[fosscomm] Jaws Screen Reading software to be used by Bangalore University for visually impaired students

[Krittika]

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/article2483818.ece

Bangalore University reached out to 150 visually impaired students from 
25 of its affiliated colleges on Saturday by way of distributing free 
Braille textbooks and audio cassettes to them. The beneficiaries 
appreciated the move because all these years they had to depend on 
volunteers who would read out the textbooks for them. Some of them would 
travel long distances to take the help of non-governmental organisations 
which would format the reading material using Braille for them.

Besides distributing Braille textbooks, Vice-Chancellor N. Prabhu Dev 
announced steps they would initiate to encourage more number of visually 
impaired students to pursue their studies in the university.

*The university will start a computer training and resource centre in 
December. Under the project, computer training will be imparted free of 
cost to the visually impaired students. JAWS Screen Reading software 
will be used for the purpose. Once trained, students will be able to 
work on the Internet and also use MS Office. *

The other initiatives include establishing a help desk for the visually 
impaired besides starting an electronic reading centre equipped with 
text-reading machines, screen magnification software and video 
magnifying units, and a Braille book production centre. .

"In the next phase, we will have a career counselling and job placement 
unit as well as distance education centre for the visually impaired," 
according to Bangalore University Vice-Chancellor N. Prabhu Dev.

Mr. Prabhu Dev said that the soft copy of the Braille books were made 
(mostly) by the Canara Bank Relief and Welfare Society (each page of the 
master copy costs Rs. 25), while the hard copies were processed by the 
All India Confederation of the Blind, New Delhi.

Each textbook has been printed in two or three volumes. Bangalore 
University funded the entire project. Students like Shilpa. S was both 
delighted and relieved. Ms. Shilpa, a second-year B.Com student who 
scored 74 per cent in her second semester, said Braille meant 
independence. "In my first semester, I was in tears as I got my study 
material a week before my exams. Thanks to my lecturer (Prasanna 
Udipikar, who is also the convenor of Bangalore University's Braille 
Resource Centre), who recorded the material, I managed to pass. "

Susheel Kumar, who is pursuing MA in Sociology, reiterated Ms. Shilpa's 
views. "Life is much easier for us now as we will find the Braille books 
in our library," he said.


-- 

-- 

*Krittika Vishwanath*
Research Associate
IT for Change
In special consultative status with the United Nations ECOSOC
www.ITforChange.net <http://www.ITforChange.net>
Skype id: krittika85
Tel:+91-80-2665 4134, 2653 6890. Fax:+91-80-4146 1055
Mobile: +91 9535321980

Read our Teacher's Communities of Learning project's blogs, lesson
plans and discussions here: http://bangalore.karnatakaeducation.org.in/

     

       

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.fosscom.in/pipermail/network-fosscom.in/attachments/20110926/7d6a7f38/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: image/png
Size: 6531 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://lists.fosscom.in/pipermail/network-fosscom.in/attachments/20110926/7d6a7f38/attachment.png>