The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Software for visually impaired

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Thursday, Dec 17, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Software for visually impaired

S. Aishwarya

CHENNAI: In an attempt to make adaptive software that assists people with visual impairment affordable, the government has mooted several initiatives to develop similar software in India, said I. Arivanandham, Regional Director in-charge, National Institute of Visually Handicapped (NIVH).

He was speaking on the sidelines of the inauguration of an orientation course for teachers on ‘Computer applications for the visually impaired’ at Loyola College on Monday. “We now have many options in software but JAWS, the screen-reader software, is by far the most effective. As it is expensive, the Ministry is planning to either subsidise the rate of the software or build indigenous ones using locally available technical resources,” he told The Hindu.

Addressing the participants, Mr. Arivanandham said that NIVH has been instrumental in organising consultancy services for non-governmental organisations, training programmes and also distributes aids and appliances and Braille materials to various organisations.

The five-day training programme, organised jointly by Model Resource Centre of Disability Services of Loyola College and National Institute of Visually Handicapped, would train teachers on adaptive software, MS Office and basics of Internet. Participants are from various non-governmental organisations at Madurai, Cuddalore, Coimbatore and Chennai.

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