Lucknow: Born in farming families in eastern and western UP, blindness was no deterrent to Uttam of Agra and Pooja Sagar of Deoria from emerging top performers at Dr Shakuntala Misra National Rehabilitation University.The two visually impaired students will each receive two medals at the university’s 13th convocation on Friday for excelling in their postgraduate courses. Uttam has won a gold and a bronze medal in MA (History), while Pooja Sagar has secured two gold medals in MA (Hindi).Uttam, from Kushiyapur village in Agra district, is son of marginal farmer Rajvir Singh, who owns a small piece of farmland. Uttam developed interest in computers and after completing MA and Special B.Ed, began using Braille, screen readers and AI tools to study independently.“I had vision in only one eye and gradually lost it completely in 2017. These medals are my biggest motivation. I am now pursuing a computer course and want to become a teacher,” said Uttam.Pooja, from Deoria, lived with low vision since birth. Her father, Arvind Sagar, is a marginal farmer. Though she pursued MA in Hindi, she learnt computers with the help of AI and says technology enabled her to assist her father with farm-related work. “My goal has always been to become a teacher,” she said.Both students said AI made educational content more accessible, helping them understand concepts, prepare notes and study independently.Other visually impaired students Umesh Kumar, Rajbhar, Dwarika, Alka Shukla and Pawan Kumar Yadav will also be conferred medals during the convocation ceremony.
