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Sarah stands at the apex of this year's merit listânot merely for her breathtaking score of 98.75% under the rigorous ICSE board, but because she achieved it in a world of absolute silence and shadow. Today, she stands as India's very first deafblind student to conquer this milestone, navigating her examinations independently through the power of digital technology. While we look to the world stage and wonder if this is a global first, we say with absolute certainty: she is India's first, and a beacon for all humanity.
At this historic juncture, Team Diversity and Chakshumathi extend our deepest gratitude to the architects of this victoryâthe catalysts who taught Sarah to dream beyond horizons. First Catalysts are her father Moin Ahamed Idrisi and mother Julee Hamid. Their determination and unwavering will is a model story to all parents of Children with Different Abilities. A profound applause belongs to School Manager Mr. R K Chatree, Principal Mr. E A Chattree and her devoted special educator, Mr. Salman Ali Qazi and Mrs. Madhuri Singh, who walked alongside her every step of the way. We also honor the unwavering dedication of the faculty and staff at Christ Church College, Lucknow, whose collective hands shaped this monumental dream into reality.
May they continue to stand together, proving to a watching world that where there is an unbreakable human will, nothing is impossible. â Team Diversity
Lucknow: Sarah Moin is our youngest child. Her elder brother is a practicing lawyer at the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court. In her earliest days, Sarah was a completely healthy, vibrant baby. However, before she even reached her first birthday, she developed severe throat complications and swollen glands. By the age of two, this condition mysteriously culminated in severe arthritis.
We spent months navigating every medical department imaginable, from Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) specialists to Rheumatology and Immunology. Around the time she began play school, an exhaustive battery of tests finally yielded a diagnosis: Juvenile Sarcoidosis. One of the most devastating complications of this condition was uveitis, an inflammation of the eyes. Sarah was prescribed a strict, graded regimen of steroids for six months, which successfully reduced the swelling in her glands and fingers.
At four years old, Sarah was admitted to the nursery class at City Montessori School (CMS), Lucknow. By then, her eyesight had begun to deteriorate, requiring her to wear spectacles. Seeking answers, we took her to an eye specialist at Sahara Hospital. The diagnosis was heartbreaking: Sarah had developed Glaucoma, and 98% of her optic nerves were already permanently damaged.
We were immediately referred to the L V Prasad Eye Hospital in Hyderabad. There, the doctors confirmed our worst fearsâthe damage was irreversible, and her lost eyesight could never be restored.
To add to our profound grief, Sarah's hearing also began to progressively decline during this time. That entire year became a blur of hospital corridors and specialist consultations. While CMS kindly granted Sarah a passing certificate for nursery, we soon faced a harsh reality: no school was willing to enroll a child who could neither see nor hear.
Two painful years passed in this futile search. Refusing to let her mind stagnate, we hired a private tutor from the National Association for the Blind (NAB), Lucknow, to teach Sarah the Braille script at home.
A turning point came in 2014 when Christ Church College, Lucknow, established a specialized "resource room" for children with special needs. We immediately brought Sarah to the school. principal Mr. R K Chattree (now he is the School Manager), alongside a remarkable special educator, Mr. Salman Ali Qaziâwho is himself visually impairedâtested Sarah's Braille skills and warmly admitted her into Class 1.
A dedicated section for visually impaired students was launched under the guidance of Mr. Qazi and Mrs. Madhuri Singh, with Sarah as their very first student. At the time, she retained a small amount of residual hearing and utilized hearing aids. Under Mr. Qazi's masterful mentorship, Sarah refined her Braille reading skills and learned mathematics using a Braille slate and a Taylor frame.
Sarah thrived in the special section during Class 1 and Class 2. By Class 3, she was integrated into the mainstream classroom. However, by this point, her hearing was almost completely gone. Navigating a traditional classroom without sight or sound presented a monumental challenge.
