Vasharna Thangavel created Echo the elephant to help children feel comfortable talking about disability.  

Echo is the main character in Through Echo’s Eyes, a children’s book Vasharna wrote when she was in Grade 10 at Turner Fenton Secondary School in Brampton, Ont. The story follows Echo, who has a visual disability, as they encounter different daily tasks, learning they have the ability to do all the things others with sight can do. The book uses both Braille and standard text.  

“My goal with Echo is to let educators know how they can include or introduce disability at a very young age and eliminate stigma and stereotypes before they can even start to build in children,” says Vasharna, now entering her fourth year in health sciences at Western University.  

Her inspiration for the book came from her mother. Vasharna watched as she navigated different life experiences with a disability. 

Like Echo, Vasharna’s mother has an invisible disability that causes frequent shortness of breath and other challenges in daily living.

It didn’t just affect her mother’s quality of life; it also impacted Vasharna, who found she often had to try to explain her mom’s disability to others.

“When my mom would drop me off at school, my peers would notice she would use the accessible parking spot. They would ask me why. At times it was very difficult to open up and explain. I didn't really know what to say. I felt isolated from the rest of my friends.”

It was experiences like this that motivated Vasharna to create Through Echo’s Eyes.

“I want disability to be discussed more openly so people aren't scared to talk about it. And when you do meet someone with a disability you don't automatically place them into a box and discriminate against them and instead are able to have a conversation as you would with anyone else.”

She does her part to make that open communication happen. During high school, Vasharna volunteered at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital’s Spiral Garden summer camp and later worked as a life skills assistant in their employment program. In that role, she supported youth with disabilities in developing essential career skills and encouraged them to advocate for themselves and their disabilities in the workplace.  

She has donated copies of Through Echo’s Eyes to Holland Bloorview, other hospitals and her high school, and has received very positive feedback.  

“Holland Bloorview’s School Authority actually reached out to me and complimented me on how the book helps bridge that gap between sighted and non-sighted children and how we can acknowledge disability early on.”

Today, Vasharna continues her advocacy as a member of the Rick Hansen Foundation Youth Leadership Committee.  

“Through my work with the foundation, I've been able to connect with educators across Canada. I hope these interactions help bring my book into more classrooms so it can become a resource in schools across the country.”

As she works toward her undergraduate degree and contemplates her next steps, Vasharna also remains committed to advocating for inclusion for people with disabilities. Even if she reaches only a few people with her message, she knows from personal experience it makes a big difference.  

“When I think back to when I was younger, having someone like this to connect with would’ve meant everything. It would’ve helped me understand invisible disabilities and saved me a lot of isolation and fear. It's like seeing someone fight for you – and that’s what I want to keep doing for others.”