Nibin Mathew

    9:25AM Sep 29, 2023

    Speakers:

    George Abraham

    Nibin Mathew

    Keywords:

    blind

    tennis

    violin

    stem education

    play

    international

    players

    work

    year

    part

    racket

    ball

    music

    scholarship

    specifically

    india

    digital literacy

    bosch

    layer

    person

    Hi, my name is George Abraham and welcome to IB conversations. My guest today is nibin. Matthew from Kerala is an IT professional and an international tennis player. I live in welcome.

    Hi Joshua. How are you? Great. Great.

    Nevin, you work with the Bosch global software. VG SW. Yes. Yeah. So what exactly is your portfolio there or your role there? And what you actually do,

    you know, and I'm an IT professional, I'm currently working as a digital accessibility specialist at Marsh global software technologies PSW, India, and I'm driving an accessibility team here to make the Bosch product specifically software products accessible for people or individuals. So also do a lot of user experience studies and research to improve the experience of digital digital products. So that is what is the current role at Bosch? Yes.

    You were a student of English, how did you actually get technology?

    So I was very technology enthusiasts since beginning since my childhood, and you know, when I become a fully blind when I was in 12th, standard, initially, I was partially sighted later, I went to when I became fully blind. So this kind of a trend, initially, there was a no no, no direction for education way in which direction I should go. So my parents are actually not that educated, they have not even crossed and standard. So since from that sense, from such a background, you know, I wasn't aware about much about accessibility, accessible science, STEM education and all those areas. While I was while my during my studies, so when I go to know about it after my Bachelor's about there are a lot of projects, not a lot of academic. A lot of my courses which are interdisciplinary, where I can study, even even in technical semi technical domains. So that was a time I moved to, you know, an IT professional programming background.

    You said just now that you lost your eyesight completely when you were in class 12 then you did the college education, you did an undergraduate degree in the humanities, focusing mainly on English. So, in Kerala, while you were studying, what was the kind of support you got from the college from home and how did you actually manage because English specially as a lot of reading to be done?

    Yeah, that's right. I mean, to be frank, that was in that the Lang language was not that not that was my passion actually. So, it was a just take a course for undergrad I selected and graduation even I had a background of computer commerce for my neutral standard. So, when I moved to under graduation with my with my due to the higher education, so, one thing was happened, I started using computer often that was a time I started using computer after a while, when I close my 12th standard, then I mean from home, there was no that there was not much support in terms of academics or in terms of you know, career this in that direction, there was no support from home because more than there was a huge support from family from specifically my father and mother and about how high studies and all the things but they kept inspired me to go for go for the higher education but in terms of mentorship or in terms of a technology aspect. I was truly explored a lot myself and a lot of friends circle and a lot of people specifically from Kerala, it was one other place I feel that I've lost because of the digital literacy aspects a lot of initiative happening in Kerala. So that is something motivated or create enthusiasm to pursue technology part and that is something helping me to you know, develop that further education, career and all these aspects.

    If you know of Anyone with vision impairment who needs guidance on living life with blindness, please share the EIV national toll free helpline number 1-800-532-0469 The number is 1-800-532-0469.

    After graduation you also work with the Indian

    railways. So, immediately after my graduation I get into railway through this RRB exam. So, there was preparations during my undergrad specifically to crack one of the government exam and to get in get into get into it immediately get into a job. And I worked in Mumbai, Central Railway, Mumbai, that was around for three years, I was at my my appointment was in an HR department where Central Railway has around you know, 1000s of employees in the same domain. So where I had to support with all the HR related topics, writing emails, a lot of emails, a lot of NRCS a lot of you know, automation process where the elements or the paper materials were translating into digital form an automatic injection of digital materials is why I was part of that. So some of the areas that I was interested in most of the areas I was not that interested,

    I know very often when you want to get into a government job, you don't quit to get into any other kind of domain

    people were not that aware about disability. So there was a lot of struggles specifically, generally people won't give the work because they have a kind of a stereotypic attitude that aka person with the disabilities are actually not capable of doing work or they are not trained or they cannot do this that conventional thing still they that is one of the aspects. Second thing is the infrastructure that was not capable, I mean, even if even after requesting a system after one, two or three years or it's I have not received a system computer system to do to do my work. So, another area of course, I had a passion in technology,

    you know, maybe when you were telling me about an award or scholarship or a recognition that you got for your contribution or your participation in STEM education, yes, tell us about it.

