Support The Education Of Students With Visual Impairments And Help Them Build A Better Future

India, is the blind capital of the world with more than 30% of the total visually impaired people in the world residing in India.There are over 62 million people in India who are visually impaired, of which 8 million are blind. Among these about 2 million are children within the age group of 3 to 15 years. The education infrastructure for these visually impaired children in India is very primitive and age old. They lack the intervention of new age education technologies like digital and online learning which sighted students otherwise have access to. Visually Impaired students  deserve to have opportunities just like everyone else.

Braille Literacy and its issues in India 

The current primary education methods in schools for visually impaired children in India   relies heavily on using age-old methods like using wooden blocks, marbles, plastic slates, and students require continuous 1:1 teaching and supervision. Unfortunately, there is a lack of interactive technology-based braille teaching, resulting in a less-than-efficient classroom atmosphere, slower learning outcomes, and students losing their interest in education and dropping out of school 

Consequently, Braille literacy rates in India are abysmally low, at less than 1%. Since there is a very high correlation between Braille literacy and employment among the visually impaired, this further translates to unemployability and inefficient rehabilitation.  

However, there’s a solution 

The efficiency of Braille learning can be improved drastically by fostering self-learning among students. Self-learning will ensure that students can learn Braille at their own pace and achieve early-stage literacy much more effectively. To this end, Thinkerbell Labs has developed a first-of-its-kind Annie Smart Class Solution, at the core of which is the product Annie.

Annie is the world’s first Braille-literacy device. It helps visually impaired students learn to read, write, and type in Braille on their own, through interactive audio-guided content. This technology will enable self, collective, and competitive learning; easy homework delivery and evaluation; and facilitate easy tracking of progress. 

To ensure continuous monitoring of the usage of these devices, Thinkerbell Labs will also build a custom tracking dashboard for the school and relevant departments that will enable all parties involved to monitor the performance of the children and the usage of the devices deployes.

The Annie device is sure to bring about a revolution in the learning process for the visually-impaired. With the help of technology, these students will be able to have a future they deserve. 

One device can be used by 5 students and one Smart Class with 10 devices can educate 300 students in 3 years. It is a huge way forward and your support can make that happen. 

How you can help 

This is an earnest appeal to all of you to come forward and donate to help setup Annie Smart Class at Niwasi Andh Vidyalaya, Nanded, Maharashtra to help over 60 visually impaired kids get a bright future. 

With your support, there will be a marked increase in the enrollment rates and this will encourage more and more students in need to join these schools. Donate now to make a difference. 

Beneficiary NGOs: 

60 students from the Standard 1st to Standard 6th of the Niwasi Andh Vidyalaya, Nanded, Maharashtra