Visually-Impaired Man Earns PhD for First Time at IIM Ahmedabad, Set to Teach at IIM Bodh Gaya

A visually impaired scholar has created history by earning a PhD from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad for the first time. Tarun Kumar Vashishth, a 42-year-old from Uttarakhand, became the institute’s first blind doctoral student and has now been appointed as an Assistant Professor at IIM Bodh Gaya.

According to reports, Vashishth pursued his doctoral research at IIM Ahmedabad on the workplace experiences of visually impaired employees in Indian corporate organisations. Born blind, he successfully completed the rigorous PhD programme, marking a significant milestone in inclusive higher education at one of India’s premier management institutes.

Vashishth credited his achievement to a supportive family and educational environment that never treated his disability as a limitation. He studied in a regular school and even pursued subjects such as mathematics, which are often avoided by students with visual impairment. After completing his BSc degree, he cleared the entrance examination for IIT Roorkee under the general category but was denied admission during the interview stage due to concerns about his ability to cope with academic requirements.

In 2018, Vashishth secured admission to the doctoral programme at IIM Ahmedabad under the general category, becoming the first candidate with a disability to join the programme since its inception in 1971. He described the PhD journey as challenging yet rewarding, noting that it required extensive independent research and daily engagement with academic material.

This month, Vashishth is set to begin his teaching career at IIM Bodh Gaya. Experts believe he may become the first full-time visually impaired faculty member at an IIM, setting an inspiring example for students and institutions across the country.