    So, you know, as you know, that when I was one of the child wanted to pursue science during my 12 Later I wanted to continue but it was not happened because lack of mentorship, lack lack of infrastructure, lack lack of accessible STEM education systems. So, always that that was there in my in my thought that if there is an opportunity to contribute something to the STEM education, but I really wanted to contribute. So, when I was in AAA to be parallely, there was an organization incubated organization we should empower. So, I had an opportunity to work with supply TBN which number together, so, so, there was a lot of technology intervention specifically Science, Technology, Engineering and Math stem interventions, to to get to give a next generation, you know, accessible STEM education in this environment. So, I had I had a specific contribution to the LMS one of the learning management system, which was a number was developed. Similarly, there was a unique approach for perceiving science concepts from this for the children. So I was part of all these projects, along with one of the core area I had worked was digital literacy that was fundamental for STEM education, having a good knowledge in computer with assistive technology like Scopus gsrn, video and seamless Creative Technologies. So, that part, I had an I had a wonderful contribution where I had designed a full digital literacy curriculum during this time, that is something all these that is something actually gave me a good, excellent portfolio there that all the all these things I had to I had, you know, that that was part of this scholarship, where I was kind of an advocate for accessible STEM education plus accessible digital world. So this is something must be might be G three ICT took me for the scholarship, the International Scholarship. So GT ICD is actually a global initiative for inclusive ICT. So they have a scholarship called their scholarship. This is an annual scholarship they have offered for specifically for developing countries, people from developing countries. So there is actually digital accessibility rights education. So where I was one of the part one of the applicant and scholarship scholarship recipient in 2021, out of 500 to 50 candidates were across the country across the world. So they had Around 40 people got the scholarship so I was one of them from 20 to new and I was I was one of the one of the recipient from India.

    You know, living when I read about the fact that you had participated in the World Games organised by the International Blind Sports Association, and you had won the bronze medal for tennis, I was very excited because I have been a keen tennis fan ever since 1969. I've been following tennis very closely. So I'm curious to know, A, how did you start playing and how do blind people actually play tennis because it's a very visual game right.

    So, entrance to the blind tennis was something happened was it in 2019 While I was at Mumbai, I was in Mumbai, I got an an wonderful opportunity to to attend a workshop, which was happened in Mumbai, where I was one of the participant and got into this blind tennis. So, blind tennis is pretty an exciting game and one of the important difference I was seeing from our other games was is we are playing the same tennis but only changes in the ball and very minor changes in the rules, except all the other things as classic tennis, the ball has providing a sound and there are three bounds allowed for a blind b one player and tennis court will have a tactile line and they will lower net height. This is this is a very basic introduction to the blind tennis, except all the rules are pretty same, the scoring system is pretty same pointing system is pretty same. All the other rules for gaining and losing points the same. That is about tennis. So I was a national champion in 2020 there was a national championship in 2020 later, there was a championship supposed to happen in Italy in 2020 itself. So that was canceled due to this COVID later this is that the subsequent years was canceled because of this COVID impact. This was the year again it's come back this surveilled game. So I was very very fortunately it was part of it. And

    because so so in this world championship that you got a bronze medal, yeah, how many how many players actually participated?

    Altogether around 80 participants were from across the country across the world. And in given category, they were around 14 men play guess similar almost 10 Female V female athletes also were there.

    So how many games did you end up playing to win the win the bronze medal.

    So, for the bronze medal, that is I had to play seven games, I also got a chance to play doubles. So that I that game I lost but altogether, I played seven games, sorry eight games and altogether I played eight games and seven singles.

