Disabled Student in India Denied Entry to Indian Universities gets to Stamford

Before you read: some questions to help you think about the topic and the words you might need.

Do you know any people that have been disabled or handicapped but succeeded in their dreams?

How do you help disable or handicapped people in our countries?

When he was born blind, and neighbors suggested that his parents kill him. It was better than the pain they would have during their lifetime, some said.

He is a "useless" baby without eyes… being born blind is a sin, others said.

Twenty-three years later, Srikanth Bolla is standing tall. He says that if the "world looks at me and says, 'Srikanth, you can do nothing,'  then I look back at the world and say 'I can do anything'."

Now he is the CEO of Bollant Industries, an organization that employs uneducated disabled employees to manufacture eco-friendly, disposable consumer packaging products.

He thinks of himself as the luckiest man alive. Not because he is now a millionaire, but because his uneducated parents, who earned $300 a year, did not heed any of the 'advice' they received and raised him with love and affection.

"They are the richest people I know," he says. As a student he was repeatedly not given permission to enter Indian university exams. However, in March 2013, he was awarded a fully funded scholarship to pursue engineering at Stanford University in the US.

On May 27, 2013, when 18-years old he scored 96 per cent in his Class 12 examination. He became the country's first blind student to have achieved the feat in the science stream.

In his Delhi Public School, he scored 99 in computer science (his favorite subject) and 95 each in English, mathematics, physics and chemistry; his total was 479 out of 500.

He says, "Studying with normal students wasn't easy, and neither was choosing a class of my choice."

Determination and perseverance are the biggest reasons for his success. He simply would not take no for an answer.

"A lot of people think that disabilities limits you from doing some things. But I think success comes to those who believe in their strengths," he says.

He comes from a middle class family -- his father is a businessman and mother a housewife.  He says that you can have big dreams and make hard decisions but achieving success is easier said than done.

For three years, he had not been given permission to do the university entrance exams. He was told that there was no chance for blind students to take the competitive exam. But he did not give up and applied to universities abroad.

And in March 2013, he received a fully funded scholarship to pursue a five-year engineering program at Stanford University.

Try to guess the meaning of the words in bold and match them with their closest meaning from the choices in the right. Some of the answers are very close and have similar meaning. The meaning of these words is how they are used in the reading. Some of these words have different meanings in the dictionary depending on how they are used.

 The answers are below the table.

A=3, B=8, C=1, D=6, E=4, F=7, G=2, H=5

Some example sentences using the new words or phrases from the meaning of how they are used in the reading to help you understand better.

1. Our team is standing tall after we won the championship.

2. I like to buy disposable shaving razors as they are cheaper.

3. You must heed your teacher’s advice or you will be punished.

4. The police are pursuing the criminal.

5. To get an A+ in every subject is an amazing feat.

6. Kim Yuna is successful because she was determined to be the best skater in the world.

7. It has been raining for three days and it will persevere for two more days.

8. Waking up early for my friend is easier said than done because he is lazy.

    

Some questions using the new words/phrases. Try to use the words/phrases in your answer.

1. How do you feel about Srikanth’s determination in this story?

2. Why does Srikanth say in this story that achieving success is easier said than done?

3. What would make you stand tall as a mother or father?

4. Do you have much disposable income each month?

5. If you disagreed with your parents dreams for your future would you still heed their advice to be what they want you to be?

6. If you could go back to the past, what dream would you pursue?

7. What has been the greatest feat in your life?

8. How important do you think perseverance is for success?