17-year-old from Kanniyakumari turns to technology to overcome disability, scores high in CBSE Class 12 boards

CHENNAI: Turning to tech to overcome her disability, a visually impaired 17-year-old from Kanniyakumari used a laptop instead of a scribe to write the Class 12 board exam, and scored 90 per cent marks. She was the lone student in Tamil Nadu to attend the public exam using a laptop this year.

Now, after scoring a creditable 89.8 per cent in the Commerce stream in the results declared by CBSE earlier this month, EJ Angelina Lipika of Marthandam is currently applying to universities in the United States for higher education.

What inspired her was the story of GV Oviya, who was in fact the first student from the State to write the Class 10 CBSE board exam using a laptop, which this correspondent had reported in 2020. Incidentally, Oviya also scored 89 per cent marks in the exam.

"I have been using a scribe to write final exams till Class 9. However, during that time, I found how Oviya had used a laptop to not only write the board exam in 2020, but also went on to fully train herself in taking notes and studying using laptop," Lipika told DT Next.

Following Oviya, Lipika too began using a laptop to study and write exams, especially after her doctor advised to use technology. "I was also advised by the doctor to adopt technology to prepare for exams and equip myself with enough skills to become independent. After using the laptop, I found out I had the choice when it comes to the method of preparing for exams, instead of depending on teachers or parents," added Lipika.

Recounting her experience, Lipika said using a laptop instead of a scribe enabled her to articulate her answers better, which in turn helped her score high marks.

Lipika, a native Maruthoorkurichi, had the support of her parents, TK Edwin Jose and V Jebaslin Vijila. Edwin, who has been working for over a decade at a Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Kanniyakumari, has been adopting all means to fulfil Lipika's desire to pursue education, despite being fully blind.

Right now, the family is keen on helping her fulfil her dream of studying abroad. Edwin said he was determined to help her go abroad, as she would have better educational opportunities and live in a more inclusive environment. However, it is not an easy task for the family to bring the dream to fruition because of their financial situation.

"Lipika has been researching about universities abroad and the scholarships she can avail, as we will not be able to afford such a large amount. She has also reached out to Hannah Alice Simon, a Kochi-based girl with microphthalmia, a rare developmental disorder, who went to the US in 2022 with a full scholarship.

"As scholarship is vital to support her education abroad, we have been checking out colleges and applying for scholarships in various universities and programmes," added Edwin.

Meanwhile, realising how students like Oviya and Lipika are adopting technology to equip themselves better while attending exams, teachers have urged the State Education Department to introduce laptops or computers for differently abled students in Tamil Nadu.

K Raghuraman, a visually impaired person who is working as an assistant professor in the Department of English, Nandanam Government Arts College, said, "The Tamil Nadu government should have introduced technologies like these in 2016-17 itself, during the implementation of Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act. But, it failed to do it.”

The authorities should take the necessary steps at least now to equip differently abled students with laptops or desktops in classrooms to empower them, added Raghuraman.