Raghavendra has been rejected 76 times in job interviews. But that did not stop him from finding his current job as a senior accessibility consultant at Deque Systems. If being visually impaired (he lost his eyesight due to a degenerative eye disorder called Retinitis Pigmentosa) couldn’t stop him, what makes you think the rejections would? “Companies came up with silly excuses when they did not want to hire me but I needed a job desperately. I had finished my graduation, did not know Braille nor did I want to pursue MBA,” says Raghavendra Satish Peri, when we ask him about his motivation. He has also been called to share his experiences on various platforms, both national and international. This is because he is one of the 94 accredited accessibility professionals in the world. He also talks about personal branding, reputation management and other topics, having launched his own entrepreneurial venture in the past.
Four years back, Raghavendra started a blog called digitala11y.com, wherein, he writes about topics like inclusive design, web accessibility guidelines, audio description of movies and more. “We have more than 600 visitors a month,” informs the 31-year-old. Writing is a satisfying medium of expression for him, so he continues to run the blog.
Raghavendra was a stellar marathon runner too, having completed 15 marathons. “I started running because I was depressed that I lost my eyesight and it helped me burn all that negativity,” says the motivational speaker. But since 2016, Raghavendra has been facing chronic health problems. “My life was at its peak. I was pre-booked for as many as ten events for 2017,” informs Raghavendra, but we don’t detect any disappointment in his voice, thanks to his biggest support system, his friends and family. And his own resilience, we are sure. “I know that one fine day, I will be okay. I just need to build my strength back,” he says positively.
For more on him, click on facebook.com/raghava