Awardee wants to open school for visually challenged

Ashwini Angadi, 24, a visually-challenged girl from the City who won the ‘Youth Courage Award,’ now plans to start a special school for the visually-challenged. Angadi won the UN-instituted award last July, as part of the Malala Day celebrations. 

“After winning the award, I visited various places in the State and interacted with the local community there. I observed most children from North Karnataka are from economically weaker sections and took the decision to run a school catering mainly to visually-challenged at Haveri,” she said.

Angadi, however, wants the support from the State to fulfil her dream. Currently there are only four State-run schools for the visually impaired at Mysore, Davangere, Dharwad and Hubli. There are about 200 such schools run by NGOs as well according to officials of the Department of Disabilities.

“The local community from Haveri is ready to support me but it would be good if the government comes forward,” Angadi added. “I am  planning to choose the place in an existing building instead of buying a new land,” she said and added that the school would start catering to children without special needs too but only  those from poor backgrounds.