Bangalore: What the visually impaired people need is empathy and respect, not sympathy, Director of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bangalore, Mathur Krishnamurthy has said.

Launching the website of the Karnataka Welfare Association for the Blind (www.kwab.org) on Tuesday, Dr. Krishnamurthy said the website will help bring the association to the notice of potential donors. Its efforts to provide integrated education for the visually impaired and other students together deserves to be encouraged, and also needs funding.

KWAB honorary general secretary S.P. Murthy said the residential school run by the association provides English medium education under the central syllabus to 61 boys and girls up to class seven. It has plans to provide education up to tenth and 12th standard, he said.

The association plans to set up an integrated school, based on the Sushikshana Saadana education policy of the Union Government. "The idea is to have normal children and children with disabilities study in a common environment with high academic standards. There will also be co-curricular activities for all students with emphasis on music, dance and drama, where visually impaired students often show exceptional talent'' Mr. Murthy said.

To mark 39 years of its functioning, the association has planned several programmes. There will be a State-level Braille reading and writing competition for students, on November 17.

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