https://lsubramani.com/blog.html Essays on writing, AI, journalism and blindness by L Subramani, journalist, author of Lights Out and Chief Copy Editor at Deccan Herald. en-IN Copyright L Subramani aatreyasugavanam@gmail.com (L Subramani) Thu, 27 Aug 2026 16:04:29 +0000 https://lsubramani.com/portrait.jpg https://lsubramani.com/blog.html https://lsubramani.com/post-writing-fog.html https://lsubramani.com/post-writing-fog.html L Subramani Writing & Craft Some mornings arrive carrying a strange kind of fog — not outside the window, but inside the mind. A writer’s account of facing the blank page on a day when the body refuses, and what five hard-won lessons finally got the words moving again. https://lsubramani.com/post-beating-heart.html https://lsubramani.com/post-beating-heart.html L Subramani AI & Creativity When you are past a certain age, excitement becomes a rare visitor. Not absent. Just unpredictable. It shows up when it wants, flares up for a moment, and disappears before you can hold onto it. A writer reflecting on AI, memory, and what the machine gets wrong. https://lsubramani.com/post-disability-forecast.html https://lsubramani.com/post-disability-forecast.html L Subramani Disability & Journalism Media coverage of disability in India has been on a gradual learning curve, moving from a charity and human-interest narrative to a more rights-based perspective. A forecast of where that coverage is heading in 2026, and what newsrooms still need to learn. https://lsubramani.com/post-ai-vs-human.html https://lsubramani.com/post-ai-vs-human.html L Subramani AI & Creativity Two versions of the same scene: one generated by AI, one written by a human. Looking at them side by side reveals, with uncomfortable clarity, exactly what AI cannot do when it sits down to write fiction. https://lsubramani.com/post-beyond-eyesight.html https://lsubramani.com/post-beyond-eyesight.html L Subramani AI & Accessibility For generations, blindness was defined by that one limitation: the inability to access the visual world. AI did not just open a window into that world. It began to rebuild it in a language we could finally understand and interact with. https://lsubramani.com/post-the-invisible-editor.html https://lsubramani.com/post-the-invisible-editor.html L Subramani Editing & Craft Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 On the discipline of disappearing, and what 15 years on the copy desk taught me about the editor’s invisible art. https://lsubramani.com/post-simplest-way-to-overcome-writers-block.html https://lsubramani.com/post-simplest-way-to-overcome-writers-block.html L Subramani Writing & Craft Sun, 08 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Close your eyes and pretend you are blind. A method for escaping the blank page by writing for the ear rather than the eye. https://lsubramani.com/post-how-gratitude-helped-me-accept-life.html https://lsubramani.com/post-how-gratitude-helped-me-accept-life.html L Subramani AI & Accessibility Thu, 29 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000 A lockdown afternoon on Clubhouse, a sentence said aloud without thinking, and what gratitude has to do with living alongside uncertain tools. https://lsubramani.com/post-when-correction-matters-more-than-blame.html https://lsubramani.com/post-when-correction-matters-more-than-blame.html L Subramani Assistive Technology Sat, 13 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000 A wrong passcode, a silent screen, and what one small everyday failure reveals about blame, agency and adaptation. https://lsubramani.com/post-what-i-learnt-replacing-my-doctor.html https://lsubramani.com/post-what-i-learnt-replacing-my-doctor.html L Subramani AI & Wellbeing Wed, 12 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000 A health scare, weeks of anxious searching, and the thirty minute rule that finally broke the loop. https://lsubramani.com/post-i-lost-my-sight-one-unforgettable-summer.html https://lsubramani.com/post-i-lost-my-sight-one-unforgettable-summer.html L Subramani Blindness & Memory Tue, 14 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000 The summer of 1990, a tennis final heard rather than seen, and what a white cane and AI have in common. https://lsubramani.com/post-lessons-from-loss-gleaning-wisdom-on-the-path-of-grief.html https://lsubramani.com/post-lessons-from-loss-gleaning-wisdom-on-the-path-of-grief.html L Subramani Disability & Grief Fri, 18 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Sitting here in this cozy room, I can’t help but feel a sense of emptiness when I look out into the hall. It’s like staring into a void, and it brings to mind that famous quote from Nietzsche about the abyss staring… https://lsubramani.com/post-we-dont-need-a-disaster-to-understand-the-need-for.html https://lsubramani.com/post-we-dont-need-a-disaster-to-understand-the-need-for.html L Subramani Inclusion Fri, 25 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Whenever I think of inclusive infrastructure, I think of this story which I got from a blind friend during an interview: What does three blind men talk when they mosey down the footpath on a lazy