‘Lost vision at 19 but never gave up’: Visually impaired Punjab professor bags ICSSR project

The project aims to study the influence of media and culture on the identity formation and establishment of differently-abled women in Punjab.

Kiran is a faculty member in the university’s Department of Social Sciences. She works as an assistant professor at the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. She also serves as the Director of the ‘Centre for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities’ at the university.

After losing complete vision at the age of 19 due to an illness, she had to leave her BSc (nursing) degree midway.

But she refused to give up on life. She pursued English Stenography in Braille and went on to complete her graduation from Panjab University (PU), Chandigarh. Following this she completed her Masters in Sociology and stood second in the university.

She went ahead and cleared UGC-NET to become an assistant professor. Later, she earned her PhD with specialisation on Studies on Visual Impairment, also from PU.

The professor took it on herself to get a special centre established in the campus to empower students with disabilities. In 2018, she mooted a proposal when she was nominated as a member of Punjab government’s advisory board for persons with disabilities.

Finally in 2021, the proposal was approved and the Punjabi University established the centre to empower persons with disabilities.

The professor’s life is an example why people with disabilities should receive ample opportunities to pursue higher education and required guidance.