Karan Nagrani, known as That Blind Guy™, is a disability advocate, keynote speaker and content creator who uses humour, honesty and lived experience to challenge misconceptions about blindness and disability.

Through his advocacy, Karan helps people understand an important message: blindness is a spectrum. A person does not need to experience complete darkness to be blind, and vision loss can look very different from one person to another. Karan himself lives with Usher Syndrome and has spoken openly about his progressive vision loss while advocating for greater accessibility, inclusion and understanding.

As Founder of The Heart of Gold Australia, I wanted to recognise Karan's contribution in a personal way. I painted this portrait of Karan and his partner from their original photograph and gifted it as a gesture of gratitude, for using his voice, his story and his platform to educate others and create greater understanding of blindness.

Sometimes advocacy changes policies. Sometimes it changes perceptions. Both can change lives.

Follow Karan Nagrani | That Blind Guy

In December 2020, The Heart of Gold community came together to support a mother and her six-month-old daughter who were experiencing family violence and facing an incredibly difficult time.

Through the generosity of community members and local businesses, essential baby items and other practical necessities were collected and personally delivered to the family.

What began as a call for help became a beautiful example of community compassion in action. People contributed what they could, businesses stepped forward to help, and together we were able to provide meaningful practical support at a time when it was deeply needed.

Our gratitude goes to everyone who contributed, including Fitness Tadka and Neetz Neetz of Royal Delhi Boutique, whose generosity helped make this possible.

At The Heart of Gold Australia, we believe community support is not always about grand gestures. Sometimes it is simply about seeing someone who is struggling, responding with dignity and compassion, and saying: you do not have to face this moment alone.

Banaj Bhatia has been a valued supporter of The Heart of Gold Australia, generously contributing through sponsorship, donations and practical assistance on a number of occasions.

One such moment came when an international student in our community needed help with essential groceries. Banaj stepped forward through Happy Kids Foundation to provide support, demonstrating how a simple act of kindness can make a meaningful difference during a difficult time.

His support of The Heart of Gold Australia has extended far beyond this one occasion. Over the years, Banaj has continued to contribute to our initiatives and support our efforts to help people within the community.

His commitment to giving is also reflected in his wider community work. Banaj has been involved in charitable initiatives supporting people experiencing homelessness, children and families, young people and family-violence-related projects.

The Heart of Gold Australia is grateful to Banaj not only for what he has contributed, but for continuing to stand beside our work and believing in the power of community helping community.