Low cost Low Visual Aids can improve the life of a section of Human Resource of Society- the facts and fallacies

Abstract

Apart from Medical professionals and experts there are a few people in the society who have knowledge about the usefulness of Low Visual Aids. Visually impaired persons are those who suffer from low vision have normally treated as Blind. A Survey was conducted in different blind schools in West Bengal, India to assess the impacts of LVAs on Visually Challenged students of the blind schools who are treated as blind. From the survey it is revealed that a section of blind students, studying in blind schools have some useful residual functional vision to do his / her day-to-day activities which can be improved with Low Visual Aids (LVAs). In this way they can live a life like a normal people. Unfortunately, visually challenged students are still squeezing themselves with the Braille system. The members of administrative bodies, teachers, staffs, guardians of the visually challenged students are either remained ignorant or have little ideas about the advantageous uses of low cost LVAs. Some blind schools show their apathy to use LVAs. S0 a section of the human resource remained unused/under- used condition which is not supportive to the socio- economic development of a country like India. Awareness generation programmes can improve the situation through the involvements of the society for the proper utilization of a section of under used human resource of the country. This work is a tale of experiences which have gathered through the blind school survey in West Bengal, India.