afternoon? Well, if they’re from the… https://lsubramani.com/post-i-had-a-piece-of-my-own-heaven-until-the-pandemic-smashed.html https://lsubramani.com/post-i-had-a-piece-of-my-own-heaven-until-the-pandemic-smashed.html L Subramani Blindness & the Pandemic Fri, 18 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Two years ago (or, was it two-and-a-half?), my mornings used to be quiet. I’d wake up to chirping birds outside my window with temperatures hovering at a shade shy of 20 degree Celsius. I could imagine the thick fog curtaining the street… https://lsubramani.com/post-the-system-that-trains-disabled-people-is-stifling-and.html https://lsubramani.com/post-the-system-that-trains-disabled-people-is-stifling-and.html L Subramani Rehabilitation & Training Wed, 07 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000 The first time I spoke aloud my desire to be a journalist was the butterfly-in- the-stomach moment for me. We’re taught only to survive. Where’s the question of thinking out-of-the-box? It was a drowsy afternoon. Even though college life buzzed with energy… https://lsubramani.com/post-trusting-strangers-in-public-places-is-a-real-challenge.html https://lsubramani.com/post-trusting-strangers-in-public-places-is-a-real-challenge.html L Subramani Disability & Safety Tue, 24 May 2022 00:00:00 +0000 As a person with blindness, I had always reacted with uncertainty when a stranger held my hand. Of course, there’re occasions when help would be a relief, particularly in crowded bus sheds, where people tend to rush towards a standing bus and… https://lsubramani.com/post-inclusive-parties-are-fun-heres-how-you-can-be-an.html https://lsubramani.com/post-inclusive-parties-are-fun-heres-how-you-can-be-an.html L Subramani Inclusion Tue, 10 May 2022 00:00:00 +0000 There’s always a first for everything. Even party-going has its first, especially if you had lived in India a few decades ago when family or religious events were the only occasions for get-togethers. But a friend who was young and quite willing… https://lsubramani.com/post-in-25-years-of-being-a-professional-with-disability-ive.html https://lsubramani.com/post-in-25-years-of-being-a-professional-with-disability-ive.html L Subramani Ability in Disability Tue, 26 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Representative image of a computer The most annoying thing about being blind is that you don’t find shortcuts. Because you don’t have any. You either learn things the hard way or fall by the wayside, which is not an option…not at least… https://lsubramani.com/post-how-disabled-people-can-be-innovative-in-managing-old-age.html https://lsubramani.com/post-how-disabled-people-can-be-innovative-in-managing-old-age.html L Subramani Disability & Ageing Mon, 18 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0000 It’s not a pleasant thing to stand before the mirror. Not in April. Especially not in the sea-facing city of Chennai, where you still feel wet after meticulously drying up getting off the shower stall. Heat and humidity in this infernal city… https://lsubramani.com/post-for-people-with-disability-getting-in-touch-with-inner.html https://lsubramani.com/post-for-people-with-disability-getting-in-touch-with-inner.html L Subramani Living with Disability Tue, 15 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 People ask me whether not seeing the world around, especially after having seen till about 17 years, is painful. And I’ve a very simple answer to them: ‘when did I stop seeing?’ This may sound weird to some people, but here’s the… https://lsubramani.com/post-if-inclusion-is-an-exciting-adventure-would-you-join-the.html https://lsubramani.com/post-if-inclusion-is-an-exciting-adventure-would-you-join-the.html L Subramani Inclusion Fri, 11 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 On January 1, I started the campaign “Inclusive21C” to ensure people with disability find quality and dignity in the way they are accommodated in various social/official spaces. As someone who has studied and observed inclusion being implemented in many organisations, I can… https://lsubramani.com/post-this-could-happen-to-anyone-are-you-prepared.html https://lsubramani.com/post-this-could-happen-to-anyone-are-you-prepared.html L Subramani Rehabilitation & Training Tue, 08 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 What you’re about to read will shock you. I only hope you aren’t going to tell me “I wish I had known this before.” This happened to a well-known non-governmental organization doing incredible work. Late one day in 2006, I received a… https://lsubramani.com/post-disability-teaches-us-to-break-free-from-the-success.html https://lsubramani.com/post-disability-teaches-us-to-break-free-from-the-success.html L Subramani Philosophy of Disability Tue, 08 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000 As a kid, I’d return some evening from school with a big sulk. Mom would look out of the kitchen and ask why I look like someone who bit into a spicy chili. “Mohan had scored more than me in class test,”… https://lsubramani.com/post-who-lost-a-close-to-real-story.html https://lsubramani.com/post-who-lost-a-close-to-real-story.html L Subramani Communication & Storytelling Tue, 18 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Chris is the recruitment manager of a company who constantly looks to hire the best talent, especially in marketing and software development. He’s thrilled by anyone who can slice and dice data to discern patterns, consumer habits or return on investment. When… https://lsubramani.com/post-what-if-i-give-you-a-new-year-resolution-that-is-both.html https://lsubramani.com/post-what-if-i-give-you-a-new-year-resolution-that-is-both.html L Subramani Communication & Storytelling Sat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Hello: Season’s greetings. What’s your New Year resolution? 