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A spinal cord injury took Ishaan Mehta's career in a single afternoon. This is how he rebuilt it, with assistive technology, a list of 50 employers, and a role at LinkedIn he never settled for.
Most of the people on Double Tap were born blind or lost their sight gradually. Ishaan Mehta's disability arrived on 21 October 2016. He had eight and a half years at Vodafone behind him, a project management career and a Six Sigma black belt, when a C5-C6 cervical injury left him quadriplegic with very little movement below the neck.
He talks Steven Scott and Shaun Preece through the practical problem first. How do you use a phone when you cannot use your hands? A clamp to hold the device, a stylus with an extension, and a baby's pacifier on the tip so it is safe to hold in his mouth. From there came QuadJoy, the sip-and-puff mouth joystick from QuadLife, which put a laptop back within reach and made employment realistic again.
He is honest about the part people usually leave out. A fistula in his throat, a second surgery on the anniversary of the accident, over a year in hospital, and the point in March 2018 when he questioned whether he wanted to be here at all. What turned it was realising his life was not only his own, and that far more remained possible than had been lost.
Then the job search. He found most employers treating disability hiring as a tick-box exercise with the role already decided for him, so he changed tactics: a list of 50 companies he genuinely wanted to work for, filtered for real evidence of inclusive practice. He ended up with two offers, and chose the one that told him he was overqualified for the role he had applied for. His argument is simple. Employment is a barter of skills for pay, and that does not change because you are disabled.
Chapters
0:00 – Welcome and why this interview stands alone
2:01 – Meet Ishaan Mehta
3:37 – The career before the injury
5:06 – Working out how to use a phone again
7:29 – QuadJoy and getting back onto a laptop
9:37 – Complications, hospital, and the lowest point
14:16 – Three pillars: health, employment, giving back
16:30 – Fifty companies and two job offers
22:21 – The role at LinkedIn today
23:12 – Zero Project, AI and the future of work
Relevant Links
Zero Project: https://zeroproject.org
QuadJoy by QuadLife: https://quad.life/product
Pneuma Solutions: https://pneumasolutions.com
Double Tap: https://www.doubletaponair.com
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About Double Tap
Hosted by the insightful duo, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece, Double Tap is a treasure trove of information for anyone who's blind or partially sighted and has a passion for tech. Steven and Shaun not only demystify tech, but they also regularly feature interviews and welcome guests from the community, fostering an interactive and engaging environment. Tune in every day of the week, and you'll discover how technology can seamlessly integrate into your life, enhancing daily tasks and experiences, even if your sight is limited.
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