Arhum Ishtiaq’s bright smile and easy demeanor comes from a place of deep satisfaction. Since graduating from Habib University in 2022, he has co-founded Pakistan’s largest sign language accessibility and deaf inclusion enterprise, ConnectHear.
There are over 10 million hearing-impaired individuals across Pakistan who face daily discrimination due to their inability to hear. Arhum, a graduate of the BS Computer Science from the Class of 2022, felt that the problem would only worsen if he did nothing about it. He combined the work experience he gained throughout his degree with his coding expertise to be the change he wanted to see.
He stepped forward by becoming a leading advocate for disability rights. He has secured partnerships with leading corporates that have opened up job opportunities for many disabled youth, and also hosted Pakistan’s first ever deaf-inclusive concert at Habib University.
Besides crediting his University for giving him the perspective to develop his start-up, he is also grateful for the opportunities opened up to him by the TOPS program.
“Habib University gave me the moral support, the confidence and the opportunities that allowed me to one up myself to the point where even I didn’t imagine…The HU TOPS program is nothing short of a life
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