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- Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

#braille

Positive Reads

Opening New Worlds: Know How Chennai's Anna Centenary Library Empowers the Visually Impaired

The Anna Centenary Library in Chennai has taken a remarkable step towards empowering visually impaired researchers and students preparing for competitive exams with its special Braille section.  Spread over eight acres, the library offers a vast collection of books and facilities that make people with disabilities feel at home. This section of the library is equipped with superior technology, including computers with non-visual desktop access, digital collections of books for competitive examinations in both Tamil and English, Braille typewriters, audio-enabled scan reading, and more. The Braille section of the library currently boasts a collection of 2,000 books related to competitive examinations, and it also enables readers to copy the books to their pen drives or other storage devices.  The regular collection extends to 3,500 books, encompassing various subjects like literature, public administration, economics, sociology, mathematics, engineering, science, medical history, political science, geography, and more. The volunteers here support the visually impaired job seekers to apply for competitive examinations. The library also facilitates book releases with a 60% discount and provides an auditorium for special meetings. The primary aim of the library is to guide research scholars and provide them with appropriate resources.  The Braille section extends its volunteer services to visually impaired students who are preparing for competitive exams such as TNPSC, UPSC, staff selection, banking, RRB, UGC-NET & JRF, among others. The visually impaired readers can also access daily newspapers in Tamil and English scanned by the library staff and e-mailed to them. The library offers a supportive and nurturing environment for visually impaired students, making knowledge accessible to all.

2 Aug 2023
Positive Reads

A Day To Brighten Up The Lives Of Visually Impaired

The visually impaired are able to read, write and work, thanks to the pioneering efforts of Louis Braille who invented the Braille language that enables people with eyesight disabilities to read and write. Every year, his birthday is commemorated by celebrating January 4 as World Braille Day. Louis Braille who was born in France lost his vision at the age of 3. However, he was very intent to read and write properly despite his disability. At the age of 15, he conceived the idea of reading by feeling or touch. He developed a set of symbols by making raised dots on a piece of paper.  One could easily decipher the dots by feeling with hand, thus enabling even the blind to feel them and hence, read and write. Soon this language came to be known as the Braille language, named after its creator. Louis was also passionate about music which made him develop a Braille language for music in the latter part of his life. He kept the language for music flexible so that it could be adapted to almost any musical instrument around the world. The Braille language became popular only after it was adopted by Louis’ school, a couple of years after his death in 1854. Soon, it grew popular in the rest of France and gradually other countries of the world also started adopting it. It is very important to celebrate World Braille Day as a mark of respect to Loius Braille whose persistent efforts led to the invention of a simple yet effective medium that made it possible for blind people to read and write. Although not many are aware of this day, for individuals working for the blind, it is a day of great significance. This day is celebrated especially to raise awareness about the apathy towards blind people and to help them be equal with the rest of the people. Various organizations and NGOs come together on this day and hold competitions and games for the blind. They also make them aware of the new technologies coming in the field of Braille language on this day, for example, technology has made it possible for visually impaired people to make use of computers. The World Braille Day gives an opportunity to various organizations and philanthropic individuals around the world to help the visually challenged. Let us contribute to a world where the visually impaired can easily live and work so that they gain a lot of self-confidence and respect.  

4 Jan 2018
Positive Reads

Star Citizens

The Incredible Journey of an Acid Attack Survivor Who Excelled Against Adversity

In an inspiring tale of resilience and determination, a young acid attack survivor and the daughter of a peon in Chandigarh has triumphed over adversity and emerged as the top scorer in her school's CBSE Class 10 exams, securing an outstanding 95.02 percent marks. Kafi's journey has been marked by immense hardships. At the tender age of three, she fell victim to a vicious acid attack by neighbors. The attack left her face severely burnt, and she spent the next six years in the hospital, eventually losing her eyesight. Undeterred by these challenges, Kafi embarked on a path of resilience and determination. Through sheer determination and an unwavering spirit, Kafi pursued her studies using the Braille script. Her relentless efforts paid off when she achieved an outstanding academic result. When asked about her dreams, Kafi expressed her aspiration to become an IAS officer, aiming to make her parents proud. Grateful for her accomplishments, Kafi acknowledged the unwavering support of her parents and the guidance of her teachers. She credited her success to their constant encouragement and also mentioned the invaluable assistance she received from YouTube and the internet, which aided her exam preparations. Kafi's father expressed immense pride in his daughter's achievements, pledging unwavering support for her future endeavors. Her mother brimming with joy is extremely proud of her daughter's academic success which has enabled them to hold their head high in society. Kafi's story serves as an inspiration, showcasing the indomitable human spirit and the power of education to triumph over adversity. With her sights set on a brighter future, Kafi is poised to achieve great heights and make a lasting impact on the world.

18 May 2023
Star Citizens

Now, the Visually Impaired Can Easily Crack the Toughest Exams

The UPSC  exams or civil services examination is considered as the toughest to crack with a success rate of only 25 percent. There are a number of visually impaired persons who appear for this challenging exam. However, they have only 20% of the syllabus available in Braille from. Hyderabad resident Akella Raghavendra decided to address this problem and started training visually impaired candidates in 2016. Raghavendra’s Endeavour Akella Raghavendra himself was an aspiring candidate for the civil exams. He exhausted all his attempts and missed the last one by just 12 marks. When he pondered over his failure in spite of all the hard work, he understood the loopholes and flaws. He then decided to train future IAS aspirants and started his training centre in Dilsukhnagar in 2001. Once, during a visit to the US, he was amazed to see the excellent facilities being offered to visually- and physically-challenged students. He was inspired to develop and offer such facilities to the visually impaired back home. Study Materials In Braille Raghavendra worked diligently and spent seven years of research to prepare study materials for the UPSC in Braille and audiobook format, the latter a first in India. He prepared a comprehensive and concrete file and an audio version of the same. Since everyone has a smartphone these days, he uploads two or three lessons which they need to learn that day. Another parameter is monitoring what they have learnt. Raghavendra spent 5 lakhs from his savings to prepare the study materials. His concern for the visually impaired and his efforts to prepare useful and effective study materials to help them clear the civil service exams is really commendable. Image Source: Online IAS

4 Nov 2019
Star Citizens

Global Inspirations

Prisoners turn Braille transcribers

Prisoners at the Scotland Correctional Institution in Laurinburg, North Carolina are making their lives more meaningful by contributing to the society. Around 23 prisoners at the institution have been trained in transcribing books into Braille for blind students and adults. Even though they are behind bars, these prisoners are able to make a positive difference in the world that will change their own lives forever. Teachers, as well as crisis centres in Wyoming, Connecticut, Colorado, and North Carolina, have requested for the Braille books. Most of the books are educational texts on science, math, and music and require a team of six translators to complete. While it takes 8 to 12 months to learn regular Braille, it can take years to become adept at transcribing music. Braille translators are always in high demand, therefore, when the prisoners will be released they will have this skill which will help them to get a job. Hence their possibility to re-offend is very low. This programme has recorded a high success rate as noted in the dozens of institutions with such programs in the US. Plant manager Cynthia Stubbs disclosed in an interview that the prisoners are very dedicated and they enjoy what they do and they know how it feels to be responsible for the child holding a Braille book in the classroom. The inmates are glad that they are now in a position to give back. In 2016 alone, the Braille Transcribing Plant translated over 1,000 books for blind citizens.  

16 Aug 2017
Global Inspirations

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