True Grit: A special girl shows what strength of character is
Anuja Jaiswal
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Agra:
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Defies 80% Hearing Impairment To Shine In UPSC, 2nd Yr In A Row
Twenty-six-year-old Vaishali Sharma, an MBBS from Aligarh Muslim University, cannot hear much. But she has trained herself to lipread. Even though she suffers from 80% hearing impairment, it has not stopped her from realising her dreams.With 824 marks (out of 2,025) in last year's civil services examination, Vaishali ranked second in the physical disability category-3 but wasn't selected because examiners found her to be “temporarily unfit“ as she was overweight. Candidates need to pass a medical examination, where their BMI is also measured among other things.
Instead of tears, Vaishali decided to shed pounds and appeared in the exam again.This year, she has scored 969 marks (47%), topping the exam in the same category .
Of the 1,209 candidates who cleared UPSC this time, 44 are in the physically challenged category . Among these 44, 15 are hearing impaired, seven visually impaired and 22 suffer from locomotor disability and cerebral palsy .
Vaishali said she was heartbroken when she wasn't recruited despite losing some weight in 2016 and getting herself certified by the government's health department. Her family had wanted to move court to seek justice for her, but she was determined to prove her point “in another way“. “Though I was shocked by what had happened then, I never gave up and was sure that I would succeed again,“ she told TOI.
Vaishali said though she has been using hearing aids, it's not easy as these devices only amplify the sound and do not process the words. She also could not pursue her PG in clinical branches because of difficulty in using stethoscope and not responding to emergency phone calls.
She couldn't even attend coaching classes for her preparation for UPSC as she found understanding words in a group very difficult. “I spent long hours in the AMU li brary studying by myself.“
“I started lip reading and also observed people keenly to understand their body language and expressions,“ she said, adding that during interviews she focused on the interviewers' lips to understand what was being said. This year, she managed to score 170 marks out of 275 in the interview.
Vaishali, who had recently started working at a Mathura hospital as a junior resident, said she felt “low and frustrated“ in her childhood as she found herself “different“ from others. “ My family supported me. Whatever I have achieved today is due to their support.“
Vaishali's father is a former banker who took early retirement to focus on the career of his two daughters and a son, all of whom are medical practitioners.
Source: Times of India, 7-06-2017
Instead of tears, Vaishali decided to shed pounds and appeared in the exam again.This year, she has scored 969 marks (47%), topping the exam in the same category .
Of the 1,209 candidates who cleared UPSC this time, 44 are in the physically challenged category . Among these 44, 15 are hearing impaired, seven visually impaired and 22 suffer from locomotor disability and cerebral palsy .
Vaishali said she was heartbroken when she wasn't recruited despite losing some weight in 2016 and getting herself certified by the government's health department. Her family had wanted to move court to seek justice for her, but she was determined to prove her point “in another way“. “Though I was shocked by what had happened then, I never gave up and was sure that I would succeed again,“ she told TOI.
Vaishali said though she has been using hearing aids, it's not easy as these devices only amplify the sound and do not process the words. She also could not pursue her PG in clinical branches because of difficulty in using stethoscope and not responding to emergency phone calls.
She couldn't even attend coaching classes for her preparation for UPSC as she found understanding words in a group very difficult. “I spent long hours in the AMU li brary studying by myself.“
“I started lip reading and also observed people keenly to understand their body language and expressions,“ she said, adding that during interviews she focused on the interviewers' lips to understand what was being said. This year, she managed to score 170 marks out of 275 in the interview.
Vaishali, who had recently started working at a Mathura hospital as a junior resident, said she felt “low and frustrated“ in her childhood as she found herself “different“ from others. “ My family supported me. Whatever I have achieved today is due to their support.“
Vaishali's father is a former banker who took early retirement to focus on the career of his two daughters and a son, all of whom are medical practitioners.
Source: Times of India, 7-06-2017
