Elevating visually challenged children towards S&T education through scaling-up humanitarian technologies by networking with higher learning centres, NGOs, and parent-teacher partnerships

Abstract

Traditionally, the visually challenged are forced to study only humanities or arts at pre-university level and beyond, due to inadequate educational curriculum, accessibility denied campuses, lack of empowering assistive technologies and ignorance on the needs of vision deprived children. Unemployed among the blind is as high as 98%. IEEE Professionals of Kerala networked with Chakshumathi, the NGO working toward a holistic solution to engage the visually challenged with Science and Technology (S&T) education and careers, and conducting ‘Eyes Free Science’ camps for them. Humanitarian Technology Innovations are attempted usually without understanding the real user needs. IIT Delhi's ‘Assistech Lab’ as innovation hub for HTC, with real life inputs from the Network, could develop, test and market ultrasound sensed Smart Cane, Low cost Tactile prints, Software to read and type Mathematics and Science text, Low cost multi platform Braille display, Science text book conversion techniques etc. The Network trained blind youths could secure well paid jobs in areas like IT. 750 books and 4 periodicals published in digital accessible information systems (DAISY) format are being used by at least 800 visually challenged readers.