Music has always been my native language. As a pianist, violinist, and composer born with perfect pitch, I have spent years growing up in a world where the smallest changes in tone, and harmony carry meaning. An elevator ding, a microwave beep, and even the pitches in conversations all register to me with remarkable clarity. To me, music has never simply been something to perform: it has always been my sixth sense, shaping the way I experience the world around me. Yet over time, I began to question a reality I had long taken for granted: Why should the joy of music be limited to those who can hear it?
That question became the foundation of Kits Beyond Sound, the international nonprofit I founded in 2025 to make music education and sensory learning more accessible for Deaf and hard-of-hearing children. Rather than viewing accessibility as adapting existing resources, I wanted to create entirely new ways of experiencing music.
I began teaching myself 3D modeling and product design, combining my musical background with engineering to develop tactile educational tools. Working alongside Deaf educators and tech entrepreneurs, I designed a piano keyboard toy of the C major scale in which each key has a different depth, allowing children to explore pitch relationships with their hands instead of their ears. Every design choice (from the spacing of the keys to the variation in depth) was refined using educator feedback to make the toy intuitive and engaging! Through Kits Beyond Sound, we now donate these tactile piano toys to Deaf education programs and special education classrooms. Seeing students smile as they discovered music in a completely different way made every hour of designing and refining the toy worthwhile.
Beyond our physical donations, I created a digital education platform that now connects more than 5,800 supporters worldwide. Working alongside a team of student ambassadors, we create educational posts and awareness campaigns that explore topics such as hearing, cochlear anatomy, hearing technology, accessibility, and Deaf culture in engaging ways for young audiences. Collectively, our content has reached more than 900,000 people.
Looking ahead, I hope Kits Beyond Sound continues to grow and reimagine how Deaf and hard-of-hearing children experience music and learning. Whether through tactile educational tools, community donations, or digital advocacy, my goal is to make accessibility a natural part of every classroom and every conversation.
I want to share my story with Channel Kindness because I believe kindness begins with creating opportunities for others to feel seen and empowered. Through Kits Beyond Sound, I’ve learned that accessibility is one of the most meaningful forms of kindness. Music has always been my passion, but Kits Beyond Sound showed me that passion can become purpose. I hope my story encourages other young people to use their own passions to create meaningful change in their communities!
