T.V. Raman
T.V. Raman, born in India, lost his eyesight to glaucoma at the age of 14. The teens years can be hard enough without losing our ability to see. Raman never lost his passion for math and puzzles. Relying on volunteers to read him textbooks he graduated from a top technical university in India, to a PH.D. at Cornell University and work as a highly respected computer scientist and engineer at Google.
In the world of the 1940’s that I grew up in being blind was considered a serious handicap. Some statistics from 2006, at the web site of the American Foundation of the Blind, http://www.afb.org , show it still can be a handicap to getting work. The unemployment rate for all people who have sensory impairments, including the blind and the deaf, was 47.5%.
However as T.V. Raman demonstrates blindness does not have to limit the scope of our dreams for a better life. My guess is that more often then not the limitations we experiences in life are those we have placed on our selves.
Which of the five senses would you guess might be the hardest for you to live without? Sight? Hearing? Taste? Smell? Touch?
From an article in the New York Times, by Miguel Helft, about Raman:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/04/business/04blind.html?_r=1
“A native of India, Mr. Raman went from relying on volunteers to read him textbooks at a top technical university there to leading a largely autonomous life in Silicon Valley, where he is a highly respected computer scientist and an engineer at Google.
Along the way, Mr. Raman built a series of tools to help him take advantage of objects or technologies that were not designed with blind users in mind. They ranged from a Rubik’s Cube covered in Braille to a software program that can take complex mathematical formulas and read them aloud, which became the subject of his Ph.D. dissertation at Cornell. He also built a version of Google’s search service tailored for blind users.
Mr. Raman, 43, is now working to modify the latest technological gadget that he says could make life easier for blind people: a touch-screen phone.
“What Raman does is amazing,” said Paul Schroeder, vice president for programs and policy at the American Foundation for the Blind, which conducts research on technology that can help visually impaired people. “He is a leading thinker on accessibility issues, and his capacity to design and alter technology to meet his needs is unique.”
Some of Mr. Raman’s innovations may help make electronic gadgets and Web services more user-friendly for everyone. Instead of asking how something should work if a person cannot see, he says he prefers to ask, “How should something work when the user is not looking at the screen?”
Such systems could prove useful for drivers or anyone else who could benefit from eyes-free access to a phone. They could also appeal to aging baby boomers with fading vision who want to keep using technology they’ve come to depend on.
Mr. Raman’s web site:
8 comments
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January 5, 2009 at 8:42 am
danielle
That is an amazing story.
I wonder what it is that gives some people the drive to such great success, even in the face of hardship…and what it is that creates such defeat in others.
January 5, 2009 at 11:06 am
Indian Lake Papa
I think I would be devestated to lose sight – it would be a big adjustment for me. My tremors Now give me some difficulties – but I Feel blessed.
January 5, 2009 at 1:05 pm
edfromct
danielle, I doubt there is any one answer, the love and support of family and friends, as Raman appears to have had, is a important part. It also seems some people are just born with a strong will to succeed.
I think we all have the potential to overcome just about anything. The question is what will make us believe we can do it.
January 5, 2009 at 1:12 pm
edfromct
Papa, it is hard to imagine what it would be look to lose our eyesight.
I would hate to lose my hearing because I love music so much.
Many people have overcome the lose of sight and hearing, but if you lose your sense of touch how do you interact with the world?
Tremors can be scary. There is no way to avoid some physical problems as we get older. The good news is we older people have faced a lot of problems in our lives so we know how to overcome them.
January 5, 2009 at 7:23 pm
Indian Lake Papa
Tremors have an interesting side issue – people stare/notice. I even had a close friend who thought I was “putting it on” doing it on purpose. I do not hide it – hard to anyways. Mama is a real asset – she helps carry things if I need two hands – such as carrying a plate and a glass – if you haven’t figured, mama is the best!
January 7, 2009 at 12:06 am
tam
we have a friend, Fred, who lost his sight right when his first, of three, sons was born. he runs the coffee stand in front of our church. all by himself. he was trained to work the stand by braille and sensors and bells. he makes some of the best coffees and smoothies in town. and half the customers dont even know he’s blind. he doesnt wallow, complain, or announce. he just lives his life the best he can!
January 7, 2009 at 2:25 am
edfromct
Papa, when our bodies began to fail us, which is inevitable to at least some degree, it is important to the loving support of a person like Mama.
I am sure that you would never take advantage of this by making her do all the work.
January 7, 2009 at 2:33 am
edfromct
Tam, people like Fred, who don’t allow physical limitations to limit their lives, are examples to all of us. Too many of us allow what we perceive to be limitations to control our lives.
It is still harder for the blind to participate fully in the America dream but the opportunities are increasing.