    Now, you are also the representative of the International blind test Tennis Federation. So, as a representative, what is the role you play? What are you responsible for?

    Yeah, so right now, I am serving as a country representative of international blind Tennis Association. So, the current responsibilities are to promote India promote the blindness in India and talk about and as India reached more people know, so, you know, taking making a lot of players introducing this 10 is and communicating this organization and the players all these aspects are the kind of current responsibilities. And yeah,

    in India is a you one person office or you have a team of people who work with you.

    Currently, there are there are a lot of players in India, who are already got the training from during training during 2018 2018 and 2019. And active there are less than 10 active players I should say. And currently, there are a lot of things actually in the pipeline for the upcoming championships and all the future tennis plan. There are a lot of things are actually in the pipeline. So yeah, right now very few players are in the country. I'm one among them.

    So this tennis, you said it's very close to the regular classic tennis. So tell me a little bit about the racket you use. And also, you said the ball makes noise. But what is the material and what is the technique? Like blind cricket, it's a plastic ball with ball bearings inside. So in the case of blind tennis, what is the ball made up of and what does the sound

    it's a blind tennis ball is made out of the 32 gram ball with a night of No Man's centimeter diameter altogether. So it's staunch ball SpongeBob I mean sponge ball with the inside there is a layer where it's a typical table tennis ball sized ball is there inside inside inside either the iron iron bearings. So, this is a structure I mean three layers, three bolts we should say we three layer boards one is outer less mid layer and the inner layer. The outer

    layer is punched in one layer is plus plastic and the inner layer iron Yes. Okay. And the ball bounces well born bounces very well yes. And in cricket we find that when the ball is in the air, it doesn't make too much of sound whatever, the tennis ball,

    but this ball will make sound whenever even when even it is in the air it's it makes sound we can track the ball even when we whenever it is in the arrows.

    And what's the racket made of? Is it a regular

    typical racket idea of a program in International Tennis Federation approved racket same racket. So this year on was the ibtta International blindness Association approved to play any racket size which is applicable for tennis so up to 27 inch we can play and I'm a I'm a player with the 25 inch tennis racket. Previously I practice with 23 inch previously it was allowed only 20 to 23 inch, but this year onwards it is allowed any racket size a player comfortable with.

    So apart from the Absa international tournament, are there other global events for blind tennis?

    Yeah, every year international blind Tennis Association organizing an international championship this year is it was there in Poland immediately after the ibsf world game, but I hadn't I have not part of it. And there are many other friendly matches where many other regional matches in Europe and South in Asian countries is comparatively less, I should say it's not not generally it is not happening so far. In the in the upcoming years. Hopefully it will happen. But mostly it will it games are happening in Europe.

    If a blind person or a low vision person wants to play tennis, how can you go about it?

    Of course, one thing is actually right now I'm planning for a lot of workshops in across the country. So, a blind player can be part of it, when whenever this workshop happened, and most welcome to the workshop even if someone is some someone is other state. So, another thing you can reach out to me so you can write an email inclusive 10 is india@gmail.com. So, that is an email id also you have a reference inclusive tennis India, YouTube channel is there where you can see all the games all the international matches are uploaded, where you can refer all these matches and see the how the blind player can play. So that is that reference is there. So further thing definitely we can communicate, you can communicate to me or any players in the country who are already aware about it. That is a way Definitely you can reach out.

    To support our work with the blind and visually impaired, you can visit the donate page on our website, www dot score Foundation, dot O R g.in. Please note, w w w dot score foundation dot O R G dot i n.

    So I also want to know because I was reading in your notes you shared that you had learned to violin you know I as a kid, I from the age of I think eight or nine I learned the violin for about 1012 years, right through school and college. Now you also have written that you've passed certain grades of exams. So how did you get down to learning the violin? Meaning? Was it your parents who kind of encouraged you to play or they were inspired by seeing somebody else play? And how did you learn and you know, music, especially Western music has sheet music, which you're expected to read. So how did as a blind person How did you actually cope with learning the violin?