🙄 I know it’s a question that we all revisit every year. Some of us are weary enough to conclude that the resolutions will be forgotten by the 15th of January, while others want… https://lsubramani.com/post-when-it-comes-to-communicating-your-disability-make-sure.html https://lsubramani.com/post-when-it-comes-to-communicating-your-disability-make-sure.html L Subramani Communication & Storytelling Tue, 28 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 You can almost see the embarrassment. The cringed face, the mild gasp and the slightly agape mouth. Every time someone assumes that he/she ought to scream into my ears because I’m blind, I cringe in pain. Yes, when the person screams standing… https://lsubramani.com/post-good-or-bad-when-an-able-bodied-person-thinks-a-disabled.html https://lsubramani.com/post-good-or-bad-when-an-able-bodied-person-thinks-a-disabled.html L Subramani Philosophy of Disability Tue, 21 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 It must’ve been a man, I thought, as the hand that gripped the cuff of my full-sleeve shirt was rough and indelicate. It also didn’t seem like an effort to help. Of course, I was walking on a busy sidewalk to pay… https://lsubramani.com/post-how-to-recognise-ablist-language-and-correct-it.html https://lsubramani.com/post-how-to-recognise-ablist-language-and-correct-it.html L Subramani Rehabilitation & Training Tue, 14 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Until very recently, I didn’t think much of words like cripple, lame, blinded, retard, obtuse, autistic, crazy and words of their kind that could be used in a totally mainstream context. For instance, it’s all too common these days to say that… https://lsubramani.com/post-this-womans-multiple-sclerosis-story-is-part-of-my.html https://lsubramani.com/post-this-womans-multiple-sclerosis-story-is-part-of-my.html L Subramani Communication & Storytelling Thu, 21 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Lying on the couch at her doctor’s office, Tracy Shudo looked at her son who would turn three in three weeks’ time. She had a bad vertigo and numb patches on parts of her body which doctors suspected could be an inner… https://lsubramani.com/post-the-painful-loss-of-a-caged-bird-and-how-we-experienced.html https://lsubramani.com/post-the-painful-loss-of-a-caged-bird-and-how-we-experienced.html L Subramani Living with Disability Wed, 11 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000 Parrot I never heard so much pain in my friend’s voice. Barely five minutes ago we were joking pretty loudly. He got off the phone because someone wanted his attention at home, or so I thought. He then called me back to… https://lsubramani.com/post-part-ii-of-the-club-house-series-how-i-came-to-terms-with.html https://lsubramani.com/post-part-ii-of-the-club-house-series-how-i-came-to-terms-with.html L Subramani Communication & Storytelling Wed, 14 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0000 The first time I tapped open the Club House app, the homepage truly felt like a silent hallway, conjuring the picture of me walking down the long corridor; the thud-thudding of my shoes ricocheting on the walls around. Scren Shot of Club… https://lsubramani.com/post-how-club-house-helped-me-get-out-of-grief-and-gloom.html https://lsubramani.com/post-how-club-house-helped-me-get-out-of-grief-and-gloom.html L Subramani Communication & Storytelling Sat, 03 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0000 This might seem like an exaggeration, but it’s not. Imagine talking to people from various countries who share your interests and resonate with your ideas? Person checking mobile phone -Courtesy Patrick Tomasso via unsplash.com Without worrying about processing passports and visas, you… https://lsubramani.com/post-in-a-restricted-space-robbed-of-the-freedom-to-travel-the.html https://lsubramani.com/post-in-a-restricted-space-robbed-of-the-freedom-to-travel-the.html L Subramani Blindness & the Pandemic Fri, 11 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000 The room at home has lots of comfort. The table at the far corner is the ideal niche to contemplate and comprehend the challenges wrought by the pandemic. It’s at this corner where I sat, hand rested on head, grieving over the… https://lsubramani.com/post-part-5-will-i-escape-this-dark-alley-with-scary-sounds.html https://lsubramani.com/post-part-5-will-i-escape-this-dark-alley-with-scary-sounds.html