David Seevaratnam
Tactile and Technology Literacy Centre (TTLC)
Two words come to mind immediately when meeting David Seevaratnam for the first time, curious and intelligent. He absorbs every word with genuine interest and can offer a well-considered opinion that is as reassuring as it is thought-provoking, with an unmistakeable air of authority born from a combination of a life full of rich experience and a wisdom far beyond his years. Yet, if you take the time to get to know him, you will discover a multi-talented, multi-passionate man of creativity, passion and purpose.
Born in Africa to a multi-cultural family, David and his family moved to Melbourne during his childhood. As a child, he did not identify as having a vision impairment, though he did notice some difficulty with certain visual tasks, such as reading or catching a ball when the lighting or contrast was poor. It was not until he was a teenager that he was diagnosed formally with Retinitis Pigmentosa–a genetic eye condition that gradually decreases vision over time. Only when his vision decreased to the point where he could no longer down-play it did he begin actively seeking new opportunities to learn about the vision-related support available to him. However, through high school and beyond, there was one underlying skill that David began to draw upon more for everything from cooking to craft. His sense of touch.
Regardless of his level of vision, David's sense of touch gave him the confidence to pursue a rich and varied lifestyle. A talented violinist, artist and writer, he channelled his creativity through music and other creative pursuits. His keen intellect and innate curiosity led him to study Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, until a lab accident due to his decreasing vision during his honours year had him rethinking his career options. It was around this time that he felt a strong calling within the church. After pursuing studies in law, he instead chose to join the Ministry, which eventually brought him to New Zealand where he now resides.
Although David had learned braille in the past, it was only during adaptive technology training with tactile instructor Chantelle Griffiths that he had an epiphany about enhancing his tactile abilities and thought to investigate further. With his vision now completely gone, David wanted to regain the freedom and independence of reading without audio. His strongest motivation for furthering his tactile learning was reading musical scores; to rediscover learning and interpreting music in a way he thought lost to him. Together with a small cohort–taught by Chantelle and including fellow student Anne Niulesa–David was among the first to pioneer a unique curriculum for adults concurrently learning music and literary braille; singing and playing music and reading lyrics entirely from braille within a short time.
As David's passion and knowledge of braille increased, so too did the opportunities to take his learning to the next level. Following an invitation from Chantelle, he and Anne joined her as participants of the inaugural Possibility Leadership Programme, facilitated by the Global Centre of Possibility. Not only did this give David the opportunity to deeply connect with his own access identity and sense of touch in a more holistic way, but it also provided a framework of concepts, language and learning about what it means to live with an access need today, building a solid foundation for much-needed tactile innovation. For David, the real-world design and business aspects of the program, coupled with a supportive cohort and the introduction of the paradigm-shifting Possibility Leadership Framework provided the perfect environment for him and the team to build something truly special; the Tactile and Technology Literacy Centre, TTLC.
Creating TTLC offers David the freedom to use his expertise and life experience to design innovative, person-centred services and learning opportunities that address a growing need in the access community–practical, tailored tactile and literacy skills and knowledge that extend beyond the basic "literacy only" approach. His art and design abilities; his logical, curious and scientific mind and his creative genius provide an outlet to innovate and explore new ways to teach and master tactile skills and encourage others to tap into their own innate curiosity and take charge of their learning. TTLC offers David a tangible way to generate awareness of the importance and relevance of the sense of touch, while himself providing living proof of the infinite possibilities available to anyone who has experienced the transformative power of touch for themselves.