'Social blindness is a shame'

Knowledge and will power are the biggest assets, says expert

Braille is must for our development. It is the flight which reaches us to heights. We are braille literates.

We might have a physical blindness, but in society social blindness prevails which is a shame, said Krishna R Hombal, assistant professor, DOS in Political science, University of Mysore.

Addressing the gathering at JSS Polytechnic for Differently-abled at a five-day workshop on ‘Orientation to Braille (English and one regional language),’ Hombal who is also visually impaired said, society neglects the disabled making them to remain so. But we need to show that we are not differently-abled but we are distinctly abled. We are not disabled, we are people with excess abilities. Education is most important for the foundation of our life. We need to be educated with Braille. It is the power of sightless.

Louis Braille lost his sight in an accident, not his heart. He is a bright knowledge dot in the new moon day sky. His birth, life and achievements need to inspire us. Where there is a will there will surely be a way with a ray of hope. We just need to recognise it. Knowledge power and will power are our biggest assets.

Those who can see have two eyes, we without vision have windows of our brain wide open to the knowledge world, he said. Handicapped is a person whose hands are capped for charity. But we need to really think over it as we are not beggars any more. We are here to establish our identity and create histories having vision and mission, he said.

Deputy director  of Helen Keller Government Training Centre for teachers of Visually Handicapped Bhagya Mahadevappa said, parents from rural background neglect visually impaired children. Awareness about this is most necessary.. Along with the children, parents need to have knowledge in Braille. There is no library or book store anywhere which has Braille books. We must be grateful to Louis Braille who with 6 dots has created 63 combinations.

Principal of JSSPDA Nanjundaswamy, head of the department of computer science Nirupama C, district disabled welfare officer Keshavamurthy and special education lecturer at NIVH regional centre of Chennai P V Srinivasan were present.