Chennai :

She can barely read her textbooks because she is partially blind. But B Bavyasri did not let her visual impairment of – 17.9 diopters negatively impact her overall marks of 431.

Even though her disability allows her to use a scribe to write faster and exempts her from the language exam, this 15-year-old chose neither. “What if the scribe made a mistake and lost me a mark?” reasons the aspiring chartered accountant.

Her strength of will to do it ‘her’ way has certainly paid off. Has it been mentioned she scored just as much in Tamil as she did in Science: 96? And her proud mom, Vijayalakshmi, tells everyone from the school watchman to her neighbours during her short walk from Velammal Higher Secondary Matriculation School, Mogappair to her home where her daughter is.

Vijayalakshmi, who has been working as a lab assistant at the same school to help her daughter move around easily, and her father R Balaji, a cab driver have Bavyasri as their lives’ focal point. “She can’t take the bus or even a walk down the street because of her eyesight,” Vijayalakshmi explains. This is why they live only a few streets away from the school to which either her mother or grandmother walks her everyday.

So how does Bavyasri read the blackboard or take notes in class? Her class teacher Mini P V says, “I make her sit in the front row; and for notes, she usually gets a little help from her peers once classes are over.”  Bavyasri may be one of those  who literally has her nose in her textbooks, but she assures us before we leave that she uses her limited vision to enjoy herself as well.  “I play a lot of Candy Crush,” she admits with a laugh, “And oh, I love Mahesh Babu!”

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Sonali Shenoy / Express News Service / May 26th, 2016