Hubballi: Suhas Dharwad, 23, a visually impaired student  Hubballi pursuing a Masters in Human-Computer Interaction  (HCI), at University of Trento, was selected for an exchange  programme at University of Twente, Netherlands — the first visually challenged student there.
He told TOI that his course includes multi-agent systems,  basics of impact, innovation and entrepreneurship, speech  processing, computer ethics, and human-robot collaboration.  ..
He aims to become a UX researcher focusing on accessible technology.
"I am thrilled to start this new chapter, as I will get to interact with new people, explore Dutch culture, and study courses that will further enhance my technical skills.  All these courses will further enhance my thinking abilities ethical standpoint, and improve my technical skills in AI and robotics. While these courses are not strictly HCI-related, they help me explore my interests, and that's the advantage of an exchange with Erasmus+ program. While students in general, are often quite wary about going  to a new country and adapting to a new environment, I don't  feel this way. The fact is, I believe that doing this a second time won't be as hard.
I recently learned from a study advisor at the University of  Twente, Evelien Bink, that there have been no blind students  who studied there. I know there are more challenges to  overcome, but I think that with help of technology and  kindness of people, I will succeed," he added.
Suhas was denied an Italian visa, citing insufficient income  source documentation in Aug 2024. Following a TOI report,  Union minister Pralhad Joshi approached external affairs  minister S Jaishankar, and helped Dharwad. Seeing  his application, the Italian university waived his tuition  fee. Now the Netherlands' varsity is offering a 70% scholarship
In an email communication with Suhas, E Vink, study advisor  student services and well-being, University of Twente,  commented that there haven't been any blind students who  have studied at our university before. T Ceccherini, MSc  HCI, University of Trento, remarked that Suhas is very  curious and social. "He is always keen on understanding new   topics in technology and is quite adventurous," he added.

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hubballi/hubballi-visually-challenged-student-selected-for-netherlands-varsity-programme/articleshow/123286025.cms