L Subramani Blindness & the Pandemic Tue, 06 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000 Back at the single room, I spent the next two days alternating between getting dangerously close to panic and mustering the determination to stay positive. White and grey hallway curtesy #neonbrand at unsplash.com In my frenzy sometimes, I wished I weren’t blind… https://lsubramani.com/post-part-6-how-i-made-peace-with-my-altered-condition-after-a.html https://lsubramani.com/post-part-6-how-i-made-peace-with-my-altered-condition-after-a.html L Subramani Blindness & the Pandemic Mon, 05 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000 Representation of an isolated patient curtesy #theyshane at unsplash.com Relief turned into grateful tears as I entered home. I wanted to hug, or at least high-five my daughter as I walked in, but I was directly led into my room where I’d… https://lsubramani.com/post-part-4-as-a-blind-man-i-survived-the-horrors-of-being.html https://lsubramani.com/post-part-4-as-a-blind-man-i-survived-the-horrors-of-being.html L Subramani Blindness & the Pandemic Thu, 24 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000 Person injecting syringe-photo by Hush Naidoo curtesy Unsplash.com A brief meeting with my uncle and back to isolation again Sunlight slanted in from the open window and the road down below looked busier than ever. It was just 10.30 am, but I… https://lsubramani.com/post-as-a-blind-man-i-survived-the-horrors-of-being-alone-in-a.html https://lsubramani.com/post-as-a-blind-man-i-survived-the-horrors-of-being-alone-in-a.html L Subramani Blindness & the Pandemic Sat, 19 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000 Hospital Bed And A Couch courtesy Martha Dominguez De Gouveia -Unsplash I needed help to move around. It’s nothing new for a blind man stepping into a restricted area where only doctors and other medical staff are present. This was the first… https://lsubramani.com/post-as-a-blind-man-i-survived-the-horrors-of-being-alone-in-a-2.html https://lsubramani.com/post-as-a-blind-man-i-survived-the-horrors-of-being-alone-in-a-2.html L Subramani Blindness & the Pandemic Sat, 19 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000 Man riding an autorickshaw curtesy Tsion Chudnovsky (Unsplash) I wasn’t too shocked when the test results were positive. But the scan of my lungs revealed that the virus had infected nearly 40%. Though doctors officially adviced home quarantine, there were concerns that… https://lsubramani.com/post-as-a-blind-man-i-survived-the-horrors-of-being-alone-in-a-3.html https://lsubramani.com/post-as-a-blind-man-i-survived-the-horrors-of-being-alone-in-a-3.html L Subramani Blindness & the Pandemic Fri, 18 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000 Building representing hospital curtesy Samuel Scalzo (Unsplash) Building representing hospital curtesy Samuel Scalzo (Unsplash) Room 209 had a single bed and a side bench. It faced up to a busy road where you could hear the constant rumbling of traffic and the… https://lsubramani.com/post-programme-yourself-to-learn-anything-in-30-seconds.html https://lsubramani.com/post-programme-yourself-to-learn-anything-in-30-seconds.html L Subramani Self & Growth Tue, 14 Jul 2020 00:00:00 +0000 Once Swamy Vivekananda watched a bunch of students taking turns to aim a gun at a branch of tree and kept missing their target. He went up to them, grabbed the gun and shot the target in no time. The astounded students… https://lsubramani.com/post-the-secret-to-a-stress-free-life.html https://lsubramani.com/post-the-secret-to-a-stress-free-life.html L Subramani Self & Growth Sun, 07 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0000 When everyone from a newscaster to a national leader talks about the “crises” and the “pandemic”, it takes quite a daring to make this declaration. I’m not unduly stressed. In fact, I’m very positive about this situation. May be it’s because where… https://lsubramani.com/post-lockdown-special-im-sharing-how-to-build-a-personal.html https://lsubramani.com/post-lockdown-special-im-sharing-how-to-build-a-personal.html L Subramani Rehabilitation & Training Mon, 30 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://grapplingwithrp.wordpress.com/2020/03/30/ockdown-special-im-sharing-how-to-build-a-personal-narrative-to-impact-your-audience/ In 2011, as I met more people blinded by Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), the same disease that blinded me in 1991, I realized conditions in India weren’t better twenty years since I became blind. In those twenty years, India’s global reputation as… https://lsubramani.com/post-5-tips-for-the-blind-to-stay-safe-from-coronavirus.html https://lsubramani.com/post-5-tips-for-the-blind-to-stay-safe-from-coronavirus.html L Subramani Gradual Vision Loss Sat, 21 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000 Blindness in the time of Coronavirus could be dangerous for some, especially if they live in a densely populated country like India. What makes it even more of a risk is the fact that it won’t be always possible to avoid