In Trivandrum, Kerala, when blind children cannot go to school, school goes to them. Through an innovative project called Jyothirgamaya, or from darkness to light, a converted rickshaw carries a computer, printer, Braille slates and white canes to homes across the city in the southern Indian state.
The scheme is led by Tiffany Brar, 25, who is visually impaired. It is part of Braille Without Borders, a wider initiative launched by Sabriye Tenberken, a blind German national, in Tibet in 1998. She created the scheme to prepare blind children for mainstream education, and also runs a larger project based in Trivandrum called Kanthari, a school for budding social entrepreneurs from marginalised communities worldwide.
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The mobile blind school is the brainchild of N Krishnaswamy, a retired police officer from Tamil Nadu. It was launched as Jyothirgamaya in July 2012 to help children constrained by poverty, disability or distance.
Brar says many parents from poor socioeconomic backgrounds are unable – or unwilling – to take their blind children to school. “Some parents don’t want to bother with taking two buses to bring their children to a Braille class. I have heard some say: ‘It is not enough that we send our children to normal school?’, or ‘What is the use of English for a blind girl’?” she adds.
Visually impaired children in Kerala do not usually attend special schools. They are often not taught Braille or English, instead they are taught in the local language of Malayalam through text-recognition software. “But with Jyothirgamaya, I can to give the blind a new insight into life,” says Brar.
Jyothirgamaya has so far helped 15 people in Trivandrum. The project teaches Braille, spoken English, basic maths and computer skills, as well as life skills including personal hygiene and grooming. Perhaps most importantly, Jyothirgamaya teaches children how to use white canes – many blind people in India are dependent on others. Brar admits that despite her education she was not independently mobile until she went to Kanthari.
anantjani.com 