Visually impaired students in city get digital library

Visually challenged students can now get all their study material under one roof as the city has added a new digital library for them.

The digital library, established by Devnar School for the Blind, Begumpet, was inaugurated by Hyderabad district collector R V Chandravadan on 1st August.

The digital library, which has audio copies of all textbooks included in the curriculum for classes 1 to 10, has a collection of over 150 CDs at present.

Inaugurating the library, the collector asked the students to use technology which is a window to the future. “There is a lot of information in the world for you to grasp. This library could help you in doing that,” Chandravadan said. The library has audio versions of general knowledge and literature books as well.

The Devnar School for the Blind has a strength of 350. Its students have excelled in SSC and Intermediate exams in the past 15 years.

The school is now planning to set up an engineering college for the visually challenged and has requested the state to allot land in the city or its outskirts for the purpose.

“Over the years, we have learned that our students have good aptitude for engineering. But while seeking admissions they do face difficulties in convincing engineering schools that they are capable of doing work,” Devnar Foundation for the Blind chairman Dr A Saibaba Goud said. The students of Devnar schools have joined JNTU and taken up jobs as software engineers in companies like Wipro.

“The state administration will hasten the allocation of land as early as possible. The school can be assured of all help from the administrative side,” Chandravadan said. The collector promised to support the school’s efforts in establishing an educational environment for the visually challenged.

Classes have begun to equip students to use the library. “This system is much better than using Braille textbooks because it helps us to learn even while we are engaged in activities like walking. It saves time and is user-friendly,” said Vivek Yadav, a class X student of the school.
The textbooks are read out into the computer using a software called ‘Sonic Foundry Sound Forge’ and the recorded voice can be burnt on CDs.

The school has invited volunteers who could read out the study material to get it recorded. The library is also planning to provide help to visually challenged students from other institutions.