    So that's really amazing question. So specifically, I'm starting in one point that until my until I was taking the first first grade from Trinity College London. My parents were not aware about this. So I was started learning violin so so that's the first one. So I started in the music. The music is actually one of the things I was passionate. I started playing piano keyboard specifically, since my childhood. I used to play in church and or in the early days later I switched completely switched or stopped due to various reasons. Then, when I was in Mumbai, I restarted to continue the music where I was very, very keen on different music instruments. So one of the thing that I heard a lot about violin. And I had kind of an interest to test how the violin something that nobody have tried much, so I'm not getting any reference. So just for an experiment purpose I started it was a very difficult to to get a trainer but somehow I figured out a musician, Alana Fernandez, she is from Columbia, Mumbai. And she was my teacher. So I started playing violin, and though it was street music, I had to record and learn, I had tried to use some other tools like MuseScore and all the things but it was not that successful. Even I tried for Braille music also, but I was not that very, you know, the beauty of a sight reading is not there, of course, but at the same time, we have to remember and I the, the kind of music sense, something has had helped me It helped me a lot. And first year, it's a way to I was able to take this grade three from Trinity College. Later, very, I had a lot of motivation from the the music teacher, she used to take me to the violin sessions, veiling, you know, concerts, so those kinds of exposure gave me more motivation to pursue violin further. And in next year, I took the grade three directly skipping that to get to so till that I did, though it was a childish but still, it was amazing. And I tried now I do both I do play both electric and acoustic, both I have I play. So not often, but occasionally. Yes. So that's about violin.

    Tell me, what do your parents feel when they see you move from being losing your eyesight when you were in last? Well, when? where you are today? What are their thoughts?

    If I, if you ask this question, I have no right person to answer this vessel, what I'm observing is there was a stage they were in a little bit depression, where they are kind of figuring out okay, I'm going to be blind, fully blind, because doctors were asking question, does this child know braille? So when they ask these questions, the parents were not realizing that, okay, this guy is going to be fully blind in a couple of years, because doctors were already aware about this. So there was a stage that no father got to know about this, okay. In that stage, he had helped me a lot. And he had himself learn a lot. And, you know, gave him the kind of courage Kinder kind of awareness about it, even without this without vision also person can live. And he's inspired me a lot. So I think he, my father was one other person inspired me a lot without having any formal education. He had a wonderful, he had a reading habit. So all these things, I think something he was very much confident. And all the steps whenever I was taking each of the steps he was never say, no, no, or don't do us always very much enthusiastic, I should say. So parents were something, you know, kind of a different. I mean, it was it was fortunate that my parents, they were very much supportive always. Yeah, so they're really amazing.

    Today, today, what do they think? What do they say? I'm,

    even whenever I was clearing this International Plant in this championship, also. I don't know exactly what's happening with their minds, but they are really, really amazing. They're really, they're really recognized. And they have a, they have a presence in all others mind. That is something I could gain. And all it's happening, maybe blindness or not the reason. So they are very much happy about it. Of course there are at the same time, there are concerns, always they have concerns as a child, as I mentioned, they have considered me but still they are very much confident they don't. When I was one of one of the most important things I'm very much I'm a traveler, I used to travel alone a lot. So they inspired me they didn't never ask, where are you? Where what is the plan, nothing they never asked. Even even if I'm not there for two, three days, they don't call me I mean, they're very confident where I'm going. So even if I forget cane, they will come back with a cane. They they will always remind me if you take cane. So kind of a very good exposed expert bands with a lot of exposure I feel without giving without anyone give the training. So many of these parts very, very much fortune.

    That is really amazing. And I'm glad that in spite of the challenges and the limited awareness in the in the in the place that you grew up in, you still have become a shining light for not only for the blind blind community but also for group People to renew circles starting from Wayanad. To converter to wherever you are. It was wonderful speaking with you nibin Thank you for giving me the time wish you the very best as you go forward in your life and your pursuits.

    Thanks a lot servants really amazing really happy to talk to you Nika.

    This podcast was brought to you by score foundation

    we good Russia, Nika.