How visually challenged Hannah beat odds to top CBSE exams

A visually challenged girl who secured the first rank in the class 12 Board examinations in the disabled category has credited her parents for not treating her as 'special".

Hannah Alice Simon, a student of Rajagiri Christu Jayanthi Public School in Kochi, scored 496 out of 500 in CBSE Class XII. Hannah has microphthalmia, a birth defect of the eye which causes blindness, but her parents let her face her challenges head on.

"Instead of giving me an education in a school for disabled students, my parents thought of admitting me in a normal school so that I don't face any difficulty during further studies in college." Hannah told ANI.


They made the choice because they did not want her to be cut off from the rest of the world. Hannah said she was bullied as a child and was kept at a distance, but she learnt to take it in her stride.

All the while her parents never gave her the feeling that she is different from her sisters. " For my parents, I am not special. All three of us are equally special. I am just one among three children," Hannah said.

Her excellent academic achievements apart, Hannah is not tied to her books. She is a motivational speaker, a singer, and a Youtuber. She also recently published a book of six short stories.

Her excellent academic achievements apart, Hannah is not tied to her books. She is a motivational speaker, a singer, and a Youtuber. She also recently published a book of six short stories.