Viraj's first typed sentence: I imagine I can speak.
Today, he does — through a tablet and his right thumb.
Our Journey
From Silence to MIT
The milestones that transformed our lives — and could transform yours.
Age 2
The Diagnosis
Viraj was diagnosed with autism and severe apraxia. Doctors said he would never communicate. For years, he was labeled intellectually disabled.
Age 10
A Glimpse of What Was Hidden
Viraj learned to use an AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) device. He began requesting things, reacting to conversations, showing preferences that hinted at a mind fully at work behind the silence.
Age 13
The Light Bulb Moment
Watching Super Why!, an animated PBS Kids show, Viraj spelled a few letters from the word WATERFALL before the screen did. A light bulb went on — he could spell and read at a high level. He'd been absorbing language all along, silently, with no way to show it.
Age 14-15
Typing to Communicate
Custom keyboards on an iPad evolved to a standard QWERTY layout on an Android tablet. Viraj learned to type with just his right thumb, revealing math and speed reading skills, and complex thought — abilities no one knew he possessed.
Age 19
Accepted to MIT 🎓
Viraj became MIT's first-ever nonspeaking student with autism. A victory not just for him, but for the entire nonspeaking autistic community.