physical… https://lsubramani.com/post-on-womens-day-a-tribute-to-my-mom-my-greatest-cheerleader.html https://lsubramani.com/post-on-womens-day-a-tribute-to-my-mom-my-greatest-cheerleader.html L Subramani Family & Caregivers Sat, 07 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000 In everyone’s life there comes a moment when you stop crying, take a deep breath and tell yourself to fight on. Very often, that moment is when life knocks you to the ground and you lay sprawling, bruised and battered, all your… https://lsubramani.com/post-my-tryst-with-blindness-as-a-child-i-was-bullied-for.html https://lsubramani.com/post-my-tryst-with-blindness-as-a-child-i-was-bullied-for.html L Subramani Gradual Vision Loss Wed, 05 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000 The neighborhood school where I studied, amidst the chaos of the vegetable market nearby and the peal of bells from the temple opposite the building, was as noisy as the scene outside. Kids ran helter-skelter, teachers had a hard time shouting over… https://lsubramani.com/post-want-to-empower-yourself-heres-how.html https://lsubramani.com/post-want-to-empower-yourself-heres-how.html L Subramani Self & Growth Sun, 04 Aug 2019 00:00:00 +0000 Empowerment means different things to different people. If you’re unemployed, in a bad relationship, or have the funny feeling that you don’t know where you’re going in life, empowerment would mean doing anything to get unstuck or disentangle yourself from the self-limiting… https://lsubramani.com/post-a-life-changing-choice-you-need-to-make-right-now.html https://lsubramani.com/post-a-life-changing-choice-you-need-to-make-right-now.html L Subramani Self & Growth Mon, 22 Jul 2019 00:00:00 +0000 How many times you say ‘I can’t’ coming across an excellent job offer, a chance to find a life partner or when someone tells you that your business could be much bigger? How many times you end up saying, ‘it’s not for… https://lsubramani.com/post-youve-beaten-your-challenges-youre-a-hero-now-lets-hear.html https://lsubramani.com/post-youve-beaten-your-challenges-youre-a-hero-now-lets-hear.html L Subramani Self & Growth Sat, 13 Jul 2019 00:00:00 +0000 I still remember the evening as if it’s yesterday rather than the August of 30 years ago. I sat in the auto-rickshaw that added its share of toxic smoke to the air that got cooler with the sea breeze. Traffic crawled along… https://lsubramani.com/post-dont-shy-away-from-talking-about-your-true-self.html https://lsubramani.com/post-dont-shy-away-from-talking-about-your-true-self.html L Subramani Self & Growth Fri, 05 Jul 2019 00:00:00 +0000 Do you feel uncomfortable when someone talks about skin colour, disability, or even a seemingly frivolous thing like absentmindedness, because the comment is up close and personal? Do you stay away from family or social gathering to avoid a blindside on your… https://lsubramani.com/post-a-band-aid-to-stick-back-your-broken-self-and-get-out.html https://lsubramani.com/post-a-band-aid-to-stick-back-your-broken-self-and-get-out.html L Subramani Self & Growth Fri, 28 Jun 2019 00:00:00 +0000 image source: https://teamcollinsworth.com/professional-athletes-yoga/ Do you get overwhelmed by challenges? Do your limitations scare you? You’re not alone. In fact, we both are sailing pretty much in the same boat. But we’re lucky to have our unique challenges, because if you don’t have… https://lsubramani.com/post-yes-im-a-person-with-disability-and-im-proud.html https://lsubramani.com/post-yes-im-a-person-with-disability-and-im-proud.html L Subramani Philosophy of Disability Mon, 17 Jun 2019 00:00:00 +0000 Here’s a common experience among people with disability. Our friends and well-wishers squirm when we make a direct reference about our disability. Like this gentleman, who was quite alarmed when I used the word “I see” in a casual and, without a… https://lsubramani.com/post-heres-a-blessing-of-blindness-that-sales-managers-envy.html https://lsubramani.com/post-heres-a-blessing-of-blindness-that-sales-managers-envy.html L Subramani Ability in Disability Sun, 19 May 2019 00:00:00 +0000 Whenever you talk about a thing like blindness, the first thing that comes to mind is the negatives. Even the blind people (and I’m not generalizing) who’re usually positive are made to feel quite defencive about their disability, not because they lack… https://lsubramani.com/post-embrace-the-change-how-much-ever-difficult-it-is-heres-why.html https://lsubramani.com/post-embrace-the-change-how-much-ever-difficult-it-is-heres-why.html L Subramani Gradual Vision Loss Thu, 02 Aug 2018 00:00:00 +0000 My friend, my greatest supporter and my well-wisher, More than anyone else, you know what I mean when I say “embrace the change”. Challenges don’t highlight our limitations; they are signboards along the way that help us find the right path and… https://lsubramani.com/post-how-to-raise-genius-kids.html https://lsubramani.com/post-how-to-raise-genius-kids.html L Subramani Rehabilitation & Training Tue, 24 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 Sujitha J It’s each parent’s wish that their child should be an achiever, genius, a superstar and what not? In this post, I will share