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Some of the challenges he often encounters include:

• Inaccessible Educational content: Screen readers and other Assistive technologies struggle to interpret and communicate content such as mathematical equations, making it difficult for Arun to understand and work with complex concepts.

• Lack of Context in Diagrams and Images: While screen readers can provide some information about images and diagrams (provided Alt text is provided in the material), they often lack the context and detail (such as arrows and symbols) that sighted individuals take for granted. This makes it challenging for Arun to fully understand and interpret visual data.

• Incompatible Digital Formats: Many digital formats, such as PDFs and LaTeX documents, are not compatible with screen readers, making it difficult for Arun to access and read technical documents.

• Limited Access to Visual Aids: STEM students often rely on visual aids like graphs, charts, and diagrams to understand complex concepts. However, these visual aids are often inaccessible, making it difficult for Arun to fully engage with the material.

• Collaboration and Communication Barriers: The inaccessibility of technical documents and visual aids can create barriers to collaboration and communication with sighted colleagues, making it challenging for Arun to work effectively in team-based environments.

More specifically, in today’s increasingly virtual-first world, where long-distance collaborations are becoming commonplace, Arun faces challenges when people use tools like whiteboards during online meetings. Most screen readers cannot interpret handwritten material or grasp the context. 

Arun recounts an experience: 

❝ Recently, I had a meeting where they used a whiteboard. While they told me what they were writing, I later needed to refer back to the whiteboard. Unfortunately, I had to ask someone else for help because my screen reader couldn’t understand the context from the picture of the whiteboard. Additionally, the people who wrote on the board used abbreviations and mind maps, which made it even harder to understand. The person I asked for assistance also struggled to grasp the context, so I faced a real challenge.❞

Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) is a genetic disorder that affects the retina, leading to progressive vision loss. The progression of RP can vary from person to person, but here's a general outline:

• Early Stages: RP often begins with night blindness, followed by a gradual decline in peripheral vision.

• Progressive Vision Loss: As the disease progresses, central vision may become affected, leading to blurred vision, blind spots, and, eventually, tunnel vision.

• Total Blindness: In advanced stages, RP can lead to total blindness, with some individuals retaining some residual light perception.

• Other Symptoms: RP can also cause sensitivity to light, difficulty adjusting to changes in lighting, and an increased risk of cataracts and macular degeneration.

Some of the specific challenges she faces include:

• Hyperfocus and Distractions: Sunita struggles with hyperfocus issues, which cause her to fixate on specific tasks in her day-to-day life and lose track of her surroundings.

• Time Management: Sunita faces difficulties with time management, often becoming engrossed in specific activities like product development and losing sense of time.

• Executive Dysfunction: Sunita experiences executive dysfunction issues, including difficulty with routine tasks like taking showers and getting out of bed.

• Emotional Regulation: Sunita faces challenges with emotional regulation and rejection sensitivity, which impacts her relationships and overall well-being.

Sunita says:

❝ I tend to hyperfocus, so if I'm changing my slide while giving a presentation, I'll fixate on how the slides are going... I will not be very focused on what I am talking about," and adds, "I often get so engrossed in one specific activity that I lose sense of time... It's like a time bubble that I get into. ❞

Executive dysfunction describes a range of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral difficulties that can arise when the brain's ability to control thoughts, emotions, and actions is disrupted. It's not a specific diagnosis but rather a set of symptoms that can occur due to various conditions like ADHD, brain injuries, or mental health issues. Individuals with executive dysfunction may struggle with:

• Planning and organization: Difficulty organizing tasks, setting goals, and managing time. 

• Task completion: Trouble starting, completing, or staying on track with tasks. 

• Focus and attention: Difficulty concentrating, staying focused, and filtering out distractions. 

• Impulsivity: Acting without thinking, making poor decisions, and struggling with self-control. 

• Emotional regulation: Difficulty managing emotions, controlling impulses, and adapting to changes.