MADURAI
In the wake of lockdown due to COVID-19 outbreak, it has been difficult to access study materials and record audio textbooks for visually challenged students, especially for those preparing for competitive examinations, say teachers and social workers.
While the lockdown period can be utilised optimally by the students, there is a need for more volunteers to pitch in by providing quality study materials and recording audio textbooks, they say.
R. Swarna, a visually challenged student preparing for Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission’s Group II examination, said it had been difficult to access audio files for current affairs. “Most of us who are preparing for competitive examinations listen to outdated audio books. This is a crucial period for us to prepare for the competitive exams, but access to a fewer number of audio books puts us in a disadvantaged position,” she said.
Audio books were vital for visually challenged students who moved from Tamil medium schools to colleges where the medium of instruction was English, said A. Daniel, a visually challenged student pursuing his master’s degree in History. “We are highly dependent on audio books, which explain complex subjects in Tamil,” he said.
Since the lockdown came into force, it had been challenging for them to access soft copies of textbooks, which were used to record audio books, said Chandra Vishwananth, a member of Lit the Light, a voluntary organisation that arranges scribes and records audio books for the visually challenged students.
“With the help of volunteers, we collect books from visually challenged students across Tamil Nadu and upload them online, so that our volunteers can record audio books. But, due to the lockdown, we are not able to access the students. In fact, we have recorded only one audio book during this period,” she said.
People could contribute their mite by uploading quality reading materials to create soft copies and send them to volunteers who could record audio books. There was a high demand for advanced reading materials for competitive examinations, she added.
Experts from various fields could also spare some time to explain complex concepts and record audio files, which could then be played by visually challenged students, said S.S. Pandiarajan, Headmaster, Government Higher Secondary School, Samayanallur, who is also visually challenged.
“Those who like reading out novels can record audio files, as enjoying bestsellers like Harry Potter series is still a luxury that many visually challenged students cannot afford,” he said.
Those who are interested to contribute can contact Lit the Light at 9894949878 or 8056207601.
