Loss of vision is no barrier to this Mumbai programmer’s brilliant career

Aditi Shah, a product manager from Mumbai, has made quite a name for herself by developing tools and software that protect resources within some big data centers in India. Shah is also a hacker who tests the security systems so they are secure from people who may try and break into them.

Aditi’s inspiration is popular American talk show host Oprah Winfrey, who proved herself in the face of some tough times.

Aditi was 11 years old when she was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa. This is a rare genetic disease that affects the retina. She lost her vision totally by the time she was 15 years old.

Aditi has not let loss of vision come in the way of doing anything that she loves. She uses modern technology to get around. She reads printed text with the help of OCR software and moves around by herself using Google Maps.

Aditi says the biggest barrier was not the fact that she lost her vision, but how the world around her perceived her disability. She topped her undergraduate program, yet no company was willing to believe that she could code.

She has proved every one wrong. Her track record at work has been outstanding. Aditi has had four promotions in less than three years. Her advice to people is to focus on their abilities, not disabilities.

Her message to everyone – Believe in yourself.