Adapting swiftly, Mr. Qazi began communicating with Sarah using tactile Braille sign language pressed directly onto her hand. At home, we developed our own method: writing out capital English letters on Sarah's palm, or having her trace fingers onto ours. For her examinations, Sarah would type her answers on Braille paper using a Brailler. Mrs. Madhuri Singh would meticulously transcribe her work into print text, which was then graded by the mainstream subject teachers. The school also carefully drafted her question papers directly in Braille.
A massive leap forward occurred when RSVI, a Lucknow-based NGO, converted Sarah's standard school textbooks into digital E-text formats. We purchased both the standard print books and the corresponding Braille volumes.
Initially, Sarah's daily study routine required her to manually copy photocopied class notes into Braille. But as she advanced in grade levels and the syllabus grew exponentially, relying solely on paper Braille became physically overwhelming. While Mr. Qazi had begun integrating computers into his teaching, standard text-to-speech screen readers were useless to Sarah due to her profound hearing loss.
In our relentless search for a solution, we discovered the Refreshable Braille Displayâa device that connects to screen-reading software like NVDA to translate digital text into dynamic, tactile Braille pins in real-time.
It could also function independently via an SD card. Mr. Qazi helped us source an Orbit Braille Display and invested countless hours teaching Sarah how to interface it with a laptop, opening up an entirely new digital landscape. Sarah was thrilled by this technological breakthrough, which allowed her to digest her heavy syllabus at unprecedented speeds.
When the COVID-19 pandemic triggered global lockdowns, education shifted online. After every virtual class, we painstakingly converted the digital learning materials into accessible E-text for Sarah.
Through this digital revolution, Sarah began typing her exams directly into Microsoft Word on her laptop. Her files were printed out and given to her teachers to grade. This bypassed the labor-intensive transcription process previously handled by Mrs. Singh. Mainstream teachers could now seamlessly read Sarah's written work and type back notes directly to her.
Technology also unlocked her social world; using her laptop browser and Orbit Reader, Sarah began independently using WhatsApp, Instagram, and email.
To streamline her intense multitasking needs, we eventually acquired three separate Orbit Reader devices. We also integrated a "Kibo" device by Trestle Labs, allowing Sarah to scan physical textbooks and instantly convert them to text.
By Class 6, sitting in a mainstream lecture hall was no longer practical since Sarah could not hear the spoken instruction. We requested permission from the school administration for Sarah to study at home, using Mr. Qazi as a vital bridge between Sarah and her mainstream subject teachers. Teachers would visit the resource room during designated periods coordinated by Mr. Qazi to answer her questions. At home, we dedicated our lives to teaching her the core syllabus and converting every piece of printed text into E-text.
Through her sheer intellect and unbreakable spirit, Sarah became an icon of inspiration within her school. In 2023, she was honored with the prestigious state-level "Best Child (Female Category)" award, presented directly by the Honorable Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri. Yogi Adityanath.
Up until this point, Sarah has flourished within a protective cocoon of familiar care, tailored accommodations, and deep institutional support. Now, her life as a university student is about to begin, and she enters the broader world of higher education.
We are fully aware that an array of unknown challenges awaits her. Yet, we hold no fear. Her relentless willpower to achieve the absolute best in life, paired with her unwavering passion, will undoubtedly dismantle any obstacle in her path.
The questions weighing heavily on our minds are practical ones: Which institution will best foster her growth? How do we orient a new university administration to understand her unique learning, assignment, and testing needs? How do we secure the necessary systemic accommodations and policy changes?
If our journey has taught us anything, it is that whenever a mountain appeared, providence revealed a solutionâwhether through emerging technology, kind-hearted mentors, or the collective will of people fighting for change. As her parents, we look back at Sarah's childhood medical trauma and realize it was a beautifully scripted testament to human potential. Her life exists to prove a profound truth to the world: that nothing is truly impossible.
As Nelson Mandela so beautifully stated: "It always seems impossible until it's done."