ACITE – Webinar for HoI’s on “Inclusion of SLDs in Higher Education”, 10^Th August 2022

The speakers for the commencing session were Shilpa Rao and Arun Fernandez. Shilpa is an Intrapreneur who headed the AI powered strategic intelligence platform – Optumera. She has taken this platform from a concept to a new business line for TCS with 35+ patents and several awards. Arun is the founder of DLearners which is a solution that identifies SLD and conducts intervention programmes using assistive tech. Currently pursuing his PhD, he vouches that the challenges of Dyslexia can be overcome and that the condition can prove to be a boon. During the session we discussed their struggles with Dyslexia and the strategies that helped them cope and excel. Through parental support, technology and accommodations, they were both able to leverage their Dyslexic strengths. They alluded to screening, early intervention, support systems as a possible way forward to help build the SLD ecosystem.