Alireza Darvishy was born in Iran and became severely visually impaired at the age of 15. At the age of 18, he immigrated alone to Switzerland. There he learned the native language, studied computer science (as one of the two first severely visually impaired students in the country), and received his PhD in computer science. He initiated and carried out major pioneering digital accessibility projects, and became Switzerland's first professor of ICT Accessibility. His life's work earned him the UNESCO Award for Digital Empowerment of persons with disabilities in 2016, as well as a Viscardi Achievement Award in 2018. He is one of the renowned accessibility experts worldwide, and collaborates with international organizations such as UNESCO, WHO, and G3ict. His book "Delivering together for inclusive development: Digital access to Information and knowledge for persons with disabilities" was published in 2019 by UNESCO.