An afternoon at the Blind People Association in the sweltering heat of Ahmedabad four years ago changed Gunjan Gupta's life – and may potentially change the life of 12 million visually impaired people in India.

Gupta, then barely 20 years old, was on a fact-finding mission for his final year engineering project on devices for people with visual disability.

Students at SAI International School in Bhubaneshwar, Orissa were troubled that their visually impaired friends only had access to two-dimensional mediums – Braille story books or magazines – to experience stories. They were friends with visually impaired students from the Orissa Association for the Blind (OAB) – home to over 700 visually impaired students, staff, and teachers – for many years, on occasion providing them with Braille Slates and walking canes.

Visual impairment did not stop Kempahonniah from Tumakuru from working hard to achieve his dream of being an IAS officer.

Mr. Kempahonniah secured the 340th rank in the UPSC examination on his third attempt. “My wife, Anchitha, helped me study by making notes and made me listen to records. My examination and interview was in Kannada,” he said. When asked if visual impairment was a hurdle in writing the examination, he said: “Problems are ubiquitous, but we have to overcome them with confidence.”

By adhering to the provisions of Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 and introducing a change in its reservation policy, Delhi University has increased the categories for admitting students with disabilities.

According to the revamped policy to be followed by DU from this academic year, reservation of 'persons with benchmark disabilites' as defined in the act will stand at not less than five per cent.