Vocational Training Research and Rehabilitation for Adult Blind (Boys and Girls)
Training Center for Braille Transcription System
The training center for Braille Transcription System was started in 2002 with the aim to expose the blind people to more books and literature, thereby imparting knowledge of our culture in them. The Center is sponsored by the Ministry of Information Technology, Government of India. Its systems were developed by the Indian Institute of Technology,Kharagpur and the Webel Mediatronics Ltd., India, in 12 Indian languages.The only training center of its kind in West Bengal with state-of-the-art facilities and has to its credit of bringing out about 215 books in Braille.The Center currently has 37 students undergoing training, and it has opened new avenues for higher education for the visually impaired.
Residential Vocational Training Centre for the Adult Blind
To instil self confidence in the visually challenged people and ensure them a livelihood to lead a life with self esteem, a residential Vocational Training Centre for the adult blind was started in 1987 by the Asram to impart training in handicrafts. This training centre initially catered to 20 trainees and their dedication and interest to make the products earned the goodwill of the people in due course of time. We are happy to claim that growing slowly, about 50 blind boys and girls make a decent earning through this centre.We aim to increase the inmates over the next few years to ensure that the Asram plays a lead role in rehabilitating these people.
CBR Training Centre for Professionals
The Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) Training Centre was a long lasting dream of the Asram to impart proper training and infrastructure for professional blind people. M/s. Sight Savers International, Mumbai, appreciated the Asram’s initiative and readily came forward to sponsor this centre. With their support and guidance, the CBR Training Centre was started in 1994.We are glad to record here that from its humble beginning in 1994, this centre has so far successfully rehabilitated about 539 blind people.We aim to increase this to 1000 people in the next few years and are confident that philanthropists will play a lead role in the same.
Teacher’s Training Centre (Primary) for the Visually Impaired
Another milestone of the Asram is its Teacher’s Training Centre for the Visually Impaired.The Asram fully understands the need of supporting a school or college with well trained and qualified faculty. As our academic institutions focus on special children with blindness, we realised our additional responsibility of hiring qualified, trained andvcompassionate individuals as various faculties.
While we found a hitch in getting the right candidate with all these qualities, a thought emerged in us to train qualified students of our Asram in the teaching profession, provide them proper training and help them in their livelihood. This would not only build confidence on them, but will also enable them to be compassionate with the students and guide them with dedication.Giving shape to this thought, a Teacher’s Training Centre was set up with the approval from the Rehabilitation Council of India and the National Institute for the Visually Handicapped. It is co-educational institution and we are pleased to make a mention here that all its trainees have been absorbed in Government / Non-Government services.Our aim is to train more students and help them thereby helping our Society.