Present Plight of the Blind Students

Loss of vision immediately deprives the blind to pursue higher studies and reduces their scope of job opportunities. Thus they remain economically backward. What is more disturbing is that even the young blind have a bleak future. Poverty, lack of proper education facilities and non-availability of Braille brooks in various subjects make it difficult for blind children to complete even school education. The process of globalization of the economy in India is fast gaining momentum and with introduction of computers, information technology and interest the entire education scenario is fast changing making it increasingly difficult for the blind students to cope up with the same. As it is, it was a problem to have access to normal text books and also confront immense problems such as shortage of human readers, lack of Braille books on different subjects, non availability of text books in time and total absence of tactile graphics in various subjects. The information explosion made it literally impossible for the blind to keep pace of participates in the competitive environment. But now one can take the help of newly developed assistive devices that are helping the blind worldwide to make the worked a better place to live in. This will help the blind students to achieve success in higher education, improve their work efficiency and provide better employment opportunities such as Teachers, Professors, Writers, Journalists, Solicitors, Consultants, stenographers, Managers, Administrators, etc. instead of selling lottery tickets or operating telephone booths. Thus they can be independent and self-reliant and learn to live with their visual disability.

Visually impaired can also learn computers:

With the introduction of Screen reading software like JAWS, which converts a normal PC into a talking PC, you can certainly make it possible to train the blind in computers. All you need is a computer with multimedia, this software and other supporting equipment like Text Reading Machine and Braille Printer for providing support of course materials in Braille and access to printed computer manuals, books, etc.

What is ELECTRONIC READING CENTER?

ERC is a project designed to provide a support system to make the dream of the blind students a reality. This vision is to reach out the latest technology and its benefits through the high-tech visual aids and appliances developed worldwide to doorstep of the blind students. This will enable them to cope up with the competitive environment to achieve success in their pursuit for higher education. The unique feature of this programme is that it will be an integrated and composite technology center with wide spectrum of facilities for all the above disabilities which will give them a better quality of education and trained them in new skills like Computers to enable them to earn their own livelihood and become bread earner for their own families.

The Project

It is proposed to setup an Electronics Reading and Computer Training Center in India to be located at:

RELIEF & WELFARE COCIETY FOR THE BLINDS
Gate no 5, Block No 15/5, O.C.C, Malwani Colony , Malad (West) , Mumbai – 40095


Benefits of the ERC

1. Magnitude of Benefits :

The extend of benefits that would pass on the blind students population in these locations in multifold and a continuous on for no. of years to come year after year to the blind students seeking higher education. Of we consider the number of blind, deaf, low vision and visually handicapped persons in Mumbai and neighboring areas and if the same is multiplied by a time span of at least 8 years the number of the visually handicapped community would be phenomenal, who would be assisted by the support from you.

2. Text Reading:

The blind students today are dependent on voluntarily readers and are able to barely manage to study their textbooks but due to acute shortage of the readers these days the problems have multiplied. However with the use of text Reading Machines, which coverts any printed text into sound, they can simply borrow any book from the library and read the same independently. If they which they can even transfer it on to the floppy disk and carry it home. The Galileo text reader also reads data stored on floppy disk so that the students can read his textbooks directly the next day without having to scan the same again. This would open up new dimension and access to the ocean of knowledge stored in the library of the school/institution.

3. Supply of Braille Books :

Since the availability of the Braille text books particularly in graduate and post graduate course is literally absent. The blind students face tremendous difficulties and are not able to peruse higher education due to this deplorable situation but with the use of small but high speed computerized Braille printer like index to be set up in the proposed ERC they can get the Braille Textbooks of their choice even one copy if so desired on demand as an when needed. They can also carry home notes of a few chapters of a textbook taken from the library duly converted into Braille for studying at their own pace at home. This facility can be extended not only to English language but one can also produce Braille text in Marathi, Hindi or any other Indian Language also.

4. Benefits of Computer Education:

With the speed at whichthe entire economic and social scenario is fast changing due to the introduction of Information Technology and the internet it is becoming impossible for blind to cope in the office environment where knowing computers is becoming necessary to qualify for job placements. With JAWS learning the computer becomes simplified for a visually impaired user, thus supplementing his educational qualifications and boosting his career opportunities. Knowing computers would also help them in their education as they can acquire an ocean of knowledge and information from the internet.

Employment Opportunities