Miranda Tomkinson, a 45-year-old lecturer at the National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Multiple Disabilities (NIEPMD), is an inspiration to many. Born blind and later losing his hearing, Miranda has overcome countless challenges to achieve his goals. Despite his disabilities, he has become a successful lecturer, teaching diploma, B.Ed, and M.Ed courses to a majority of able-bodied students. Miranda uses special tools such as “refreshable braille” to navigate the world of communication and relies on vibrations to sense when someone is talking on the phone.
Miranda’s story is one of grit and determination. He was born blind and his hearing loss began in middle school. His teachers were not trained to handle students with disabilities, but he excelled in his studies. He went on to study sociology at Loyola College and later pursued a B.Ed program, but his hearing loss worsened, making it difficult for him to listen to lecturers. He switched to distance learning, but it was a struggle, and he had to rely on human readers to help him with his studies.
Miranda’s job search was also challenging, but he was encouraged by NIEPMD faculty members to pursue a master’s program in education. He holds three postgraduate degrees and has cleared the UGC NET exams in Sociology and Education. In 2013, he fought a protracted battle to get a question paper in Braille for a UGC examination, which ultimately led to a victory.
Despite facing many challenges, including the pandemic, which left him without work and isolated, Miranda has developed many skills and has been adopting new teaching methods. He advocates for greater inclusion and awareness for individuals with deafblindness and multiple disabilities through his blog, YouTube channel, and upcoming book. His wife, Rexy Vinotha, has been supportive and helps him reach a larger audience.
Miranda’s story is a testament to his perseverance and resilience. He has been recognized for his achievements, including the CavinKare Ability Award, and is an inspiration to many. His goal is to become an author like Helen Keller and to advocate for greater inclusion and awareness for individuals with disabilities. The director and faculty at NIEPMD have been supportive of Miranda, and they are pushing for the implementation of the four percent reservation in government jobs for persons with disabilities, which would enable Miranda to get a permanent job. As K. Balabaskar, a lecturer at NIEPMD, says, “For persons with multiple disabilities to grow, it is equally important that society extends them compassion.”