New Project Proposal: National Initiative for the Blind by Vidya Vrikshah and IIT Madras Projects Meeting Asha for Education, Arizona August 7, 2004 Nirmal Govind

Vidya Vrikshah (VV) Started in 1998 Key People  N. Krishnaswamy (Retd. IG of Police)  R. Kalyanakrishnan (IIT Madras CS Professor)  ~ 150 volunteers Activities  Electronic Archiving  Disability Research, Development and Training  Partners with IIT Madras for software NIB launched in Chennai in Dec. 2003

National Initiative for the Blind Jointly conceived by IIT Madras and VV Methodology  Involve mothers of visually handicapped children  Provide second level kit to the children  Read real-life braille embossed on paper  Software component  Easy use of computers in all Indian languages and English  Voice and braille computer output in all these languages National Award for outstanding contributions to the welfare of the disabled

Previous AfE Involvement AfE Seattle funded Braille Embosser  Drushti: braille magazine in Tamil being sent out to schools in Tamil Nadu AfE Colorado  Trained two instructors of the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Institute for the Handicapped in Sikkim Individuals  DP  Prof. Vileen Shah from Salt Lake City (asha-special) Recent site visits: Bash (Seattle), DP, Lakshmi (Seattle)

Proposal for Funding Universal Braille Kit  Vasantha Cube : to learn to read letters in braille  Natesan Block : to learn to read words in braille  Braille Slate & Stylus : to learn to write in braille  Alphabet Block : to learn hand-writing in normal letters  Abacus : to learn to count and calculate  Geometry Box and drawing wheel : to learn to draw and measure  White Cane : to learn mobility skills  A simple Instructor’s Manual (in any desired language): To enable any literate person to teach the use of the above devices.

Proposal (contd.) Kit manufactured by Worth Trust (Katpadi, Tamil Nadu)  Employs disabled  Subsidized cost Funding Requested  1000 kits = 1000 x Rs. 300 ~ $7000  To be sent to 500 schools and training institutions  Target date for distribution: Nov. 2004

Why should Asha AZ fund? Statistics  ~ 4 Million Blind in India (~ 10% are kids)  < 1% literacy rate among blind No national initiative in India  Sarva Shiksha Abhyan is the closest Unique methodology  Reaching out to the mother  Simple and inexpensive tools  Software component accelerates learning Aligns with AfE’s missions/objectives  Mainstream disabled: socio-economic change!  Support a relatively small effort that has potential  Not too many projects for disabled  Possible governmental support

References/Links

Cube and Block Vasantha CubeNatesan Block

Award Ceremony