbenches but to make them be front
benchers and to make them be top of the
class and not bottom of the class and in
the future to have books in India with
Braille and tactile to make people write
their exams on computers this is already
happening yes but if only we faced these
challenges do we know what they are so
yes I am in support of this theme that
challenge is a great catalyst to making
change to making that difference to
making that lamp burn and I would like
to leave you guys with one thought all
your students from different parts of
the world with a global soul can make
that difference irrespective of the fact
that you have not faced the challenges
that I have you have not faced the
challenges of a differently abled person
but there are more challenges in
different ways and you can solve more
problems make a difference in a
different way but and always enable your
target group the people who are facing
adversity and problems don’t treat them
with sympathy like that poor woman who I
meet every day when I cross the road and
says isn’t there anyone to help you oh
you poor thing No treat me with empathy
and say hey do you want a resort
yes that is what every person needs love
and empathy and courage to overcome
their challenges keep your light burning
and burn someone else’s lamp if you can
so from a liability to an asset thank
you thank you all
[Applause]
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