1. New Project Proposal: National Initiative for the Blind by Vidya Vrikshah and IIT Madras Projects Meeting Asha for Education, Arizona August 7, 2004 Nirmal Govind

2. Vidya Vrikshah (VV) Started in 1998 Key People  N. Krishnaswamy (Retd. IG of Police)  R. Kalyanakrishnan (IIT Madras CS Professor)  ~ 150 volunteers Activities  Electronic Archiving  Disability Research, Development and Training  Partners with IIT Madras for software NIB launched in Chennai in Dec. 2003

3. National Initiative for the Blind Jointly conceived by IIT Madras and VV Methodology  Involve mothers of visually handicapped children  Provide second level kit to the children  Read real-life braille embossed on paper  Software component  Easy use of computers in all Indian languages and English  Voice and braille computer output in all these languages National Award for outstanding contributions to the welfare of the disabled

4. Previous AfE Involvement AfE Seattle funded Braille Embosser  Drushti: braille magazine in Tamil being sent out to schools in Tamil Nadu AfE Colorado  Trained two instructors of the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Institute for the Handicapped in Sikkim Individuals  DP  Prof. Vileen Shah from Salt Lake City (asha-special) Recent site visits: Bash (Seattle), DP, Lakshmi (Seattle)

5. Proposal for Funding Universal Braille Kit  Vasantha Cube : to learn to read letters in braille  Natesan Block : to learn to read words in braille  Braille Slate & Stylus : to learn to write in braille  Alphabet Block : to learn hand-writing in normal letters  Abacus : to learn to count and calculate  Geometry Box and drawing wheel : to learn to draw and measure  White Cane : to learn mobility skills  A simple Instructor’s Manual (in any desired language): To enable any literate person to teach the use of the above devices.

6. Proposal (contd.) Kit manufactured by Worth Trust (Katpadi, Tamil Nadu)  Employs disabled  Subsidized cost Funding Requested  1000 kits = 1000 x Rs. 300 ~ $7000  To be sent to 500 schools and training institutions  Target date for distribution: Nov. 2004

7. Why should Asha AZ fund? Statistics  ~ 4 Million Blind in India (~ 10% are kids)  < 1% literacy rate among blind No national initiative in India  Sarva Shiksha Abhyan is the closest Unique methodology  Reaching out to the mother  Simple and inexpensive tools  Software component accelerates learning Aligns with AfE’s missions/objectives  Mainstream disabled: socio-economic change!  Support a relatively small effort that has potential  Not too many projects for disabled  Possible governmental support

8. References/Links www.vidyavrikshah.org http://acharya.iitm.ac.in

9. Cube and Block Vasantha CubeNatesan Block

10. Award Ceremony