HYDERABAD: The anti-HIV campaign in the State is entering into hitherto uncharted territory. Crossing barriers of sight and sound, the awareness drive on HIV and the precautions necessary to keep the virus away will now touch the visually challenged too with the Andhra Pradesh State AIDS Control Society (APSACS) bringing out educational material in Braille.

The move, the first in the country, which has very few models elsewhere in the world, is based on the realisation that it is not just physically able people who are vulnerable to HIV, but that those who are physically challenged in various ways too can fall prey to it.

Conveying message

APSACS project director G. Ashok Kumar, the man behind the move, says it is "imperative that even the disabled, like those who are visually challenged, are made aware of the dangers of HIV," for which the message has to be conveyed in ways they understand.

The anti-HIV Braille campaign, included in the society's adolescent education programme, has taken shape with help from the city-based Devnar School for the Blind, where APSACS's educational material was translated into booklets in Braille. "A few printed copies have been sent to schools for the visually challenged in Tirupati, Warangal and Hyderabad for feedback. If changes are necessary, we will make them and then send them to all such schools in the State," Mr. Kumar said.

Campaign for police

The campaign would target those outside such schools with help from the Disabled Welfare Department, associations for the visually challenged and non-government organisations working in the particular sector, he said.

Meanwhile, APSACS is in the process of fine-tuning a check-up and awareness campaign against HIV among the State's police force. A meeting to discuss this was held on Friday between Director-General of Police Swaranjit Sen and Mr. Kumar.

"Policemen too are in the high-risk group. We are planning to get check-ups done and prepare them to tackle the issue. The modalities are being worked out," Mr. Kumar said. The campaign among cops would be based on APSACS's currently running anti-HIV slogans and campaigns like `Be Bold' and `Know Your Status', he said.

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