I'd like to introduce you to Aishwarya Pillari. I've gotten to know her through her donations of her unique 3D art to the Glaucoma Research Foundation Art Show and Auction. We correspond often, and she is truly an inspiration to many, myself included. Below is her journey, I am certain her story will inspire you as well. What she has accomplished is simply incredible - she is an unstoppable beacon of hope.

T.V. Aishwarya, hailing from Hyderabad, India, has faced life's formidable challenges head-on, never yielding to adversity. At the young age of 10, she endured the heart-wrenching loss of her mother to cancer, and at 15, her father succumbed to the same illness. Her resilience shone even brighter when she received a devastating diagnosis in the third year of her Bachelor's in Mass Communication- a brain tumor that robbed her of her eyesight, hearing, smell, taste, and memory, while also threatening paralysis in her right limbs. Doctors gave her a grim prognosis of less than three months to live, forcing her to relinquish her dream of becoming a filmmaker as she grappled with a life-and-death struggle.

Aishwarya refused to succumb to these overwhelming odds. Slowly but resolutely, she began her path to recovery, gradually regaining her senses, with the exception of her eyesight. Her journey led her to the LV Prasad Eye Institute, where she embarked on a vision rehabilitation program, ultimately achieving independence with the assistance of technology. She even found her calling as a Rehabilitation Counselor at the same institute.
Though she had given up on her dream of being a filmmaker, her unwavering spirit drove her to write a script and direct an audio movie titled 'I'm Possible,' marking her journey as a visually impaired filmmaker. Furthermore, Aishwarya ventured into video production, directing numerous awareness and informative videos for her department.

Even her passion for pencil sketching, which seemed lost with her eyesight, was rekindled during a visit to an art gallery. This gallery's inaccessible art sparked a change in her perception, leading her to create 3D artworks that not only visually impaired individuals could touch but also craft themselves. Employing aluminum foil for her 3D art and Assistive Technology to identify colors, she has crafted over 27 3D paintings, several Emojis, and 3D models, including the Human Heart, Pyramid, and the Titanic ship. Other examples of her art are below.

Aishwarya has also organized workshops for others with visual impairments to experience her unique artwork, which has been showcased at prestigious events and galleries worldwide. Recently, she also conducted workshops at Empower 2023, Chennai and AccessAbilities Expo, Dubai.

Her role as a Rehabilitation Counselor for over a decade at the LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad inspired her advocacy for people with disabilities. She conducted workshops for corporate companies to raise awareness about inclusive hiring and fought for the rights of individuals with visual impairments in the realms of education and employment.

Aishwarya is currently a Co-Founder and Product Lead with Grailmaker Innovations, Hyderabad, India,a company dedicated to developing assistive technology products for individuals with visual impairment, with her brainchild product, Spacefelt. Her inability to identify colors for her painting led to the creation of this app, which utilizes QR labels and an app for color recognition.

With a remarkable list of achievements, Aishwarya's journey includes being a speaker at the TEDx Hyderabad event in September 2023 and receiving the Honorary Award at the Insights Art competition organized by the American Printing House for the Blind in 2021 and 2022. The latest feather to her cap is the CavinKare Ability Mastery Award by the Ability Foundation in March 2024.

Her tireless dedication has been recognized through awards from various organizations, including the National Federation for the Blind, Telangana, Rotary Club, Mysore, Able Aura, Chennai, Mahnav Foundation, Hyderabad, and Nanah Gyan Foundation, Pune, India.

In her own words, Aishwarya believes that life presents two choices when one falls: to sit and mourn the wound or to rise and walk despite the fall. She has consistently chosen the latter, inspiring others with her indomitable spirit.

Featured links:

TEDx Talk:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4wxvHEpDsk&t=75s

CavinKare Ability Mastery Award:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwLMQND-418

I'm Possible Audio Movie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BDmEoNci1g&t=17s

Tactile painting workshop and exhibition:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMZy4koecHg&t=13s

Artworks Beyond Sight (Facebook Page):
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100054606333755

Contact details:
T.V. Aishwarya
Ph: 91 9581540852
Email: [email protected]

With GRF President Tom Brenner  Yes, there are a lot of pictures in this issue! I could not help but to share them. This was the third year for The Art Auction at Glaucoma 360. It is always such a wonderful event in San Francisco with the Glaucoma Research Foundation - everything was just perfect!  Truly it was an honor to be presented with the Presidents's Award at the gala this year. It was even more overwhelming when the actual award arrived yesterday and saw it was etched with the following: "The Glaucoma Research Foundation President's Award presented to Patricia Caulfield For illuminating Hope and being a Leader in the Glaucoma Community"   I'm still pitching myself!  To my surprise, I was awarded two additional certificates. One from the city of San Francisco, and one from the state of California. David Heller, CEO of sf Beauty Network Inc presented them "for outstanding service and for improving the lives of people living with glaucoma by advancing sight saving research and providing additional essential educational resources for patients and caregivers."  Being completely gobsmacked by all of this doesn't even to cover it. For me, my contribution is shining a light on the visually impaired artists who have donated their artwork and live with vision loss every single day. These artists and their artwork are my driving force for creating awareness and helping to fund research and education, and to find a cure through the incredible work that is being done. Being presented with these awards by the Glaucoma Research Foundation, an organization that I so admire and am aligned with their mission, is something I never expected. I will continue my efforts to create awareness and to spread hope for a cure. I know the cure is in sight. www.glaucoma.org

 

With David Heller and my husband Kevin