The Dot Experience Cast: Bhavya Shah

Bhavya Shah is driven, personable, and dedicated to his education, his craft, and to keeping accessibility in every conversation.  

Early Life and Vision Loss  

Shah experienced changes in his vision from a very early age. “The first time I realized my vision was going to be a bit different was when I was five years old. I had high myopia and thick glasses, and for the first time, my retinas detached,” said Shah. After a trip to the eye doctor, Shah was able to undergo an operation to reinstate the retinas, but the problem continued over the next few years. With each operation to reinstate the retinas, there was a slow degradation of the retinas themselves. Because of the condition, Shah spent most of his childhood under strict rules: no rollercoasters, no strenuous physical activity, no sitting on the back seat of a bus with his friends. By the age of 12, Shah had completely lost his sight. “It was an interesting process, because it wasn’t sudden. It was gradual,” said Shah. “I knew this was the trajectory. There wasn’t an imminent cure. But after I went fully blind, I felt liberated. To be done with those restrictions just made me feel as free as a little kid.”  

Shah grew up in India, where the resources for blindness or low vision were still being developed. “We don’t have an established network of blind or low vision services. It’s more of a patchwork system. At the time, a lot of them were still focused exclusively on braille,” said Shah. After being connected with Xavier’s Resource Center for the Visually Challenged (XRCVC), a research program at St. Xavier’s College in Mumbai, Shah was given access to a unique group of people dedicated to his education. “I was able to receive training on a screen reader, daily living skills, as well as get significant exposure to positive blind role models living full lives,” said Shah.  

As he grew up, Shah spent time in every activity and extracurricular possible. “I was engaged in every activity that you could find,” said Shah. Namely, Shah had the opportunity to represent the country of India in the world championship for competitive debate and won at the age of 17.   

Career 

Following his world championship win, Shah began pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Math and Computer Sciences from Stanford University. Amid  pursuing his degree, Shah began to experiment with stand-up comedy as a creative outlet. “I enjoyed making people laugh. In college I cracked jokes among friends, which caused me to develop an appreciation for the artform of standup comedy,” said Shah. He performed at his first open mic in December 2023, and less than a year later, he found himself performing in India’s renowned comedy reality series, “India’s Got Latent.” His performance on India’s Got Latent went viral, and soon Shah’s life had completely changed. “Overnight 35 million people saw it. They started discovering me on social media, coming to my shows, I got access to work in film and commercials. It was a dream of life,” said Shah. Since his performance, Shah has worked with brands like Dominoes, Apple, and even starred in a Bollywood film.  

With his new platform, Shah has found an opportunity to speak out for accessibility and education about blindness. “Disability, especially blindness, is primarily viewed with a lens of sympathy rather than empathy. What I hope to do with my appearance on that show, and every comedy act, is to break that narrative,” said Shah. “It should be less about a blind guy who happened to be funny, but a comic who happens to be blind.” 

The Dot Experience  

As a member of The Dot Experience Cast, Shah is excited to watch the museum take shape, and for the impact it will have on future visitors. “I think The Dot Experience is very unique, and it doesn’t have significant precedent. The opportunities are immense,” said Shah. “Blind people can be really chill and engaged in a wide variety of surprisingly normal activities. And by selecting a cast that shows a range of blind people doing fun things in their lives we can really drive home the message not that we are inspiring and can do anything, but that we all have things we like to do and can do them well.” 

To keep up with Bhavya Shah as he finishes his master’s degree at Stanford and continues to pursue his career in stand-up, you can follow him on Instagram. To stay up to date with the rest of our Dot Experience Cast and the development of the museum, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and visit our website!