Sandhya is a staff attorney in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division. She conducts legal research on constitutional issues and drafts judicial memoranda.

When Sandhya was two months old, she was diagnosed with a rare brittle bone disease called osteopetrosis, which caused her blindness.  Sandhya attended Rice University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Behavioral Science. In June 1994, she received her Doctor of Jurisprudence from the Stanford University Law School. She was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in November 1994 and started working as a law clerk of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Galveston Division.

Sandhya Rao, is the vice president of the i Blind Users Group or iBUG Today and their mission is to promote the individual independence, social integration, and educational development of the blind through accessible technology training.

Sandhya has been honoured with the Garland Walker Inn of Court Professionalism award and the Recognition Award for twenty years of Distinguished Federal Judiciary Service.

Key themes emerging out of our conversation:

• Taking things in your stride.
• Using technology to empower.
• Using humor to put people at ease.
• Surround yourself with positive people.
• You need one person to give you a chance.
• Challenges are opportunities to educate people.
• People with disabilities are just like everybody else.
• Nothing like self pity, make the best of what you have.

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