Speakers at a five-day workshop on ‘Orientation to Braille' organised here on Monday laid emphasis on the need to spread awareness on Braille, and cover all visually impaired persons under the Braille literacy programmes, including ones in regular educational institutions.

P.V. Srinivasan, lecturer in special education, National Institute for the Visually Handicapped (NIVH), Regional Centre, Chennai, said teachers should be taught Braille in view of the inclusive education programmes in schools. Visually impaired students are admitted in regular schools under the inclusive education programmes. In view of this, it was essential that a teacher learnt Braille, according to him.

In this workshop, Braille is being taught to participants, including parents of visually impaired children, teachers of primary and high schools, lecturers from D.Ed. colleges and representatives of non-governmental organisations.

Krishna R. Hombal, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Mysore, spoke on the importance of Braille literacy and said the visually impaired were capable of performing well.

He cited the example of Louis Braille who invented the script, eulogising him as the ‘leading light' of the blind in the world.

Earlier, Mysore District Disabled Welfare Officer Keshavamurthy inaugurated the workshop. The workshop is being organised by the JSS Polytechnic for persons with disabilities, and sponsored by the NIVH, Regional Centre, Chennai. More than 30 visually impaired persons took part.

All speakers concurred the idea that Braille should be integrated in primary and high schools under the regular education programmes. Parents too must show keenness to educate their wards who were visually impaired to learn Braille to enable them to achieve their goals in life. Bhagya Mahadevappa, Deputy Director, Helen Keller Government Training Institute for Teachers of Visually Handicapped, said that more books on Braille were required to popularise its learning.

Nanjundaswamy, principal of the JSS Polytechnic for persons with disabilities, presided over the event.

This will be a step towards an inclusive education programme: expert