Photo: Emma Friedman/WBZ NewsRadio
BROOKLINE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Life hasn’t been easy for 19-year-old Viraj Dhanda. He is autistic and non-speaking and began learning how to communicate around age 10. Now, the Brookline teen is headed to MIT.
Viraj and his dad Sumit were shocked when they received the email that MIT had accepted him into the class of 2026.
“In addition to a top-notch education, MIT stands by a commitment to disability inclusivity that resonates with me,” Viraj said using a modified tablet that allows him to express his thoughts using a text-to-speak function. "Unlike other colleges, where it isn’t always easy to identify names and faces that reflect a commitment, this is not the case for MIT.”
Viraj was diagnosed with autism at age 2. He started learning how to type during the COVID-19 pandemic opening up a whole new world of communication.
They said, look, of all the places, you might have a shot at some of these top schools on a good day for an admissions officer, but MIT was really not going to work for you,” Sumit said. “He was like, ‘nope I’m applying there.’”
Sumit said he always knew how bright Viraj was growing up and his potential. With his dad's help and some technology, Viraj doesn't just know how to type, but he's also very talented at calculus.
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Now, Viraj and Sumit are working on a memoir called Twice Exceptional.
"It is a message of hope and a guide for parents, educators, and health care professionals that outlines how non-speaking autistics can realize their full potential," Veraj said.
"The fact that he found some light... we want others to find the same light," said Sumit. "You know we don't want other people to try and re-invent the wheel and maybe it doesn't apply to everybody but if it can benefit 10 people we feel like we're repaying our debt to society because there were others that helped us along the way."
They are close to finishing a first draft. Then Sumit is going to work on finding a publisher so others with similar experiences can use it as a guide.
Sumit said the memoir is called Twice Exceptional because it means "exceptional in terms of your ability and exceptional in terms of your disability."
And through that perseverance, Viraj was accepted into MIT.
WBZ NewsRadio’s Emma Friedman (@EmmaFriedmanWBZ) reports.