Social campaign to boost the morale of visually challenged

About 95 per cent of visually impaired children in India do not receive a proper education. Braille literacy among blind kids has fallen significantly, with students being hampered by the lack of interactive tools and teaching aids. After understanding the scenario, students from IIT Madras have initiated a social campaign called Blink. The campaign will see a series of social inclusion events including dance, drama and personality development workshops for the visually impaired.

“Through this campaign, we are trying to utilise technology to create an impact on society. Research indicates that visually challenged people often suffer from low self-esteem because of their lack of interaction with mainstream society. Visually challenged students don’t interact with students from normal schools. Many of the students tend to remain under-achievers and don’t realise their potential. In order to regulate this behaviour and channelise their confidence, we have planned a set of activities like personality development sessions and theatre labs,” says Anushree Gupta, the student co-ordinator.

The team behind Blink has also organised blind cricket tournament with blindfolded students playing alongside visually impaired cricketers.

The students have also developed 3-D printed interactive puzzles with embossed Braille letters called Tactoys. It’s been proved that these toys are helpful in learning braille, improving vocabulary and cognitive skills.

“The engineering design department in our institute has printed the toys. Upon correct fitting of the puzzle, one not only can spell the Braille word but also would be able to feel the contour of the representative object that the word denotes. This solution teaches Braille, while also providing students with a mental image of objects, an often ignored aspect of their education. These toys are durable and have a long life. So far, we have made 26 designs of toys that can be easily 3D-printed. This toy is mainly for students studying in primary and secondary sections,” she adds.

To make sure there is public participation, the students will be hosting a walk called Walk in the Dark on January 5 in the campus premises. “It will be a one-of-its-kind awareness initiative to raise awareness about the refractive error, a major cause of ‘avoidable’ blindness. We hope that the walk will also educate people about challenges faced by the visually challenged and the commendable way in which they work around their disability. At this upcoming walk, the public will be walking blindfolded guided by a visually impaired person,” Anushree tells DT Next.