with you, how are kids that are genius are made. We all want our children to be… https://lsubramani.com/post-heres-the-greatest-secret-to-lead-a-long-and-passionate.html https://lsubramani.com/post-heres-the-greatest-secret-to-lead-a-long-and-passionate.html L Subramani Inclusion Wed, 18 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 More often, it’s not the story, but the actions, the principles and the ideas we glean from their stories that provide us the seedlings for success. This inspiring person who we’ll be featuring in our first newsletter, for instance, never allows the… https://lsubramani.com/post-why-self-doubt-is-the-worst-enemy.html https://lsubramani.com/post-why-self-doubt-is-the-worst-enemy.html L Subramani Rehabilitation & Training Thu, 12 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 Friends: Self doubt is the worst enemy to progress. It often begins like a faint dot in the horizon and snowballs into an avalanche that shatters our confidence. For persons with disability, it’s vital that we snuf out self-doubt before it could… https://lsubramani.com/post-believe-me-you-can-see-without-eyes.html https://lsubramani.com/post-believe-me-you-can-see-without-eyes.html L Subramani Ability in Disability Fri, 18 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000 I don’t have to explain to Indians and a few others from outside the subcontinent about Lord Shiva’s third eye, elegantly portrayed in pictures of him adorning the prayer rooms of devote Hindus across the country. Across the world, people believe in… https://lsubramani.com/post-how-to-cope-with-gradual-vision-loss-part-4-grab-the-white.html https://lsubramani.com/post-how-to-cope-with-gradual-vision-loss-part-4-grab-the-white.html L Subramani Rehabilitation & Training Tue, 08 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000 Nope, my intention is not to bore you out of your mind by talking about white cane again. I write this because so many people still hesitate to grab the white cane and discover the feeling of liberation. No gradual vision loss… https://lsubramani.com/post-is-blindness-a-sickness-a-disability-or-a-different-way-of.html https://lsubramani.com/post-is-blindness-a-sickness-a-disability-or-a-different-way-of.html L Subramani Philosophy of Disability Wed, 02 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000 It’s strangely amusing how some people react to your challenge. There’re those who blame you for finding yourself in a difficult situation. And there’re those who chide you, with all good intentions of course, for having failed to care enough to avoid… https://lsubramani.com/post-a-time-machine-to-the-lost-summer.html https://lsubramani.com/post-a-time-machine-to-the-lost-summer.html L Subramani Family & Caregivers Thu, 19 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000 Talking about summer is a joy. Oh, I know some of you wonder what is so joyful about the time of the year when the heat threatens to melt the ice, the tar and even the brain in spite of the thick… https://lsubramani.com/post-commander-cool.html https://lsubramani.com/post-commander-cool.html L Subramani Family & Caregivers Tue, 13 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000 It was 1981, or so I think, when I was about eight. Mom and three of my siblings were returning from a visit to our grandparent’s house, about five stations away from ours on the suburban train in Chennai. It must’ve been… https://lsubramani.com/post-how-do-i-handle-my-gradual-vision-loss-part-3.html https://lsubramani.com/post-how-do-i-handle-my-gradual-vision-loss-part-3.html L Subramani Rehabilitation & Training Thu, 23 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000 3. Don’t feel shy about using your white cane. On the sunny evening, the room where I stood looked shadowy. The lady standing before me watched the mortified expression on my face with a mixture of amusement and apprehension. She was shaking… https://lsubramani.com/post-how-do-i-handle-my-gradual-vision-loss-part-2.html https://lsubramani.com/post-how-do-i-handle-my-gradual-vision-loss-part-2.html L Subramani Gradual Vision Loss Sat, 31 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000 2. Try for a cure, by all means, but don’t postpone rehab. Should I try for a cure? This question is probably the upper-most in the minds of many facing gradual vision loss. All the family members, friends, the most distant relatives… https://lsubramani.com/post-how-do-i-handle-my-gradual-vision-loss-part-1.html https://lsubramani.com/post-how-do-i-handle-my-gradual-vision-loss-part-1.html L Subramani Patients & Doctors Sun, 16 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000 What does it feel like losing your sight little by little? It’s more like sinking below the earth on the edge of the twilight zone. Sometimes, the sights, the colors and the precise size of the objects look so wonderfully clear. And… https://lsubramani.com/post-dear-world-the-blind-community-is-taking-you-by-storm.html https://lsubramani.com/post-dear-world-the-blind-community-is-taking-you-by-storm.html L Subramani Accessible Technology Thu, 11 