A meeting to create awareness of the importance of technology, parental and career counselling for the visually impaired at the Vidivelli Special School on Karur Bypass Road concluded on Sunday.
“The term assistive technology for the visually impaired is a misnomer, because all technology and gadgets are in essence meant to be of assistance to the user, irrespective of the user’s personal ability,” K. Raghuraman, secretary, Karna Vidya Technology Centre (KVTC), Chennai, said.
The KVTC co-hosted the event with Rotaract Club Drishti. Tiruchi-based advocacy group Jagajothi Reading Circle was the local co-ordinator. First, parents of visually impaired children were counselled on how to improve the life of their differently-abled offspring and to accept them as individuals in their own right.
“We want to show parents that the visually impaired child is full of potential, and need not be a burden to society,” said Mr. Raghuraman. The workshops covered psychological counselling as well as career opportunities and useful ways to integrate the visually impaired into the professional sphere.
Stalls showcased products, with the latest technology, that could be used by those with visual impairments and learning disorders. At least 250 school and college students and groups of visually impaired people were seen exploring the computer-enabled gadgetry and systems that promise a wider exposure to the world.
Among the devices on show were a text-to-speech synthesiser, scanning software that converts images into text and an optical character recognition software for Tamil and English. In addition, the fair introduced ‘Bookshare’, an online accessible digital library for people with disabilities that affect the reading of print such as blindness, vision impairment, dyslexia and certain physical disabilities. Devices to train visually impaired students in mathematics and science subjects were also on display.
“Through education, technology and employment, a person can be fully independent and self-reliant,” said Mr. Raghuraman, who is a professor of English in the Government Arts College, Nandanam, and has been visually impaired since childhood. He stood first in the Teachers Recruitment Board exam in 2002, and has been a school and college educator for over a decade.
KVTC has placed 33 visually impaired candidates in key jobs throughout the country. Companies like Tata Consultancy Services, Punjab National Bank, Amazon, Scope eKnowledge have employed the organisation’s students. “We want to break the clichéd notion that visually impaired people can only be employed as teachers or musicians,” said Mr. Raghuraman. “All these placements are possible when the work environment becomes more innovative and accessible.”
