No more scribes, rehab varsity students to use special laptops for exams

Lucknow: Students of Dr Shakuntala Misra National Rehabilitation University (DSMNRU) will no longer have to write their semester examinations with the help of a scribe or in Braille, which requires a certified transcriber for evaluation. Instead, they will now use special laptops that have a software named non visual desktop access.DSMNRU has taken this initiative to make students self-reliant, enhance their functional efficiency, and prepare them for an employment-oriented future.“Visually impaired (VI) students are now being given the facility to take their semester examinations using special laptops instead of relying on scribes — a pioneering experiment not only in UP but across the country. Earlier, only two students from our VI batch of different courses appeared for exams using laptops, but now the university is training all visually impaired students to write exams on laptops for which we have roped in experts,” said DSMNRU spokesperson Yashwant Virodai.He said students have embraced technology as a more convenient, confidence-boosting and independent alternative to the traditional scribe system. This arrangement has been made possible through the university’s collaboration with Help The Blind Foundation. Under this partnership, students are being provided with a laptop-based examination system, technical assistance, necessary software, screen-reader facilities, and support during exams, enabling them to complete their papers with ease and confidence, free from external dependence.DSMNRU officials said that to begin with, some of the students who appeared through the laptop-based examination system shared that they were able to take their exams with greater ease, independence and self-confidence.DSMNRU vice-chancellor Prof Sanjay Singh said, “Under the traditional scribe system, students often have to rely on another person, whereas the laptop-based examination system empowers them to think independently, formulate their answers and write at their own speed and with ease.”He said the system is preparing them mentally and technologically for future employment opportunities, competitive examinations and professional life.