Traditionally, blind or visually impaired students have always had to rely on scribes, someone who would read and write for them, to take exams. Students, often faced difficulty using scribes. The scribes were not trained and qualified. They would interpret and enter answers incorrectly, leaving the visually impaired students frustrated.
Thanks to technology, this is starting to change. Students at Nethra Vidyalaya, a blind school in Hyderabad which partners with Vision-Aid for technology training, for the first time are taking Intermediate level board exams on their own. This has been made possible with the use of laptops and assistive technology. The Andra Prasesh State Government, in India has special approval to make this huge leap possible.
Several teachers and students at Nethra have been undergoing formal training provided by Vision-Aid in Access Technologies. These technical skills are being applied in innovative ways.
53 Blind students from all over the state, have enrolled in the Commerce Economics Civics(C.E.C ) and History Economics Civics(H.E.C ) study groups, with English as medium of instruction, in Nethra’s Junior College
Now students can take the board exams on their own, giving them the independence, flexibility and satisfaction of being able to achieve a major milestone on their own.
