Nineteen-year-old Piyush Kaushik lives in Delhi. When he was five, he lost his eyesight, triggered by a sudden illness. Coming from an affluent family, Piyush had better access to resources. He studied with support and learned to read and write using computer with screen reading software. 
Unlike a majority of blind and visually impaired students, Piyush didn’t take assistance from a scribe to write his CBSE XII examination. He wrote his answers independently on a laptop. But when the results came out, he was in for a shock. He was marked 0 in three subjects, English, History and Physical Education. Both Piyush and his family couldn’t believe the results and sought help from Eyeway counselor.
This is not the first time that a visually impaired student has received an erroneous result. Blind twins, Prachi and Pragya Mahajan attempted their board exams using the laptop in 2014 and faced a similar situation. At the time, the serving CBSE Chairperson was contacted and after rigorous follow up, the mistake was rectified. Today, both the girls are gainfully employed.
For Piyush as well, the Eyeway counselor approached the concerned CBSE official, explaining the issue in detail. Piyush and his family were advised to visit the CBSE office along with a school representative. The official then directed the examination center to reevaluate the test papers. The teenager finally received his correct results.
This issue requires critical action as several students with vision impairment face the problem of incorrect evaluation. Many don’t even think of raising a complaint because they don’t know who to approach. This further impacts their life and career adversely. In fact, many blind students are being discouraged from independently writing their exams using computers and relying on scribes instead. Shouldn’t authorities and technology empower these students for a self-reliant future rather than pushing them towards dependence on traditional solutions?