LOOK BEYOND THE BARRIERS

• Synergy is a student committee and a network to empower the visually challenged.

• We believe that each individual is blessed with enormous potential energy, irrespective of social, physical or economical barriers.

• This is a pie chart depicting how people use their senses in the process of learning, as sketched out by a recent study.

nowing one's weaknesses is one of the greatest strengths one can possess. Diversity makes life interesting and challenging.amongst a number of specially or differently abled people, there are:1.Visually challenged.• Physically challenged.• Hearing and speech challenged.• Mentally challengedHowever, more than anything, "Acceptance is the key to surpass every obstruction."

• Around 60 million Indians are differently abled, that’s 6% of our total population.

• Our policy makers, decission makers and politicians look at this statisstics as a charity issue and a welfare issue, but it is a developmental issue.

• No country can progress living 6 % of its population in the lurch.

• It is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.

• Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss:

• Total blindness• Low-vision

"once determined, no obstacles in the path of success.“• How do they study?• Braille - a script that requires punching paper to

read the raised dots created, by feeling them.• Other assistive technologies – Technology is

creating a severe breakthrough in all the walks of life.

• Computers are operated using screenreaders and other special softwares and hardwares like JAWS, Magic magnifier, Supernova, Braille embossers, Braille displayers, handheld magnifiers etc.

• Printed material is read by scanning and running the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) on the scanned image.

• Lectures and notes are recorded using portable media devices (Voicerecorders and MP3players).

• Symbian-enabled mobile handsets are operated using mobile screenreaders like “Mobile Speak” or “Talks”.

• Apart from the eyes, every other sense organ is on the high alert to observe and grasp the place and the surroundings.

• A white cane is used to cross the road and feel the ground before stepping on it.

• width and texture of the road, sound of the moving vehicles, traffic signals, bus-stops, speed breakers and buildings become some of the significant landmarks to travel independently. talking watches, colour detectors, talking calculators, Money ditecturs, talking microwaves etc are very useful at times.

• A device called “threater” is used to insert the threat into the eye of a needle.

• For a better understanding of how these people do their day-to-day activities, just go on with whatever you were upto with eyes closed for a while.

• Visually challenged are working for various orgs like Google, Microsoft, GE, IBM , SBI , Canara Bank , infosys, Cry, Green Peace etc, on par with their other colleagues

• Some 250 different job profiles identified can be performed by differently abled.

• They are working in almost all the levels of jobs across various industries, like lecturers, statisticians, artists, HR professionals, entrepreneurs, docters, research analysts, engineers, IT professionals and so on.

• Know that Their basic requirement is a feasible work place solution and a barrier free environment.

• As their colleagues, don’t let them left out – involve them in all your activities, with no presumption.

• TV Raman - a software programmer at Google.• Rajani-First lady  Chartard Accountant of India.• Ravindra Jain - a Music Director.• Duncan McLaurin  - A 14-year-old who launched a

space rocket.• Miles hilton-barber - adventurous and the first blind

pilet .• Eric Alexander - a mountaineer who climed the mount

everest.• Jhon Milton – (you know who?)…….It doesn’t end

here.

It’s quite incredible that many blind people are into various walks of life where vision generally plays a prominent role like in. 1. Painting 2. Photography

Any uncertainties in communicating with a visually challenged person?• Express yourself through words rather than using visual gestures or signs.• be frank enough while enquiring about anything including matters relating to their eye-

sight.• Let them know when you enter or leave the room. If you see someone else entering, then

just announce their name.• Describe the surroundings clearly.• read to them points written on signboards and trace diagrams on their hands.• Talk directly to the visually challenged person without using the accompanying person as

an interpretor.• Don’t leave them ignored, just think of them as another member of your group.• Remember they are only visually challenged, and all other senses are perfectly ok. So

just go by your reasoning power, and you’ll do well.

• Vision loss is a mere inconvenience, not a disability. They are differently abled

Building the teem through announcements, PPT's, identifying suitable candidate.

• Take the guidance of a professor as the mentor • brainstom on the projects to take up. • You'll find many projects if you register on • www.sife.org • Fix a time line for the complition of the project • Identify sources of Finance • Importance of Marketing and Media • Dealing with Transition stage

To do a research on NGO's visit Websites like • www.ngo.org or,

www.indianngos.orgInteract with the beneficiaries. • Give your donation in

kind than in cash Ensure to make funds available for productive purposes like library membership, , scholarships, college fees etc. • It is a good idea to check

back if the donations  have     been worthly made use of.

Make your time more memmorable by being• Scribe • Reader • Online tutor through VoIP like (Skype, Google talk, Yahoo

messenger) • Record books •  Edit the scanned books.• Or: tell us what you can do.

• If you do your bit, we'll be able to do ours!