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 Are you one of those who think the blind are restricted because they can’t see? Well, this post would change that idea. For years, we’ve been saying that the blind can do wonderful things if given the right kind of tools and… https://lsubramani.com/post-the-man-behind-hear2read-making-low-end-smartphones-talk.html https://lsubramani.com/post-the-man-behind-hear2read-making-low-end-smartphones-talk.html L Subramani Accessible Technology Wed, 03 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000 Suresh Bazaj is no stranger to the blind community. A retired serial entrepreneur in the U.S. who spent his early life in Banaras, Suresh had seen blind people at a school in the old city which his family has been supporting from… https://lsubramani.com/post-the-teacher-who-transformed-my-life.html https://lsubramani.com/post-the-teacher-who-transformed-my-life.html L Subramani Disability & Education Sun, 06 Sep 2015 00:00:00 +0000 We all need a guide, a companion soul who shows up when we are at crossroads; at the moment that could turn our lives inexorably. When THAT PERSON happens to be a teacher, it feels as if god himself is reaching out… https://lsubramani.com/post-inclusion-in-practice-not-in-theory.html https://lsubramani.com/post-inclusion-in-practice-not-in-theory.html L Subramani Inclusion Wed, 12 Aug 2015 00:00:00 +0000 Never in my life did I feel so awkward and…dumbstruck. If you haven’t met me before, then probably I’ll have to tell you that it takes a bit of a doing for someone to make me dumb. The guy in the front… https://lsubramani.com/post-freedom-within-limitations.html https://lsubramani.com/post-freedom-within-limitations.html L Subramani Communication & Storytelling Mon, 18 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0000 What else do I think on a day when our country celebrates its independence? The Americans celebrate their I-Day on July 4, Malaysians on Aug 31, Singaporians on Aug 9, while South Koreans like Indians mark the day on August 15. The… https://lsubramani.com/post-the-myth-of-eye-contacts.html https://lsubramani.com/post-the-myth-of-eye-contacts.html L Subramani Patients & Doctors Sat, 26 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0000 Eyes, they say, are windows to a person’s soul. Poets, novelists and storytellers describe them as the communicator of truth. “They speak their own language,” goes a suggestion. But if a person loses his eyesight or is born without it, does it… https://lsubramani.com/post-the-right-convergence.html https://lsubramani.com/post-the-right-convergence.html L Subramani From the Archive Sun, 06 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0000 The group of experts seated at the dais had barely anything in common. One was an author and an IT industry leader, the other the head of a mental health institution and the third was a former bureaucrat at the health department.… https://lsubramani.com/post-celebrating-our-uniqueness.html https://lsubramani.com/post-celebrating-our-uniqueness.html L Subramani Philosophy of Disability Wed, 11 Jun 2014 00:00:00 +0000 Ok… let me celebrate. I mean let me do that without apology or apprehension, without being crass, cruel or callus. Let me do it without regret and do it by blowing a kiss heavenwards, because if I’m his creation and am part… https://lsubramani.com/post-diminishing-vision-and-disappearing-space.html https://lsubramani.com/post-diminishing-vision-and-disappearing-space.html L Subramani Patients & Doctors Fri, 30 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000 It was the same street, same row of buildings on either side. I was sure that the rickshaw puller would get a sadistic pleasure by swerving dangerously close to the startled pedestrian. And the pedestrian must weigh the danger of standing unperturbed… https://lsubramani.com/post-why-consulting-your-ophthalmologist-is-important-after.html https://lsubramani.com/post-why-consulting-your-ophthalmologist-is-important-after.html L Subramani Patients & Doctors Wed, 21 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000 “R.P. is a progressive degenerative retinal disease with no cure or treatment. Then why should I go to my ophthalmologist regularly?” The question from a patient in the audience almost stunned the doctor who gave a presentation on newly emerging treatments at… https://lsubramani.com/post-where-patients-should-call-the-shots.html https://lsubramani.com/post-where-patients-should-call-the-shots.html L Subramani Patients & Doctors Sun, 04 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000 Let me put this disclaimer first: doctors out there reading this post, please understand that the idea that I am about to explore is not some kind of patient revolt or Bolshevik-style insurrection on our health system. Let me also admit that… https://lsubramani.com/post-the-voice-that-helps-and-hinders.html https://lsubramani.com/post-the-voice-that-helps-and-hinders.html L Subramani Accessible Technology Tue, 22 Apr 2014 00:00:00 +0000 No…I’m not talking about the “inner voice”, the famous personification of intuitive understanding that leads to moral or