Educating the Visually Impaired Children of Odisha

By Sagarika Satapathy: Access to education is a basic human right, but children with disabilities in general and visually impaired children in particular face manifold barriers to acquire basic education in India. A survey report says, only five per cent of the visually impaired children across the nation get some kind of primary education, though special education for these children is available in the country for more than 110 years. In a backward state like Odisha, Special Schools under Grant-in-aid fold of State Government is running since 1985. At present, there are 51 special schools which are being run by Non-Government Organizations or Voluntary organizations out of which, 18 are for visually impaired children. However, thousands of blind or severely visually impaired children in the state are still deprived to get school education.

Notably, the number of special schools for the visually impaired are remained fewer and confined within the cities and towns of the state. Rural people remained into the darkness of ignorance while common schools in general, remained indifferent towards the blind children. Only some NGOS have so far come forward in some parts of the state to offer some kind of primary education for the visually disabled children.

The Bhima Bhoi School for the Blind

The Bhima Bhoi School for the Blind at Bhubaneswar, Odisha was established on 1st September 1960. It is the 1st Govt. institution under the department of school and mass education, Odisha.

This institution is a high school having provision for preschool to class-X. New students are getting one year practice before going to class-I. School strength is 85, including 37 boys and 48 girls within the age group of 5+ to 20. Besides, Six day scholar students are also staying there. A total of 91 students are getting education in this institution. As many as 18 teachers are working in this school, which organizes two family counseling meeting in a year.

The main objective of the school is to bring the blind children into the mainstream of education as well as achieve greater self and social fulfillment. The students are also getting vocational trainings like vocal music, instrumental music, and craft work like chair caning, basketry and craft work in plastic. So that they can easily rehabilitated and live a better life. These students are also celebrating annual functions, ganesh puja, saraswati puja. This school also offers regular health check-up and sports facilities to them. Students are getting 10 months of education annually in the school while they spend the rest two months, usually in summer vacation, with their family members.

Bhima Bhoi Blind School is the Braille Training Institute under MCIT, Govt. of India sponsored project “Information Technology for Braille Literacy in Indian Languages”. As a training Center under this project, the institution has been equipped with computerized Braille systems. So far, this school has produced many scholars, singers, sportspersons and other distinguished personalities in different field.

National Association For The Blind Orissa State Branch

National Association for the Blind Orissa State Branch was established in 1981. Their main aim is to give the normal education to the blind students in a primary school. According to Ajay kumar Rai, the Deputy Director , National Association for the Blind India, Mumbai, “Rright to education is equal for All. By the adjective ‘all’ we understand that not only the normal children but also the disabled are also to be covered by the education programmes. The Right to Education (RTE) Act, introduced in 2012 allows visually impaired children to pursue mainstream education.there is no need to send them to a different school and identify them as they are different from the normal students. National Association For The Blind Orissa is fighting for the educational rights of the blind students.”

Ajay kumar Samal, Chief Functionary said, by the help of parents counseling, community mobility, many students are getting admission in the central schools, sishu mandir and odia medium schools in Odisha. National Association For The Blind Orissa providing teachers to the schools. Teachers are giving support service to the students. A total 6 teachers in Bhubaneswar, 8 at Nayagarh and 3 teachers at Koraput are providing special education to the blind students in different schools. Mainly they are focusing in accessibility and accountability. All students are getting teaching according to the regular curriculum of government. Now they are working in 66 districts of 24 states in India.

Key Issues:

1. Providing education, training & rehabilitation (Socio- economic) to visual impaired children and adults with multiple disabilities.
2. Empowering the differently abled children through various types of traditional and modern vocational trades.
3. Offering legal support for their empowerment.
4. Creating awareness, preventive measure, health check-up and support services for their upliftment.

Open Hand Organization

Open Hand Organization have joined hands with many other organizations to create awareness regarding the plight of homeless and blind children. Through OHO several textbooks have been recorded for the 8th class children studying in blind schools.
Text books are vocally recorded for the blind school children who are unable to read books. Every text book is vocally recorded with the help of a local recording studio. Soumya Pradhan has recorded several books for them during 2012 & is continuing till date.

Aaina
Aaina is a voluntary organization, operating in the state of Odisha, India since 1998. It aims to improve the lives of people with disability, women and children. Amo Vidyalaya, an integrated special school was setup at Barang in the year 1999. Mrs. Sneha Mishra, Secretary, Aaina said  that the uniqueness about the vocational unit in Amo Vidyalaya is that, the parents along with the children are  receive training in different trades and participating in product making. The training professionals provide training to the students in the field of tailoring, incense stick making, doormat making, appliqué work, paper bag making.  In addition to eight blind children, deaf & mute children are also staying there.

Aaina is also providing door to door education and training facilities to the blind students to 25 students at Ganjam, 15 at Dhenkanal, 5 at phulbani and 7 students from Kandhamal. Study time depends on the willingness of the students. All students are also getting annual scholarships of RS 2500 under Sarva Sikhsha Abhiyan scheme. The training professionals are essentially bridging the link between the government and the community people.

On the whole, widespread integration of disabled children, particularly visually impaired children in school education of Odisha is possible with the motivational change of the pupils and parents, civil societies and the government functionaries.