BHU introduces audio textbooks for visually impaired students
Varanasi: In a move to assist the visually
impaired students and those with learning disabilities to read without
being assisted by other people owing to absence of Braille textbooks, Saiyaji
Rao Gaekwad Central Library of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) has started the
process of converting books into audio
textbooks that can be heard with just a click of the mouse on a computer.
The conversion of textbooks using a special software and digital format is being carried out as a part of the digitization process underway at the Central Library. All the digitized documents and books are to be kept in a Digital Resource Centre expected to come up in the library within seven to eight months.
The conversion of textbooks using a special software and digital format is being carried out as a part of the digitization process underway at the Central Library. All the digitized documents and books are to be kept in a Digital Resource Centre expected to come up in the library within seven to eight months.
Librarian HN Prasad told TOI on Thursday that tThere are over a 100 visually-impaired students in university. "We noticed that these students were unable to read the books without help of their friends without the Braille textbooks or other friendly learning material. Since digitization process was underway here, it was decided to convert books into audio so as to enable the specially-abled children to learn and understand the given matter like any other student.
According to Prasad, more than 1,000
books had been made ready for use so far. The specially designed
software/format will enable the visually-impaired students to navigate from
line to line while listening to the audio version on their earphones, he said,
adding that a a proposal of about Rs 1 crore had been sent to UGC for Digital
Resource Centre.
"We have a harrowing time finding fellow students to accompany us to the library. We request our friends to read the books aloud. But, this feature will be of immense help," third year student Abhay Kumar Sharma said.
In absence of Braille textbooks, we felt helpless. Even the audio books did not have clear speech and demanded extreme concentration. Things will ecome easy with modern audio textbooks," another student Ravi Kumar said.
A sociology student said that the library did not have more than two audio textbooks and now he would request to get audio version of more books.
Pralhad
Jadhav
Senior
Manager @ Library
Khaitan & Co
No comments:
Post a Comment