spiritual epiphany, but an artificial and definitely monotonous voice that shadows every keystroke I make on my PC’s input system. Like many relationships we… https://lsubramani.com/post-blindness-doesnt-make-you-less-of-a-dad.html https://lsubramani.com/post-blindness-doesnt-make-you-less-of-a-dad.html L Subramani Family & Caregivers Mon, 07 Apr 2014 00:00:00 +0000 I watched in the direction of the street corner and heard the loud horn. Being a late blind, the tendency to turn my head in the direction of a sound or a voice comes to me naturally. But on that day, I… https://lsubramani.com/post-god-isnt-cruel-disability-isnt-punishment.html https://lsubramani.com/post-god-isnt-cruel-disability-isnt-punishment.html L Subramani Philosophy of Disability Sun, 23 Mar 2014 00:00:00 +0000 One of the greatest disadvantages of having a disability, especially in a country like India, is that you become the focus of prying eyes the moment you enter a public place like a restaurant, the airport lounge or railway station. If you… https://lsubramani.com/post-the-loving-presence.html https://lsubramani.com/post-the-loving-presence.html L Subramani Rehabilitation & Training Fri, 14 Mar 2014 00:00:00 +0000 There isn’t anything more painful for patients and their caregivers than the days and weeks that follow the diagnosis of a condition like Retinitis Pigmentosa. In a country like India, where awareness about different kinds of ailments among the people still needs… https://lsubramani.com/post-find-out-from-an-expert-how-apple-devices-are-changing.html https://lsubramani.com/post-find-out-from-an-expert-how-apple-devices-are-changing.html L Subramani Accessible Technology Wed, 05 Mar 2014 00:00:00 +0000 Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB) in the United States has been doing pioneering work in terms of informing patients with retinal conditions about research in finding a cure, besides helping them cope with the diminishing vision. Importantly, the not for profit organization is… https://lsubramani.com/post-the-road-not-taken.html https://lsubramani.com/post-the-road-not-taken.html L Subramani Philosophy of Disability Wed, 26 Feb 2014 00:00:00 +0000 They say it’s the regret most feel too strongly on their deathbeds. With their lives reaching an absolute dead-end and no promise of a future, people reflect over their lives and sigh ‘I could have done that’. Indeed, life won’t be any… https://lsubramani.com/post-is-unequal-world-a-blessing.html https://lsubramani.com/post-is-unequal-world-a-blessing.html L Subramani Rehabilitation & Training Thu, 20 Feb 2014 00:00:00 +0000 If you want to understand the inequalities of the world, you just have to do one thing: walk along the busiest arterial road of your city or town. A busy road is an interesting place. Especially in India where it is harder… https://lsubramani.com/post-search-for-cure-or-an-escape-from-reality.html https://lsubramani.com/post-search-for-cure-or-an-escape-from-reality.html L Subramani Rehabilitation & Training Thu, 06 Feb 2014 00:00:00 +0000 After reading my book “Lights Out” published by Random House India, which is recently out in the market, patients and non-patients alike have been asking if I have something against them searching for a cure. It needs no reiteration, but it doesn’t… https://lsubramani.com/post-a-good-rehab-system-for-r-p-patients.html https://lsubramani.com/post-a-good-rehab-system-for-r-p-patients.html L Subramani Rehabilitation & Training Mon, 27 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000 Is there a difference in the way a total blind person adapts to his environment and the way a low vision/progressive vision loss patient relates to his surroundings? The answer is yes. Traditionally, our rehab and support systems have treated all visually… https://lsubramani.com/post-my-book-lights-out-is-about-r-p.html https://lsubramani.com/post-my-book-lights-out-is-about-r-p.html L Subramani From the Archive Sun, 19 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000 Retinitis Pigmentosa (R.P. as it is commonly known in the medical language) is a condition that results in gradual vision loss. Persons having this condition could become totally blind or significantly visually impaired. In India, where marriages within close family circles are… https://lsubramani.com/post-doctors-dilemma-and-chasing-a-cure.html https://lsubramani.com/post-doctors-dilemma-and-chasing-a-cure.html L Subramani From the Archive Sat, 18 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000 Sometimes, it doesn’t pay to be a doctor. Yes, I say this despite being a patient and not a doctor. The reason is quite simple: imagine a patient, a young one at that, seated across the table from you hoping to hear… https://lsubramani.com/post-untitled-jan-16-2014.html https://lsubramani.com/post-untitled-jan-16-2014.html L Subramani From the Archive Thu, 16 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000 One of the questions we are asked whenever we meet with able bodied people is that how much it hurts to be blind? “Jeese man! Are you not brooding over your blindness every day? Are you not feeling bad that you can’t…