The visually impaired and children with multiple disabilities need not worry anymore as they can still pursue academics alongside normal children. Making best use of technological advancements, the Mandya district administration has embarked on a novel project to empower special children by establishing India’s first-ever Braille printing press and library, which will convert the academic books of Classes 1 to 10 into a Unicode font that can be read in Braille, as well as audio. The library will also have Braille books of all categories such as science, arts, languages and mathematics.
Students can read in Braille using add-on computer equipment called Refreshable Braille Display and listen using voice software. Already, a Detailed Project Report (DPR) has been submitted to the State government for approval. If everything goes according to plan, the facility is likely to commence operations from the next academic year.
Mandya Deputy Commissioner P.C. Jaffer told Deccan Chronicle that it’s a first-of-its-kind experiment. There are lakhs of young children suffering from multiple deformities in Karnataka and, in Mandya alone, there are 28,668 such cases. “We want to help at least a few people, if not all of them. We have plans to upgrade the facility into a full-fledged rehabilitation centre for visually challenged under Phase-2. The government has assured to provide regular budgetary allocation”.
The National Institute for the Visually Handicapped (NIVH), which launched India’s first online Braille library early this year, and the National Federation for the Blind (NFB), Karnataka chapter, will be consulted for expert guidance. Mr Jaffer said the major problems faced by special children are poor access to Braille books, unaffordability, unavailability of books in the market and lack of educational aids.
“So, we want to overcome all these issues. At least, 3,000 Braille books will be made available at the library to start with. Children in the age group of 5 years to 15 years can reap the benefits. The reading material will help children suffering from visual impairment, metal retardation, loco-motor impairment, learning disability, cerebral palsy and multiple disabilities”.
The total cost of the project was estimated at Rs 75 lakh, of which 50 per cent would be mobilised from local resources and the rest will be funded by the State government. The library would be equipped with microcomputer-based electronic Braille readers, automatic control equipment, Braille library administrating software and Lipi Braille software for automatic translation of books into Braille and document scanner with ADF. The Mandya Urban Development Authority (MUDA) has even allotted a site for the project.