Blind students take help from iPods, readers

PUNE: A positive attitude brought success to visually impaired students in the city who appeared for the secondary school certificate examination in March. "I want to become a chartered accountant. Problems will be there, but I will learn to overcome them," said 17-year-old RajuYadav, a partially blind student who secured 83% in the examination.
Raju, a resident of Kedgaon, did not let his partial vision stand in his way."I would try to read books despite my vision. I often read aloud so that my visually impaired friend can listen and learn. We also had readers, Braille books as well as iPods for studying," he said.
But his visual incapacitation never left him feeling lesser than other peers. "I never felt that I am losing out on anything. My school provided me with books, readers and teachers to come through with flying colours," said Raju, who studied in the Poona School and Home for the Blind Trust, apart from regular schooling.
His friend, Vikrant More, also scored 83%. "I-pods, Braille and readers helped me score well. I-pods were a big help as I would listen to my lessons while walking and while lying down," said Vikrant.
Science, with all its formulae, chemical equations and practical experiments in the lab, was a problem for Vikrant due to his inability to see. "Readers came to my rescue as they would teach me at length. Another hurdle was the question and answer guides which were not in Braille. We had to sit with the readers for hours and record them for revision," he said.
Preeti Agarwal lost half her vision when she was three years old. But scoring 82% in the SSC examination has made her forget all of that. "I am glad I scored so much. There have been times when my visual impairment has got in my way and I wanted to quit studying. My teachers would encourage me and tell me that if those who cannot see at all can study, why can't I? It made me go on," she said.
Her father is an autorickshaw driver while her mother works as a maid in a treatment centre. "I have three daughters and I am keen to educate them. They can study as much as they want to. It will only make me a proud father," said Dwarka Agarwal, Preeti's father.
Geetanjali Mudliyar, who has lost full vision, from Poona School and Home for the Blind in Kothrud, got 80% and plans to take up arts in college. "Science is preferable, but it would be difficult for me to cope with its practical aspects as I am visually impaired. However, with this percentage, my future looks bright," she said.