IT Training for Visually Impaired (Blind) Persons BACKGROUND People with disabilities in Bangladesh have already been lagging far behind in terms of mainstream development as well as in socio-economic and cultural activities. There are over a million visually impaired persons in Bangladesh. Majority of them have limited access to education let alone ICT based services. The case is much worse for visually impaired women as they are greatly restricted from pursuing training opportunities due to lack of secure transportation arrangements. Due to lack of education, resource and general awareness, visually impaired women end up leading lives as dependents and often in miserable conditions. This project will enable wider access to ICT for one of the most vulnerable and underprivileged sections of our society. It may be mentioned that visually impaired women are twice as vulnerable as men because in addition to lack of education and access to resources they are subject to social stigma (prohibiting marriages) and wide scale abuse.
OBJECTIVE Information and communication technology (ICT) is an enabling technology that provides access to information. The Objective of this project is to impart IT training for visually impaired persons which will enable them to gain access to information, education and employment opportunities. The main objective of this training program is to empower Visually Impaired Students through ICT as well as encouraging them to fight against the forthcoming challenges in the future. Mobility is a big challenge for visually impaired individuals particularly in Dhaka city where traffic is heavy and chaotic and sidewalks are few and far between. Since its inception the Institute has been providing free transportation for its students with a microbus. Availability of transportation facility will enable the Institute to offer its services for more female students. Lack of secure and risk free transportation is a major hindrance for visually impaired women from going outside their residence and pursue training and employment opportunities.
PLAN The Institute of Hazrat Mohammad SAW (IHM) is a think tank which focuses on improving the lives of persons with disabilities through different projects. It is experienced in providing training for visually impaired persons. Since its inception it has provided training for over 400 visually impaired persons. The Institute proposes to initiate an IT training program visually impaired persons to facilitate their access to information, education and employment opportunities. In addition, the Institute will also provide its students free transportation facilities and further support in attaining jobs after the completion of their trainings. The Institute is one of the very few training centers in Bangladesh offering these facilities for the visually impaired since 2005. The main component of this program is to teach students on how to use Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Web surfing and Emails. The students will be acquainted to computer screen reading software, speech synthesizers, self-voicing software through JAWs and NVDA. Sixteen visually impaired persons will receive IT training from the five month long IT Training Course.
BENEFICIARIES The direct beneficiaries of this project would be visually impaired students in Dhaka and around. The students will be mostly from middle and low income families. We may reiterate that the Institute is committed to upholding the rights of disabled persons and it believes ICT access can contribute towards this goal. Mass level adoption of ICT for the visually impaired will give them much-needed access to education, communication, skill development and jobs. It will enable the visually impaired to realize their potential, lead lives of independence and dignity, and make tangible contributions to society. | INVITATION SHEBI cordially invites you to a special Event to be held on Sunday, Nov 13, 12:30 noon – 5:00 pm, in the Aldersgate Church at 235 Park St. North Reading, Ma 01864. www.shebi.org Phone: 617 680 9120 ===================== Blind Students in a class ICT training of blind students |
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