Known as the 'Indian Anne Sullivan,' Beroz Vacha revolutionised educational services for children with deaf blindness in India starting in 1977. She blended her expertise with a deep passion for children and families, and her unassuming nature always put people at ease.
Vacha possessed a deep understanding of the potential in individuals with deaf blindness and multiple disabilities. She championed the recognition of ‘total communication’ as a method for those with deaf blindness and hearing impairments. Her influence extended beyond India, as she trained teachers in Indonesia and Malaysia on teaching and communication strategies for the deafblind.
Under her leadership, the Helen Keller Institute for Deaf and Deafblind (HKIDB) in Navi Mumbai introduced the first vocational training program for adults with deaf blindness, the teacher training program in deaf blindness, and the first computerised mini Braille Press for adults with deaf blindness in India.
In 1974, Vacha became the first Indian to be trained in deaf blindness at Perkins School for the Blind in Boston, Massachusetts. In the 1990s, she helped establish a program for children with deaf blindness and multiple disabilities at the National Association for the Blind in Delhi under the Hilton-Perkins International program.
Vacha continued to guide and mentor various organisations in the early 2000s, including the Perkins Voice and Vision India project, which later became Perkins India. She was instrumental in guiding this project's activities as one of the Advisory members.
Her ability to keep dreaming and live life fully, even in the face of challenges, inspired many, and her legacy continues to inspire even today. Vacha received numerous prestigious awards, including the National Award for her contributions to the welfare of people with disabilities from the Government of India, the international ’Anne Sullivan Macy Medal‘ from the Perkins School for the Blind, and the ’Rustom Merwanji Alpaiwala Memorial Award‘ from the National Association for the Blind India, Mumbai.
Beroz Vacha’s career spans over 48 years, beginning in 1965 as a teacher of the deaf at the Education, Audiology, and Research Centre. There, she met a young deaf girl who had become blind, and it changed her life's direction. In 1977, she founded the Helen Keller Institute for Deaf & Deafblind in Mumbai. From 1985 to 1986, she worked at the Singapore School for the Blind, training teachers in deafblind education. In 1987, she returned to India as Director/Consultant of the Helen Keller Institute for Deaf & Deafblind, where she continued her influential work.
Her work included consulting for NASEOH on developing ’Total Communication’, editing the International Newsletter for the Deafblind under UNESCO, and guiding Sense International India. In 2000, she pioneered a diagnostic centre for functional assessment of vision and hearing, and in 2001, a comprehensive computer education program for the deafblind.
Vacha’s unwavering dedication, pioneering spirit, and passion for teaching have left a lasting impact on the field of deafblind education. Her legacy continues to inspire educators and advocates around the world.
(Image Credit: http://beroz-vacha.last-memories.com/)